NO IFS, AND OR BUTT OWEN WILSON ON BEING THE SLACKER `DUPREE'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Writer

Walking into Owen Wilson's beachfront room, the first words I hear are: ``Everybody must get stoned.'' It's not a command. It's not even Owen.

It's Bob Dylan's ``Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,'' one of 378 Dylan songs Wilson has loaded on his iPod, which is currently set on an all-Dylan shuffle mix.

``I've turned the corner,'' Wilson says. ``My brother Luke was the nut. Now I can find myself just listening to Dylan.''

You wouldn't catch Wilson's latest movie character, the freeloading, freewheeling houseguest Randolph Dupree of ``You, Me and Dupree,'' chilling to ``Desolation Row.'' Dupree is more of a ``Funky Cold Medina'' kind of guy.

But there is a commonality between Wilson, Dupree and other characters the tousle-haired, 37-year-old actor has played in movies ranging from ``Wedding Crashers'' to the films he co-wrote with director Wes Anderson (``Bottle Rocket,'' ``Rushmore'' and ``The Royal Tenenbaums'') -- a childlike innocence and enthusiasm blended with a wistfulness that comes with adulthood.

We spoke to Wilson about he and Dupree, calls from the mother ship and that movie where ``the guy gets machine-gunned in the end.''

Q: Dupree moves in and brings with him a moose head and a zebra beanbag chair. For aspiring home decorators who are reading this, which piece is more essential?

A: I think a moose head. There's something about a moose head that's a lot like the Dupree character. At first, you're like, ``There's no way I can have this in my house.'' Then after a while, you're thinking it's not that bad. It kind of grows on you.

My brother Luke lived with me for a year -- he was kind of my Dupree.

And he didn't bring a moose head, but he did have a stuffed boar's head that he got from ``The Royal Tenenbaums.'' And I couldn't stand it.

But the funny thing was, when he finally moved out, he took that with him and I kind of missed it. It really tied the room together.

Q: So Luke was your Dupree? What, he couldn't get a place of his own?

A: Well, that's the kicker. He had his own house. It was a mile away from mine in Santa Monica. But I couldn't get him to live there.

I don't know if it was because he was the youngest and he liked having everything taken care of. ... There's always food in the refrigerator. The housekeeper would come. It was easier for him.

Q: How did you finally get him to leave?

A: Well, you know, even though it was my house, Luke always felt I was the one who was messier, and he would actually get on me to clean up more. And I'd say, ``Feel free to go to your house ... you know ... a mile away, if you don't like it.''

And it was really me just dropping subtle hints like, ``Luke, you need to be out by Friday.'' After enough of those, he got the picture.

Q: I've never tasted Dupree's favorite snack -- buffalo wings dunked in milk. Is it worth a try?

A: That's a delicacy in some countries. What was that Pepto-Bismol commercial? ``I can't believe I ate the whole thing.'' This would fit in well with that. I wish I could tell you that it tasted good, but I had a spit bucket next to me so I could gag it out after each take.

Q: What about Dupree's signature drink -- the Flaming Tornado?

A: That might be worth looking into. If memory serves me correctly, you need a low-grade tequila, top-shelf Kentucky bourbon and an open flame. The flame is the key, at least for me. When I was a kid, fire was important. I was never into vandalism, but I loved stuff like Chinese throwing stars and nunchucks and using aerosol cans to light things.

Q: Dupree takes a lot of physical abuse in this movie. When was the last time your little Duprees got wracked?

A: We were trying to keep a soccer ball away from my Australian cattle dog, you know, the dog that Mad Max has. Very energetic. And he came tearing in to get the ball and just totally wracked me in the little Duprees. That'll take the wind out of you fast.

Q: No stunt double for the little Duprees scene?

A: No. It's funny ... I felt like ``Behind Enemy Lines,'' that's an action movie, so you kind of expect a lot of physical stuff. But this movie was way more punishing.

Q: But I understand you did have a stunt butt double.

A: Yeah, for that scene on the couch when Kate (Hudson) sees me asleep in the morning. The directors made that decision not to use my butt. I don't know how to interpret that. Maybe I should feel a little put out.

Q: Dupree speaks at a career day and tells kids to wait for the ``call from the mother ship.'' When did you get that call?

A: I got my call from the mother ship about 30 minutes ago. I'm going to be giving all this up, move to Morocco and open a bookstore.

Q: You haven't heard from the mother ship, have you?

A: Truthfully ... no. I'm still waiting to get zapped.

Q: There was that story making the rounds that, in the wake of awful ``Bottle Rocket'' test screenings, you were thinking about joining the Marines.

A: I know Wes (Anderson) doesn't believe that. But I thought ``Bottle Rocket'' was going to be a disaster, so I did get some literature sent to me from the different armed forces about joining.

Q: What kept you out of uniform?

A: I knew from military school that I was not a great student. I didn't exactly shoot through the ranks. I graduated Private First Class Wilson, and they had to give me one stripe at graduation, so that wasn't a position of real command. Private First Class Wilson (Wilson chuckles, shaking his head) ... it's almost better just to be Private. ``Private First Class'' sounds even more pathetic.

Q: Dupree counts ``Fletch'' and ``Roman Holiday'' among his top all-time films. What's on your list?

A: ``Tender Mercies,'' ``On the Waterfront,'' ``Breaker Morant.'' Then recently, I loved ``Punch-Drunk Love,'' ``The Insider'' and ``United 93.''

Q: So ... no ``Fletch''?

A: I remember there was a guy giving me surfing lessons for ``The Big Bounce,'' and I asked him, ``What are your favorite movies?'' And he said, ``Uh ... I like that movie ... it's about ... like ... uh ... the Mob.'' So we're thinking ``GoodFellas'' or maybe ``Mean Streets.'' He said, ``No, it's got that guy and the guy gets machine-gunned in the end.'' And I'm like, ```The Godfather'? You had to search for that title? Does anyone have to search for what that movie's name is?

Then we were at lunch later, and he says, ``And `Fletch' was a really good movie.''' And I thought, you know, ``Fletch'' is a funny movie.''

But to have that be your favorite movie of all time seemed really funny to me. But this guy was a funny guy.

Q: Did he like ``Funky Cold Medina,'' too?

A: I know James Brooks said that with ``Terms of Endearment,'' his goal was to get a laugh off cancer. And I think our goal with this was to find a way to get Audrey Hepburn into the same sentence as ``Funky Cold Medina.'' That's comedy.

Q: Anthony and Joe Russo (directors of ``Dupree'') say you got into acting for the travel and the women. If forced, which would you give up?

A: (Indignant) That's what they said? That I got into acting for the travel and the women? Uh ... well ... hopefully in the not-so-distant future, I'll be settling down and starting a family myself. So I guess once I got that taken care, it'd be nice to travel.

Q: Do you think you'll write with Wes again?

A: I've been talking to Wes a lot lately. Hopefully. It'd be fun.

Q: There was a certain something missing from ``The Life Aquatic'' that was in the movies you wrote together. Let's call it a certain Owen-ness, to borrow a gag from ``Dupree.'' Can you define Owen-ness?

A: I definitely like humor that comes less from a cynical place and more that either comes out of earnestness or enthusiasm or is very mean-spirited. I don't know about Owen-ness. But that's the stuff that makes me laugh. Oh, and fire, too. Let's not forget fire.

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

[e-mail]

Here's a yarn for you

The makers of ``You, Me and Dupree'' work hard at adding the word ``Dupree'' to the lexicon as a synonym for a houseguest who never leaves, i.e. ``The dude said it was just for the weekend, but it's been three months, and this Dupree's still on the couch.''

But the movie's more lasting contribution might be revitalizing the crocheted swimsuit. In the film's funniest scene, a paranoid Carl (Matt Dillon) imagines Dupree frolicking with his wife (Kate Hudson) onboard a yacht. For the scene, Hudson wears nothing but a bathing suit made from a very small ball of yarn.

``Let's just say you could fit it in a purse ... a little, clutch purse,'' Hudson says of the swimsuit. (The picture above shows Hudson in a different suit. She did not approve any shots of her in the crocheted outfit.)

``It was the moment I had to take my robe off that I was dreading,'' Hudson remembers. ```Oh God, this is so embarrassing.' And I took off the robe, and of course everybody had to do their little over-exaggerated `oooow' and little catcalls. I turned beet red. And then we had to do the scene.''

Which was even harder, given that Hudson had to lick co-star Owen Wilson's nose.

``I had a hard time with the kiss,'' Hudson says. ``No. I had a hard time with the licking. The second I got to his nose, I was gone.''

-- Glenn Whipp

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Moose-head musings

...and other wild thoughts from `You Me and Dupree' star Owen Wilson 

(2) no caption (Owen Wilson)

(3) no caption (Kate Hudson)

Box:

Here's a yarn for you (see text)