Patrick Wilson

by Lacy Morris ~ photograph by MiLLer MobLey/redux

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7 8 | s o u t h e r n l i v i n g | o c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

t r a v e l + c u l t u r e p a p e r n a p k i n i n t e r v i e w

Growing up, my brothers and

I would spend some summers

playing in the woods in a little

coal mining town called Big

Stone Gap, Virginia. we still have

my grandmother’s house there on

wilson road—half of the people

on the street are related to us.

even though i never lived [in that

town], it’s where i feel my wilson

people are from.

In the South, hospitality comes

through. you want everyone to

feel like they’re part of your family.

When I was in southwestern

Virginia filming Big Stone Gap, I

found a hookup for moonshine.

when i came home with it, people

were like, “you’re the only guy in

new jersey who has moonshine at

a party.” i have a variety of flavors,

and [when people drink it] i try to

give my little spiel about what has

higher proof.

I’d love to go toe-to-toe with

Al Pacino again. it was a real thrill

for me to act with him in Angels in

America. that was my first proper

[project]. and not that i’m not

proud of my work [in it], but 10

years and nearly 30 movies later,

i think i have a little more of the

technical prowess.

I don’t like wearing bow ties

because I think I have a long

head and they look silly on me.

i was getting fitted to perform at

the white house for the Kennedy

center honors, and a salesman

said, “you can actually wear a long

tie instead.” so i did. and then

President bush joked, “thanks for

dressing up.” the next year i per-

formed, colin Powell said, “what,

you can’t wear a bow tie?” i guess

that’s just going to be my thing.

“Bless her heart” gets you out

of any trouble. you can be bad-

mouthing someone like, “she

looks like she fell out of the ugly

tree and hit every branch all the

way down. bless her heart.” For

some reason that [phrase] justifies

everything. men can’t really use it

well, but women certainly can.

Big Stone Gap [the movie] is based

on a novel by Adriana Trigiani.

i stayed in my grandmother’s

house [while filming]. it was really

special because i got to act with my

brother. he never pursued acting as

a profession, but it was something

he did in high school and college.

watching him was the reason i got

into it. to be able to be in a scene

with him was amazing.

The best Southern

phrase I ever heard

was my grandfather

describing my high

school girlfriend. he

said, “she’s as cute as a

speckled pup under a

studebaker.” i’ve never

been able to pull that off

in real conversation. i

tried to in Big Stone Gap,

but my character is a

coal miner, so it just

never quite worked out.

My two older brothers

and I grew up as die-

hard Van Halen fans.

we formed a band for

fun—we’re not trying to

change the course of

history here—and some-

one dubbed us Van

wilson. i said, “if we’re

going to be stupid, let’s

at least invert it.” so our

band is the wilson Van.

I treasure when I get

my family to have a sit-

down meal. it doesn’t

happen every night, but

it’s a big priority. my dad

went to work when i got

home from school—he

was a tV anchor—so the

only time i got to see him

during the week was at dinner. Fam-

ily dinner became very important.

I gave up soda, but I still have

this penchant for Coke and

peanuts. it’s such a southern

thing—pouring peanuts in glass

bottles of coke—that i’ve kept

with me all these years. i always

loved that as a kid growing up in

[the south].

PatricK at tiPsy Parson

new yorK, ny

HOMETOWN: norFolK, Virginia | OCCUPATION: actor/singer | WHAT’S ON HIS PLATE: the release oF his latest Film,

BIG STONE GAP, with costar ashley judd. it’s set in the heart oF Virginia’s blue ridge mountains.

“in the south, hospitaLity coMes

through. you want everyone to

feeL Like part of your faMiLy.”