It didn’t take long for a scene from a 2000s comedy to turn into Owen Wilson’s iconic meme after the clip resurfaced and made rounds on social media. The words “Excuse me bruh” were practically plastered across everyone’s lips as the meme went viral.
But there came a point when Wilson nearly lost this golden moment to Jake Gyllenhaal after the Brokeback Mountain star came close to securing the former’s role in the film in question.
Owen Wilson’s Famous Meme Almost Didn’t Happen
A critical and commercial success, Zoolander is one of Owen Wilson‘s most famous films besides classics like Shanghai Noon (2000) and Wedding Crashers (2005). Starring comedy geniuses like Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell, the movie is a satirical take on the dazzling industry of fashion with a ludicrously hilarious plot and twice as funny characters.
Not too long ago, an iconic scene of Derek Zoolander (Stiller) and Hansel (Wilson) from the 2001 comedy washed ashore on social media platforms and quickly became a wildly popular meme. But that nearly didn’t happen.
Stiller – who also wrote, directed, and produced the film – revealed that Southpaw star Jake Gyllenhaal came quite close to bagging Wilson’s role at one point (via Vanity Fair).
We wrote Hansel for Owen Wilson. But at a certain point, there was a question of whether or not he was going to do it […] And the one reading I remember being really funny — and he came in with like, a whole character — was Jake Gyllenhaal. But then Owen wound up doing it.
The scene in question turned into the modern-day version of a blank parody wherein rivals-turned-friends Derek and Hansel bump into each other and the latter arrogantly says, “Excuse me bruh.” And just as frostily, Derek responds by saying, “You’re excused. And I’m not your bruh.” It was this comedic encounter that was transformed into a meme with the remix of Timbaland’s Give It To Me.
Jake Gyllenhaal Had the Potential to Give Owen Wilson Tough Competition
While it’s impossible to envisage anyone else other than the Marley & Me star as the funky male model Hansel, Gyllenhaal, 43, did catch Stiller’s eye for the role.
The Tropic Thunder star remarked that though Wilson had been his first choice from the get-go, schedule clashes made it difficult for both parties to stay on the same page, leaving Stiller with no choice but to scout for other options. So, the director held auditions, and the Spider-Man: Far From Home star managed to impress him (via Esquire).
“The only one that I remember clearly was a young Jake Gyllenhaal doing this wide-eyed version of Hansel that was really funny,” Stiller, 58, recalled. At the end of the day, however, it was Wilson who bagged the part and thanks to that, we got this gem of a meme.
Zoolander can be streamed on Paramount+ or rented on Apple TV+.
