The cast of Haunted Mansion is filled with standout personalities with specific voices. Harriet, the confidence-lacking but highly skilled medium, is ultimately a character only Tiffany Haddish could play, and the same can be said of Danny DeVito’s Bruce Davis, the determined but fragile historian. It’s clear that the performers and their skills had an influence on their roles in the new Disney horror comedy, but according to director Justin Simien, it was Owen Wilson who ended up having the biggest impact on the part through the production process.
Speaking with the filmmaker earlier this month at San Diego Comic-Con, I asked about the development of the Haunted Mansion script and how casting influenced the work by screenwriter Katie Dippold. Simien told me that the characters were molded to fit the stars brought on to the cast, but it was Owen Wilson above all others who ended up having the most significant impact. He explained,
The characters were different once it was them. We had to kind of form it to them... I'd say Owen Wilson's character the most. And the great thing about it, it's like Owen Wilson's been Owen Wilson for a long time. He really knows how to be Owen Wilson, if that makes sense. And at the same time, he doesn't want to repeat himself. He's a real consummate artist.
In Haunted Mansion, Owen Wilson plays Father Kent, a priest who is enlisted by a mother and son (Rosario Dawson and Chase Dillon) to help rid their newly acquired home of the ghosts that dwell within it. He’s a confident and optimistic individual, but he’s also a bit of an oddball and not your typical man of the cloth. It’s certainly a character fitted for the star in the role.
Continuing, Justin Simien explained that knowing the voice of Owen Wilson led to the production reworking the script to highlight what the actor does best:
We would like just be churning and really figuring out what's the best way to use this character. What's the funniest thing to say? Where is the precise moment of this part of the character arc? And I'd say that character went through a lot of revisions once it became Owen, and in the best possible way. It was like really amazing to see.
Audiences can now see it for themselves, as Haunted Mansion hit theaters this past Friday and is now playing everywhere. And if you need an additional Owen Wilson fix after seeing the movie, do yourself a favor and check out the brand new trailer for Loki Season 2, which sees Wilson back as TVA Agent Mobius M. Mobius. The season premiere of the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series will be available to stream for Disney+ subscribers on October 6.
