Owen Wilson has one of the most distinct voices in Hollywood. While he’s a talented actor in his own right, it’s his unique southern twang that has made him instantly recognizable. Though Wilson may not always appreciate it, his demeanor has inspired countless impressions, with one of the best coming from former Saturday Night Live cast member Melissa Villaseñor.
Throughout six seasons on the NBC sketch show, Villaseñor became an audience favorite, particularly because of her Weekend Update antics and spot-on celebrity imitations. From Lady Gaga to Dolly Parton, the comedian has an undeniable chameleon-like ability to embody her celebrity counterparts.
So, naturally, when Wilson came in for a Studio 8H hosting gig in 2021, fans expected a goofy, spot-on sendup of the actor from Villaseñor. The actress has perfected his scrunched face and pursed lips through practice on the Just for Laughs stage, the Latino comedy studio Más Mejor and even on her own YouTube channel.
But, by the time the SNL credits began to roll, the moment never came.
It wasn’t until a recent appearance on the Fly on the Wall podcast, hosted by Dana Carvey and David Spade, that Villaseñor shared what really happened: Wilson just wasn’t feeling it.
“He hosted and I asked him if we could do the Owen impression together,” she said. “He was like, ‘I feel like it’s done. I feel like people, it’s over.’ He didn’t want to do it.'”
During his time at 30 Rock, Spade had an infamous portrayal of Wilson, ridiculous facial prosthetic and all. Carvey, who mentioned having dinners with the Zoolander actor, SNL creator Lorne Michaels, and former cast member Kevin Nealon, recalled a similar encounter.
“It came up in conversation and he didn’t like when people did him, and so I said, ‘Okay, I won’t.'”
Even without the blessing of Wilson, Villaseñor hasn’t stopped perfecting her other celebrity-inspired bits. On the podcast, she wowed Carvey and Spade with her renditions of Kristen Wiig skydiving and Sandra Bullock knocking over dominoes.
After becoming the first Latina to ever make the SNL main cast in 2016, she left the show in 2022 for mental health reasons, per Entertainment Weekly.
“I was struggling… I always felt like I was on the edge of a cliff every week,” she said. “And I was like, ‘I don’t want to be doing that to myself anymore.'”
Recently, Villaseñor has been working on a solo podcast, Laughing With Myself, in which she tells stories, does impressions, and sings — more of the same from her SNL days.
Saturday Night Live is currently in the midst of its 50th Season, premiering new episodes at 11:30/10:30c on NBC and Peacock.