Why Aquaman Director James Wan Keeps On Casting Patrick Wilson In His Movies [Exclusive]

Wilson is a remarkably reliable actor, having starred in big movies such as “Watchmen,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” and “In the Tall Grass,” among many others, outside of his team-ups with Wan. Speaking further about their work together and his lack of surprise when Wilson decided to jump into the director’s chair, Wan explained that they simply enjoy one another (which makes the whole thing much easier):

“I’ve spent many years hanging out with Patrick on set, and we would just sort of geek out and talk about all the movies that we grew up loving. So I’m not surprised at all that Patrick has aspirations to do more stuff behind the camera. I enjoy working with the guy. He gets me, I get him, and we kind of have a very shorthand way of working. We trust each other and it makes it fun. Filmmaking can be very stressful, so it’s kind of nice to surround yourself with people that you enjoy working with.”

Speaking specifically about Wilson’s talents as an actor, much of it comes down to his ability to treat the material with reverence. Be it as paranormal investigator Ed Warren or as the petulant super-powered brother of a water-dwelling superhero, Wilson takes it seriously. And sometimes, that’s easier said than done. As Wan put it:

“He can take the most ridiculous lines that I would throw at him in these movies and he’ll read it like it’s fricking Shakespeare. And that’s great. He doesn’t thumb his nose. He understands all the different movies that we make together and it just makes it easy for me.”

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is in theaters now.