Tickets to Rainn Wilson's Stageworks benefit nearly gone
Thursday, November 15, 2007 8:07 AM PST
By Tom Paulu
Printable version
E-mail this articleRainn Wilson may hang out on sets in Hollywood and New York, but he's no stranger to Kelso and Kalama.
Wilson, one of the stars of the NBC comedy "The Office," listed his favorite local haunts: Stuffy's restaurant and "that Army-Navy surplus store downtown," which apparently is Bob's.
"I also like the lake in Longview and my father-in-law's courtroom," Wilson said in a phone interview from Los Angeles.
The last reference may have been in jest, but it has everything to do with Wilson's appearance in Kelso Saturday night in a fund-raiser for Longview Stageworks. His parents-in-law are Judge Ed and Mary Putka of Kalama. Ed Putka is chairman of the Stageworks board of directors.
Wilson promised "a one-man show on Thaddeus B. Kelso, the founder of Kelso. It's a historic drama. There are a lot of figures from Southwest Washington history."
Whether or not that's really in the offing, the show -- featuring one of the biggest film and TV stars to perform here in recent memory -- was close to sold out at press time Wednesday.
Wilson, 41, has plenty of Northwest connections.
He grew up in the Seattle area and attended Shorecrest High School until he was 16 and his parents got jobs at the Baha'i national headquarters in Chicago. Wilson came back to attend the University of Washington and graduated in 1986 with a drama degree. He later earned a master of fine arts degree from New York University.
Wilson's wife, the writer Holiday Reinhorn, is from Portland. The couple were married "on the banks of the Kalama River," Wilson said, and have a cabin near Sisters, Ore.
Wilson spent several years acting in New York productions and driving a moving van to make ends meet. His break in TV was the role of the quirky assistant mortician Arthur Martin on HBO's "Six Feet Under."
Then came "The Office," a comedy about a group of dysfunctional employees lead by a boss from hell played by Steve Carrell.
Wilson plays Dwight Shrute, a neurotic assistant manager.
Is he anything like Dwight in real life? "I would say not at all," Wilson replied testily.
Much of the character is his own creation, however. "We improvise. The average episode is three-quarters scripted. Change is a good deal."
In response to the burning question about whether Dwight and "Office" co-worker Angela will get back together, Wilson said, "I have a very good idea but I'm not saying. It's going to be a long, rocky road. There's a lot of fun stuff in store."
Maybe not for a few more weeks, however.
Filming of "Office" episodes stopped last week when Hollywood writers went on strike. Only one more completed show is ready to air, Wilson said.
"There are rumors of showing the English version" of "The Office," which inspired the American show. "I don't think it would be that cool," Wilson said. "Most people who are big 'Office' fans have already seen them."
Putka originally hoped to have Wilson do a Stageworks fund-raiser last spring, but the actor got too busy after hosting "Saturday Night Live" in February.
Growing up, he said, he used to watch "SNL" with friends. "It was beyond my wildest dreams that I would ever be able to host it.
"It really helped put me on the map," Wilson said. "A lot of people just knew me as Dwight and didn't know I have a lot of range and can flex other comedy muscles."
He got to exercise them rapping with Kanye West during the Emmy Awards in September.
Wilson is also building a resume in movies.
He played Luke Wilson's best friend and unlikely romantic advisor in Ivan Reitman's "My Super Ex-Girlfriend." He had a small part in the movie "Juno," which will be released next month, and the lead in "The Rocker," a comedy scheduled for release in April.
"I play an over-the-hill heavy metal rocker," he said.
Wilson told an interviewer from the Baha'i News Service said that he's rejected many roles because they're morally repugnant.
"It seems a little bit of a strange anomaly that the guy playing the annoying part (Schrute) is actively involved with his religious faith," Wilson told The Daily News.
"I basically feel that God put us on this planet to be of service to humanity and give of our different talents. I have a talent of making people laugh."
He added that's he's an active parent -- he and his wife have a 3-year-old son.
"My religious faith helps me keep my priorities straight and my emphasis on family. It's a business where one can get very lost in a culture of evil."
The spiritual aspect of "The Last Mimzy," which was released last spring, attracted Wilson more than the fact that it was set in Seattle. The movie is about two children who save the world after finding a magical toy washed up on a Vashon Island beach. Wilson plays a counterculture teacher who gets drawn into the mystery.
"There's a spiritual message in 'Last Mimzy' of how humanity is in a crisis now," Wilson said. "I believe that it is a spiritual crisis and that we need to move to a deeper level of spiritual maturity."
As long as "The Office" stays hot, Wilson doesn't expect to have time for live theater. "Once the show is done, I'd love to go back to New York," he said.
And maybe some day he'll return to the rain with one "n."
"Portland is my favorite city in the U.S. right now."
Rainn Wilson will appear at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Kelso Theatre Pub, 214 S. Pacific Ave. Tickets for the show cost $50. A few tickets may be available at the door.
A get-together with Wilson at 6:30 p.m. at the Back Stage Café, next door to the Theater Pub, is sold out. Tickets are available for a post-show gathering for an extra $50.
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