In 2005, Wilson appeared in the comedy film Sahara[16] and in the independent mockumentary film The Life Coach.
Wilson in 2008
The same year, Wilson was cast as Dwight Schrute, a neurotic office worker in the network series The Office.[17] He was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in 2007, 2008, and 2009. He won two SAG awards for best comedy ensemble on the series. In addition to acting on the series, Wilson also directed three episodes: season 6's "The Cover-Up", season 7's "Classy Christmas", and season 8's "Get the Girl".[citation needed]
Wilson starred in the Fox Atomic comedy The Rocker, released on August 20, 2008.[18] In 2009 he lent his voice to DreamWorks Animation film Monsters vs. Aliens, as the villainous alien overlord Gallaxhar, and was featured in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, in which he played a university professor. In 2010, he played the lead role as the unhinged protagonist in Super. In his review of the film, critic Roger Ebert praised Wilson's performance, writing: "[Wilson] never seems to be trying to be funny, and that's a strength," though he faulted the script's material.[19]
For his role of Paul, the bereft father, in Hesher (2011), Roger Ebert said of Rainn in his review: “He has that rare quality in an actor, an uncanny presence. There are a few like him (Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken, Bill Murray) who need only to look at something to establish an attitude toward it. Yes, they can get worked up, they can operate on high, but their passive essence is the point: dubious, wise, sadly knowledgable[sic], at an angle to the throughline. Other actors could sit on a sofa and watch TV, but Rainn Wilson makes it a statement. A statement of … nothing, which is the point."[20]
2014–present: continued film and television
In 2014, Wilson had roles in the independent horror comedy Cooties and the thriller The Boy (2015).[21] In the Fox crime-drama Backstrom, Wilson played Everett Backstrom, an offensive, self-destructive detective who is part of a team of eccentric criminologists. The series is based on Leif G. W. Persson's Swedish book series of the same name.[22] Wilson also served as the show's producer. It was cancelled by Fox after 13 episodes.[23] In 2016, he appeared in television as a guest star on Roadies.
In 2019, Wilson appeared in the independent drama Blackbird opposite Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet, and in 2020 starred in the independent thriller Don't Tell a Soul, opposite Jack Dylan Grazer and Fionn Whitehead.[28] Also that year, he was a series regular opposite John Cusack and Sasha Lane in the new Amazon Original SeriesUtopia, as virologist Dr. Michael Sterns.[citation needed] On October 10, 2019 he was featured in a 30 minute YouTube documentary created by SoulPancake in collaboration with Funny or Die wherein a variety of comedians discuss mental health called Laughing Matters.[29] He was cast as the villain in the upcoming animated film Hitpig.[30] In 2020, Wilson was an executive producer and narrator for the Netflix documentary series We Are the Champions.
Other ventures
Wilson founded the website and YouTube channel SoulPancake. As of February 20, 2019, the channel has over 3 million subscribers and over 557 million video views. SoulPancake has been featured on Oprah Winfrey's Satellite Radio Show and Super Soul Sunday.[31] The tagline of the brand is: "We make stuff that matters". They were named one of Fast Company's 10 Most Innovative Companies in Video for 2015.[1] More recently, SoulPancake was ranked No. 114 on the 2015 Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America List.[32] In October 2016, it was purchased by Participant Media.[33]
He co-wrote the New York Times bestsellerSoulPancake: Chew on Life's Big Questions and wrote a humorous memoir about his personal life, career and faith called The Bassoon King that was published in November 2015.[34]
Wilson is a climate change activist and visited Greenland in 2019 with Arctic Basecamp whose Advisory Board he also serves on. During his Greenland trip Wilson made a documentary “The Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change” which is available to stream online.
In 2021, Wilson starred in the comedy audio series Dark Air with Terry Carnation, in which he also voices the title character. The podcast series is based on his character Terry Carnation from the Radio Rental podcast, created by Payne Lindsey. Wilson also competed in the Chess.com PogChamps 3 chess competition, finishing in second place after a tiebreaker game with French streamer Sardoche [fr].[35]
Personal life
Wilson is married to writer Holiday Reinhorn. The couple met in an acting class at the University of Washington; Reinhorn had relocated to Seattle to attend the university from her native Portland, Oregon.[2] The couple married on the Kalama River in Washington in 1995 and have a son, Walter, born in 2004. They have a home outside of Sisters, Oregon, and a house in Los Angeles. They have two pit bulls, Pilot and Diamond;[36] two Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, Snortington and Amy; a donkey named Chili Beans; and a zonkey named Derek.[37][38]
Wilson and his family are members of the Baháʼí Faith.[39][40][41] The website Baháʼí Blog, which is popular in the Bahá’í community, hosts Wilson's podcast, the Baháʼí Blogcast, on which he interviews notable people about the intersection of their faith and their work.[42]
On Bill Maher's Real Time, Wilson described himself as a diverse independent, having voted for Republican, Green, and Democratic candidates.[43] In 2008, Wilson said he regretted the statement, saying "It was kind of a mistake, I don’t want to talk politics. [...] The process of politics is so deeply corrupt on so many levels. Even the greatest candidate in the world couldn’t really make that much of a difference. But people with compassionate hearts can make the world a better place."[43] Wilson does, however, vote.[43]
Wilson's charitable works include fundraising for the Mona Foundation, a Bahá’í-inspired charity operating in developing countries.[44] In 2013, along with Dr. Kathryn Adams, he co-founded Lidè Haiti, an educational initiative that uses the arts and literacy to empower adolescent girls in rural Haiti. They currently work in 13 locations with over 500 girls, providing scholarships to many of them.[45] In 2018, Wilson stated he had adopted a vegan lifestyle.[46]
On November 10, 2022, Wilson changed his name on social media to Rainnfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels Wilson in an effort to raise awareness about climate change, though he did not legally change his name.[47][48]
^Winters Keegan, Rebecca (March 8, 2007). "Rainn Wilson". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on March 16, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2008. Did being of the Baháʼí faith help you understand the spirituality? As a Baháʼí, I believe in all the spiritual beliefs: Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity.
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