Rainn Wilson too 'weird' to be leading man

Rainn Wilson will never be a leading man because of his “weird face”.

The ‘Office’ actor understands why he’s often cast in more comedic roles because he is so “offbeat looking” and the camera exaggerates something that is already there.

He said: “When you put a camera on someone, you’re seeing a lot of what’s already there.

“With me, it’s like – I don’t even want to go directly for ‘odd’ – but I’m an offbeat-looking guy who probably has a comedic side, just because I have this big, weird face. I’m never going to be Josh Brolin no matter how much I want it.”

The 55-year-old star was advised early in his career to alter his appearance but he knew he’d find a niche for himself as a character actor.

He added to The Guardian newspaper: “I had agents who were, like, ‘You need to get your teeth fixed, build loads of muscles and lose weight.’ But I realised early on that I was in the character actor tradition.”

And Rainn also doesn’t think he’s cut out to be a Hollywood pin-up because of his “weird” hobbies.

He exclaimed: “Also, sensibility-wise, I’m weird! I play chess, I play the bassoon, I read science fiction. I’m not out there hunting, driving a truck or …

“What do leading men even do in their spare time? Gut trout?”

Although Rainn largely grew up in the suburbs of Seattle and Chicago, he also spent almost three years in Nicaragua with his father and stepmother, and he thinks the experience gave him a different perspective on life to his classmates.

He explained: “It grants you a different perspective when you’ve lived overseas.

“You might grow up getting Slurpees at the 7/11 or going trick-or-treating, but you carry with you the knowledge that the world is a larger and more mysterious place.”