Patrick Wilson has a small but integral role in Netflix’s new film Jay Kelly, the latest directorial effort from Noah Baumbach. In the film, George Clooney stars as a renowned actor whose best days are behind him – he’s still recognized in public by just about everyone, but his box office is no longer what it once was and, when he ponders dropping out of his next movie, his agent Ron Sukenick (Adam Sandler, earning accolades for his supporting turn) and publicist Liz (Laura Dern, reuniting with Baumbach after her Oscar win for A Marriage Story) are worried it could derail what little momentum he has left.
When Jay embarks on a soul-searching journey through Europe on his way to a tribute at an Italian film festival, his emotional needs collide with that of his career. This is put into stark contrast when Wilson’s Ben Alcock comes into the picture. Ben and Jay share the same manager but that’s about where their similarities end.
Such a meta film, filled with mega-stars like Wilson, Clooney, Dern, and Sandler, is bound to bring up memories about the industry it’s commenting on. “There are levels” to fame, says Wilson, who got to work alongside co-stars he had seldom crossed paths with. “You’re in it for the long haul. It’s a career. Even if you have a hit right out of the gate, it’s about longevity.”
Below, Wilson talks with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan about Jay Kelly and his decades-long career, from working with Mike Nichols, Meryl Streep, and Al Pacino on Angels in America to the horror mega-hit The Conjuring, to his latest role.
ScreenRant: What was the most appealing thing to you about coming into this film?
Patrick Wilson: God, so many things. Noah — that was the huge part for me. I loved looking down the cast list and the filmmaker list and realizing I hadn’t worked with any of these people. That happens so rarely these days. I don’t mean that in a “look how many people I’ve worked with” way, but when you’ve been in it a while, seldom does that happen. And certainly over the past 10 years, when I’ve been either in the Aquaman world or the Conjuring world, it’s typically all with the same people. That’s taken up a large chunk of my life the past decade.
So, as I’m moving on and wanting to work with filmmakers that interest me, challenge me, bucket-list type people — the fact that I got this opportunity with Noah was incredible. And to have George and Adam — people I’ve grown up watching and been around, met a time or two, but never worked with in this capacity — even for a couple of days, I was thrilled to join the company.
ScreenRant: Were there expectations about working with George Clooney, and is there anything that surprised you about just how he is in this process?
Patrick Wilson: It seems like such a silly thing to say, but I actually think it’s the highest compliment: both he and Adam [Sandler] – obviously very different guys – are just like you’d think. One of my friends asked, “What’s George like?” And I said, “Exactly what you think.”
In a profession where so much is dictated by your work and your private life, when you work with someone and see that their energy, work ethic, attitude, smile — all that stuff — is as easygoing but dedicated as you imagine, it’s incredibly rewarding. And honestly, it tracks. The great ones are like that. There’s a reason they’re the great ones — not smoke and mirrors. They’re good people. They work their ass off. They love what they do. They’re kind to others. That’s the most important thing. Both those guys are true gems.
ScreenRant: People ask me all the time, “Who’s the rudest person you’ve ever interviewed?” And I’m like, “Those people aren’t around anymore.” The ones at the top are there for a reason: they’re great.
Patrick Wilson: This is shameless name-dropping, but when my first real job — I was still doing theater, doing double duty – I did Angels in America. I was with Mike Nichols, Meryl Streep, and Al Pacino. The top three people I was around. After that… when they’re the top, and they’re that gracious and that good at what they do – in totally different ways – they set the standard for me. George is like that. Adam is like that. There’s a reason.
ScreenRant: This movie talks a lot about the industry. What is the biggest early lesson you learned that has stuck with you throughout your career?
Patrick Wilson: Oh, boy. Biggest lesson… I mean, it sounds lame, but just being kind. I don’t know. My first 10 years were on stage. Theater is such a communal atmosphere.
I told George a couple of weeks ago — I love this interview he did, where he said he was defined as much by his failures as his successes. That resonated. You’re in it for the long haul. It’s a career. Even if you have a hit right out of the gate, it’s about longevity.
The first 10 movies I did, someone would say, “This is going to be the one where you pop.” And you kind of… don’t. Or you’re solid. Doing good work — that’s the goal. And George said something similar. Looking at it as a marathon, not a sprint — that’s what kept me levelheaded and kept me from getting ahead of myself.
That made me a better actor and gave me a better sense of self because I wasn’t so defined by comments like, “If this movie opens huge, you are going to be a big movie star.” That never really happened, but I think having come from theater for so long and grinding it out eight times a week in shows taught me to make it be about the work. It kept me from getting over my skis.
Mike Nichols used to tell me, “It’s very hard being a movie star. Very hard.” It’s difficult to get to that… if that’s even what the world has for you.
ScreenRant: What was the first moment you felt that pop of stardom?
Patrick Wilson: I don’t know if I ever felt that.
ScreenRant: You’re just humble.
Patrick Wilson: It’s less about me and more about the power of movies. I was in Crete, an island in Greece, on a beach where no one spoke English, and this Russian guy comes up yelling “Lynch! Lynch!” because he’d seen The A-Team in some little village. And I thought, wow — movies reach everywhere. That’s the moment I felt the reach, not the fame.
Joel Schumacher used to say, “Do your international press.” Not to boost stardom – but to understand how small the world is and how far movies travel. That’s really what it’s been about for me. Because I might feel super famous at a horror convention, but then you walk down the street with Adam Sandler and go, “Right, there are levels.”
ScreenRant: What is your favorite movie? Do you have a clear-cut favorite movie, or do you have a few?
Patrick Wilson: No clear favorite. Movies are tied to experiences. Lately, I’ve been on a massive Western kick. But if I’m taking a few movies to an island? Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and probably Fletch.
I’d like to pretend I’d take some cool Truffaut film – who I love – but realistically, movies are personal. Shane resonates with me, but so does The Other Guys. I’m all over the map.
ScreenRant: Same. Star Wars is my favorite thing of all time… but Scary Movie 3 is also one of my favorite movies.
Patrick Wilson: Exactly. Fletch is comfort food for me. I don’t watch a lot of reality TV, so it’s usually a comedy I know inside out.
ScreenRant: What’s the role you haven’t done yet that you’d chomp at the bit for? You mentioned loving Star Wars…
Patrick Wilson: I don’t really have a specific role. It’s more about directors. I just finished Cape Fear, and Marty [Scorsese] and Steven [Spielberg] were our two producers. I’d love to work with both as a director-actor pairing.
I spent a day with Spielberg once, auditioning kids – long story – and it was awesome. I’d love to do a movie with him. No real bucket-list role, just filmmakers. And Noah was one of them. I don’t live in this comedy space a lot, so that was something I wanted to try.
ScreenRant: You mentioned Cape Fear. That’s wrapped. What was that experience like, and do you know when we’ll see it?
Patrick Wilson: I have no idea about when, but I had an absolute blast with Amy Adams and Javier. Maybe “blast” is the wrong word – content-wise it gets rough – but it was amazing. It’s not a reboot. It evolves from The Executioners, the 1962 film, and the Scorsese version. It’s a natural progression; adding some characters, changing some things, and keeping the nuts and bolts of it for a contemporary audience. And it’s over ten episodes, so it’s a whole different beast. But it was a good time. I love working with Amy; she’s the best.
ScreenRant: Obviously, you’re synonymous with the Warrens. I feel like we often say goodbye to them, and then we see them again.
Patrick Wilson: [Laughs] Listen, I read about it too. Just like you guys: “Oh, they’re doing a prequel? Okay. Didn’t know.”
ScreenRant: Is he coming back, do you think?
Patrick Wilson: I don’t know. I have to take it as it is right now. I adore Vera, and we’re super close. I’m 52, and Ed Warren lived till he was in his 70s, so I certainly think there’s more in there somewhere. But this is the end of this chapter, that’s all I can say. And I’m not even being coy! That’s literally it. We’re told this was the end of this chapter. Okay, it’s the end of this chapter. Cool. It’s fine. It’s all good. We had a great, great run. What lies ahead? I have no idea.
ScreenRant: At the end of Jay Kelly, they have this highlight reel that plays for him.
Patrick Wilson: It was great! We saw it live, with George and Nicholas Brittel. They played the music live there. That orchestra, or that little string quartet, that’s playing at the end of the movie? That’s live. And they’re playing the screen live. And George’s reaction is him watching himself. It’s the most meta, strange thing to witness.
ScreenRant: What would need to be in your highlight reel?
Patrick Wilson: No disrespect to the ones I’m about to leave out — or maybe some disrespect, let’s be honest. I think the things that still resonate with me and are important to me, and that people still respond to, include: Phantom, Little Children, Bone Tomahawk, Insidious, The Conjuring, Aquaman. This little film Barry Munday that nobody saw, but I loved doing it. Maybe even things like Big Stone Gap, which was about my family.
I’ve just started to feel this strange thing as an actor, where I really look at early movies — like The Alamo, my first studio film — and I looked like such a baby! It is such a funny thing to grow up on screen, and now you can really have perspective as a middle-aged guy and look back and go, “Yeah, I was such a baby then.” I was a working professional, for sure. But it is a weird thing to be defined by each chapter.
With me, it’s my kids. I can go, “Cal was starting kindergarten. That’s when I did Gifted Man for CBS, so I could be at home.” It’s all intertwined with my family, not unlike the character that I play in this. It’s family first for me; that’s always the thing. Luckily, I have a very supportive wife who, when the kids were little, could just travel with me as my career was taking off.
ScreenRant: Can you watch your older stuff? If I see an old interview of mine, I want to throw my laptop across the room.
Patrick Wilson: Yeah, it’s so funny you say that. My dad’s a TV anchor, and my brother’s a TV anchor, so I’ve been watching interviews and things of me for a hundred years. I’m pretty objective. If it’s good, it’s good. And if it’s bad, I’ll say, “You didn’t do very good that day, man.” I can be objective. And it’s something that I really lean on younger actors to do, too.
I get it. As a journalist, it’s probably like, “God, why did I ask that or this?” But for actors, especially on film, what you think it looks like and what it does look like may be two vastly different things. But I’ll say this: it was such a luxury to see myself on camera after doing theater for so long. You have no concept of what you look like in theater, unless you see B-roll on a camera that should not be filming you. Brutal, just terrible coverage!
By the time I was in my thirties and doing movies, I was actually like, “Okay, that’s good. That’s bad. That’s overacting.” I got pretty good at navigating it, but some stuff from when I was really young and inexperienced still plays well. I’ll still watch Little Children and go, “That’s solid work.” I’d probably do some of it differently now, but that’s okay.
It’s just different parts of your life, right? That’s the only way you can look at it. Otherwise, you’re going to drive yourself nuts.
Jay Kelly is now streaming on Netflix.
- Release Date
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November 14, 2025
- Runtime
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132 minutes
- Director
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Noah Baumbach
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