Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn: Comedic Duo Prove Life’s a Party in Wedding Crashers

By Chris Pryor

When you put actors Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn together you’re guaranteed to get all kinds of funny. And that’s just the result in this month’s Wedding Crashers, out July 15, which stars the comedic duo as John (Wilson) and Jeremy (Vaughn), two divorce mediators who like to slip into weddings and their respective receptions to woo unwitting females with a barrage of blarney and fabricated back stories.

Starsky & Hutch) set their sights on Claire (Rachel McAdams) and Gloria (Isla Fisher) – bridesmaids they encounter while on the prowl at a ceremony. The only wrinkle is their father, William Cleary (Christopher Walken), a politically powerful treasury secretary. Following a series of events, John and Jeremy manage to finagle their way into the Cleary’s post-nuptial family outing at their palatial beachfront estate – and it’s here that all hell breaks loose.

Vaughn and Wilson reveal what motivated them to take on these roles.

"I thought of myself as a big, innocent kid, "says Vaughn. "Like, ‘I really do love weddings – yes, I want to meet the girls and that’s exciting. But I want to go with my friend and I want to laugh and go eat cake and I want to dance. I want them to have a good time at their wedding. I’m not trying to ruin their wedding. I’m happy for you both.’"

Wilson concurs, "I think that was a good way to show that, yes, we were into weddings and picking up girls, but we also loved the pomp and pageantry."

One might wonder if either of the two applies such tactics in real life. "It’s probably gotten easier for me to meet girls as I’ve gotten older. "Wilson explains. "Girls are better able to see what kind of person I am (although) that might have something to do with the fact that I’m in movies!"

Vaughn’s story, however, is altogether different. "Whenever I’d go out with my friends, we’d get bored sometimes and so we’d give each other lines that you have to say – to raise the degree of difficulty. You have to say these lines and you can’t back off of them," he recollects.

"Me and (Jon) Favreau went out this one time – he and I never got girls ‘together,’ really. Separately we got girls, but together it never really worked out for us because it was (always) jokes, jokes, jokes," Vaughn adds. "So this one time, we’re playing these roles and I’m playing it like I’m really sensitive and I want to be in a relationship. And he played to the extreme that he doesn’t care about relationships, it’s pathetic and he just wants to have sex – and they liked him more! They liked the guy that was more like ‘whatever.’"

It’s clear that both Wilson and Vaughn have their comedic chops sorted out, but some might find it surprising to hear Wilson’s perspective on where he’s headed.

"I definitely would love to do some more dramatic roles," the actor admits. "I try to keep stuff real, especially with these ‘big comedies,’ you have a burden to try and deliver ‘big laughs.’ And sometimes that can get into sort of craziness. It would be nice to not have that pressure on a movie – [where] you could just tell the story and be funny within that but you don’t have to go for ‘really big moments’ or worry about that pressure."

But no worries Wilson fans, he’s still bringing the laughs. He’s set to appear opposite his brother Luke, Kris Kristofferson and Eva Mendes later this year in The Wendell Baker Story.

Vaughn, who’s just started principle shooting for The Break Up with co-star Jennifer Aniston, embraces the party-til-you-drop persona he’s introduced to the world in films like Swingers and Old School. The lanky actor cuts right to the chase when asked if he’d mind playing Trent/Beanie roles into his 60s. "If there’s a God, let’s hope so," he jokes.

Wedding Crashers releases in theaters July 15.