Like school boys gushing to become NFL quarterbacks, Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson dreamed of making movies.
College buds at UT Austin, movies were all they talked about.
One day, (likely after smoking a power joint) the two decided to give it a shot. They co-wrote a script called Bottle Rocket.
Wilson's dad worked in TV, and he (no doubt hesitantly) got them a sit down with a movie producer.
With the producer's help, they whipped the script into a short film. And using the same guy's connections, they actually landed a spot in Sundance Film Festival.
While their film won zero Sundance awards, the pair did receive enough funding to make it a full-length feature.
If you've seen the movie, you know it sucks (in a low budget sense).
In fact, "The Studio said Bottle Rocket was their worst-testing movie in history, so I looked into the marines," Wilson later remarked.
However, the full-length did provide them legit street cred – Wilson in acting, Anderson in directing.
Somewhere in these great United States soon after, Ben stiller watched Bottle Rocket and got a serious kick out of Wilson's role. Straight up, he called Wilson and asked if he'd be in his new movie.
The Cable Guy sparked the beginning of a synergetic, prolific partnership.
Alongside Stiller, Wilson starred in Zoolander, The Royal Tenenbaums, Starsky & Hutch, Meet the Fockers and more.
At the same time, Anderson stuck to his vision. He produced a line of rich, cult classics including Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited. (Of course, Wilson piggybacked on roles in every single one.)
When you think about it, Wilson and Anderson easily found fame.
From college geeks to super celebs – it took one salty script and a few hook-ups. Look where they're at now.
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