Luke Wilson’s latest role is that of moderator at Fanatics’ “Town Hall,” a season-long NFL campaign. The 54-year-old actor and Dallas Cowboys fan holds court in front of around 150 fans, telling them that Fanatics’ entire focus this NFL season is to give out “real rewards.”
“Ya know what I don’t care about? Coffee points that just get me more coffee,” Wilson shouts to an approving crowd - which includes the likes of Livvy Dunne and Calvin Johnson. “Ya know what I do care about? Getting a jersey so lucky that it becomes a family heirloom!”
The campaign is built on a truth every fan knows: no one puts more into the game than the fans. The time, money, energy, miles traveled, rituals, superstitions, and heartbreak are all part of fandom, and at Fanatics that passion gets rewarded.
At the center of the campaign is FanCash, “the currency of sport.” Fans earn FanCash as they buy, play, and collect across the Fanatics ecosystem and spend it on the things they care about: official team jerseys, game tickets, trading cards, live events, and more. The Fanatics app brings it all together with one place to earn and spend across the Fanatics ecosystem.
“When you football with Fanatics, FanCash totally changes the game,” Wilson preaches to his NFL jersey-wearing constituents. “It gets you all of the NFL things that you’re so passionate about - official merch, tickets, cards, events, and more!”
The Fanatics ‘Town Hall’ campaign is directed by Max Gutierrez, created by Fanatics’ internal Creative Studio, and produced by Fanatics Studios and OBB Bolded.
The passion of an NFL fan
Every NFL fan has reasons for why he or she is a backer of a certain team.
Growing up in Dallas during the 1970s and ’80s, Wilson says that being a Cowboys fan was simply a way of life.
“It seeps into you being in Dallas,” Wilson told Complex this week. “In the ’70s at school you just hear about Tony Dorsett, Roger Staubach, and Tom Landry. I remember people pointing out [Landry’s] house, and seeing [Ed] ‘Too Tall’ Jones at a restaurant. It was just a big part of the city, and [Dallas] was a much smaller town back then. [The Cowboys] were a central part of the whole town.”
To this day, Wilson’s Cowboys fandom plays a large role in his life.
“When I did the Will Ferrell golf show [‘The Hawk,’ currently on Netflix], I played Will’s nemesis,” Wilson told Complex. “They already had a name for this character, but I thought ‘gosh, I wonder if there’s a name that might work a little better.’ So I wrote down maybe 15 ideas and sent them to Will and [director and producer] David Gordon Green, and the one they picked was ‘Golden.’ And the only reason I wrote ‘Golden’ was because there was a Dallas Cowboys receiver named Golden Richards in the ’70s. The Cowboys were just a huge part of growing up there. Texas Stadium was iconic. Landry was iconic.
“And then it was just such a huge deal when Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys and Jimmy Johnson took over. That story was leading the [local] evening news for months during that period.
“That recent Netflix documentary on Jerry Jones really captured that time, and how tumultuous it was. And then leading into that great run with [Troy] Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt [Smith].”
Wilson says that his brother Owen’s house is the family hub for watching the Cowboys on Sundays.
“Owen does a good job of having people over for games,” the youngest Wilson brother said. “I went over to Owen’s house [earlier this week] and my brother Andrew was there too. All of us were saying it’s so great that football’s starting up. We’re talking about when the first game is, and they start having minor disagreements about the Cowboys - and they made a friendly wager about what the Cowboys’ win-loss record would be … Owen thinks the Cowboys are really gonna do it this year. My brother Andrew didn’t seem to think they were gonna get it done.
“But it’s great … the NFL just hooks you in every year. Hope springs eternal.”
‘The Godfather’ lives
One of Wilson’s most iconic roles was that of Mitch “The Godfather” Martin in the 2003 comedy classic Old School.
While the film, which also starred Ferrell and Vince Vaughn, was released over 20 years ago - Wilson says that he still gets random “Hey, Godfather!!!” shout-outs on the street.
“I hear it pretty often,” Wilson said with a laugh. “I always get a kick out of it.
“Now, I’m surprised when a younger guy who’s in his mid-20s will call me, ‘The Godfather.’ It still really throws me off.
“Within the first few years after Old School came out, I would be walking down the streets in Manhattan with my dad and guys would just yell out, ‘Hey Godfather!!!
“And my dad would be like, ‘these guys are calling you Godfather?!
“And me having to explain it to him [laughing] … but I certainly consider it a term of endearment.
“I just got a message from a friend in Dallas yesterday … a guy I grew up with … one of my best friends. He was saying he was just watching Old School on TV and was saying how funny it was.
“I’ll watch it myself when it’s on for a few scenes, just because Will [Ferrell] and Vince [Vaughn] are so funny. They were so funny in that movie.
“I hold Animal House in such high esteem … so [a comedy like that] takes good writing and good directors, and they make it look kind of effortless. Sometimes you try that kind of humor and it just doesn’t work. I just think it’s a well-made movie and it goes back to a really good script that Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong wrote.”
Athletes and acting
Wilson says that he thoroughly enjoyed working with world-class athletes like Dunne and Johnson in the Fanatics campaign. He says the teamwork that athletes learn in competitive sports translates exceptionally well to the acting world.
“It’s always interesting to me to see how from playing sports and being on teams - it’s interesting to see how these athletes carry themselves on set,” Wilson said. “Because I still sometimes get nervous on set, especially when it’s your first day on set, and you don’t quite know everybody. It’s like the first day of school. You’re just trying to figure things out. But the athletes are such cool customers, and I just thought - ‘oh yeah’. This is nothing compared to walking out on the field at Lambeau or in Philly. You can’t fold emotionally or mentally.
“So to see them on set, even though [acting] might not come naturally to them - they’re really calm. Really cool, and then they all had great timing - better than a lot of actors I’ve worked with. It just ties into being on teams and being around lots of different people from lots of different places - and just having that timing built into them innately.”
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