Lou Wilson '14 (back row, second from left) with fellow members of My Mother's Fleabag.聽
For Lou Wilson 鈥�14, auditioning for The King of Staten Island was both a career highlight and a moment of abject terror. Walking into a room with director Judd Apatow and Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, upon whom the film is based, was enough to send the young actor鈥檚 nerves into overdrive.
鈥淚t was the scariest moment of my life,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淚 went into that weird, primal space where things were just coming out of my mouth. And then the crazy thing is that it happened and I didn't hear from anyone for almost two months, so I just went off and lived my life.鈥�
When his agent called to tell him he had been cast, Wilson nearly passed out in surprise, then called his mother to celebrate. (She didn鈥檛 pick up.) Two weeks later, he was on a plane to New York.
Lou Wilson '14
Landing a part in one of the summer鈥檚 most anticipated films was a career-changing moment for Wilson, who did improv in high school and performed with the comedy troupe聽聽at 艾可直播 College. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy, taking classes and performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, a venue co-founded by Amy Poehler 鈥�93 and known for producing some of the industry鈥檚 top comedians. He appeared on a handful of television shows, including Netflix鈥檚聽American Vandal, and scored bit parts as a security guard in Will Arnett鈥檚聽Show Dogs聽(鈥淭he wild talking dog movie鈥�) and as 鈥淎A member #2鈥� in聽Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Jonah Hill.聽
滨苍听Staten Island, Wilson plays Richie, a member of the fictionalized Davidson鈥檚 hometown crew. In the film, the group of 20-somethings spend most of their time hanging out together鈥攕eemingly for lack of anything better to do鈥攁nd most scenes find them in the basement, playing video games, engaging in steady back-and-forth on a variety of eccentric topics: is a tattoo parlor/restaurant a viable business idea? Is Igor鈥檚 girlfriend real?
Wilson prepared for the role by working with a dialect coach, but he knew that the authenticity of the scenes hinged on developing a chemistry with his fellow actors, most of whom he鈥檇 never met.
鈥淚 remember I had so much anticipation and anxiety around how it would go, and then we started working and it was so fluid and so easy and so fun,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淲e all got to know each other and became good friends.鈥�
One of the group鈥檚 most memorable scenes involves a botched robbery at a local pharmacy, which leads to a physical confrontation with the store owner and eventually Ritchie鈥檚 arrest. It was Wilson鈥檚 first action scene, and Apatow warned him it would feel realistic, especially since it was shot at night, on location.聽
鈥淚t was intense鈥攖here鈥檚 a gun with blanks that goes off, and when the glass shatters, they actually shatter glass,鈥� said Wilson. 鈥淎s a comedian, it was unlike anything I鈥檇 ever shot before.鈥澛�
The scene also turned out to be his most physical.聽
鈥淏ecause of how it was shot, I actually had to take a few punches because the stunt double couldn't really get in there,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n general, I鈥檓 not a big fan of getting punched in the face, but at work it's kind of fun.鈥�
Lou Wilson '14 (fourth from right) with the Fleabag cast.
Before BC, Wilson couldn't envision a career where making people laugh and getting punched on camera was part of the job description. Instead, he pictured himself using his creativity in advertising or public relations鈥攊ndustries that required a college degree. It wasn鈥檛 until he joined Fleabag, with its roster of impressive alumni like Poehler and Cameron Esposito 鈥�04, that he began to consider comedy as a serious pursuit.聽
鈥淭he caliber and seriousness with which we held ourselves just created this feeling in me that this was a real skill, not just a hobby,鈥� he said. 鈥淔leabag helped me realize that I could make a life of this.鈥�
Since filming for聽Staten Island聽wrapped last year, the coronavirus pandemic has put a temporary hold on nearly everything related to acting and producing movies. This summer, when it became clear that most theaters would be closed indefinitely, the film was released as an on-demand video, and Wilson has been taking promotional calls from his living room. 鈥淚t honestly felt exactly how Richie would do press,鈥� he joked.
With acting roles nonexistent, Wilson has returned his attention to writing, joining the popular late-night show聽Jimmy Kimmel Live!聽From the writers鈥� room, he hopes to continue doing what he does best: building community through comedy.聽
鈥淟aughter builds bonds between people in such a simple and easy way,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not only been the driving force of my career, but it's also how I鈥檝e built a community around myself that makes me comfortable and makes me thrive.鈥�
Alix Hackett | University Communications | August 2020