Owen Wilson Broke His Nose ‘Roughhousing’ at Least Twice
Aside from his signature saying, “Wow!” fans may best identify actor Owen Wilson by his nose. The Zoolander star’s nose gives him a distinct look that is easily recognizable on its own. But Wilson wasn’t born with his iconic facial feature.
The actor broke his nose on two separate occasions. And according to him, it occurred while roughhousing. Learn when he broke it and other celebrities with iconic noses.
Owen Wilson broke his nose when he was young
Wilson answered Google’s most asked questions about him in a video interview with Wired. The actor opened up about his favorite roles, working with his good friend Ben Stiller, and whether or not he’s Australian. Wilson believes that, as a Texan, he has a similar mindset as those from down under.
One of the questions had to do with his nose.
“How did Owen Wilson get his nose broken?” the actor read the question aloud. “At [the] University of Texas,” he confirmed, citing his alma mater. “Playing, we were doing intramural flag football, and I got banged.” However, it wasn’t the first time he injured his nose. “But also, I think just like, as a kid, just roughhousing,'” he added.
While most of us bear scars and scrapes from our youth, few make it part of our signature look, like Wilson.
Wilson’s nose is a big part of who he is
According to a 2001 interview with the LA Times, Owen Wilson’s nose garners unsolicited comments. But it also helps him achieve his legendary look.
“You look kind of odd, disfigured,” the Shanghai Noon actor told the publication of a comment he sometimes receives from others. However, Wilson doesn’t view it as a negative. He likes the fact that it adds some character to a nose that would, otherwise, may not have stood out in the crowd.
“You know, probably my nose wouldn’t have been that great even if it hadn’t been broken,” he noted.
Owen faced other adversity he used to “define” himself. His brother, Luke Wilson, told the publication going to military school changed his famous sibling and gave him connections. “He dealt with the adversity of getting expelled,” his The Royal Tenenbaums co-star noted. At military school in New Mexico, “he met a kid that later introduced him to Wes [Anderson].”
More iconic celebrity noses
Wilson is far from the only celebrity with a notable nose. Adrien Brody is known for his similarly distinctive nose, though he doesn’t often address it in interviews. Interestingly, he also works regularly with Wilson’s frequent collaborator, Anderson.
Glee star Lea Michele has spoken about feeling pressure to get a nose job while pursuing a career in entertainment. “I love my nose because it’s mine,” she told TODAY in 2019. “I wanted to look at my face and have it be my face.”
One of the most famous celebrity nose jobs belongs to Michael Jackson. The King of Pop reportedly underwent multiple surgeries on his nose, resulting in a frequently changing appearance. At the time of his death, there wasn’t much left of it.
Every nose is different, and Wilson knows how to address this casually. Rather than treat a particular nose as flawed, perhaps people can see them as another unique feature on the face.
