Jason Schwartzman: Owen Wilson Is The Best

Actor Talks About "Darjeeling Limited" And His Good Friend, Who Was Recently Hospitalized

(CBS)  Nylon magazine poses the question: "Is Jason Schwartzman the coolest guy in Hollywood?"

The off-beat actor is not sure if he deserves the title -- he would have picked George Clooney -- but he was flattered to be considered nonetheless.

"Probably the coolest guy in Hollywood, but I appreciate just even having the question being asked," he told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm. "I think that's nice. My dog probably thinks I'm the coolest guy in Hollywood because I walk him every night."

Since his film debut in 1998's "Rushmore," Jason Schwartzman has stood out with roles in such diverse films as "I Heart Huckabees," "Shopgirl" and "Marie Antoinette." He co-wrote his latest film from Fox Searchlight Pictures, "The Darjeeling Limited," in which he costars with Owen Wilson and Adrian Brody.

Schwartzman and Wilson first met working on "Rushmore," which Wilson co-wrote. They have since become close friends, but when they first met, Wilson intimidated the younger actor.

"I'm a big fan of Owen and all his work and I think he's so funny," he said. "And when I first met him, I was a little bit nervous. Because I really wanted to make him laugh, you know, and I can remember every day on set, like in the morning, I would go up to him and I'd try to tell him a little joke or something to get a laugh out of him, because I thought to get him to smile, it would really boost my confidence a little bit. So I was really star-struck around him. I mean, he's amazingly gifted."

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Photos: Tears Of A Clown

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But now when people hear the name Owen Wilson, many think about the reports of an alleged suicide attempt. Schwartzman was reluctant to speak for Wilson, but said that he is doing very well.

"I think I'm probably not the best guy to talk about it, only because I think he's the best guy to talk about it when he feels like he's ready to do that, and that's what I'm waiting for," he said. "I love that guy. You know, he's the best."

In their new film Wilson, Brody and Schwartzman play brothers whose father died suddenly a year earlier. They haven't seen each other since the funeral, but go on a journey through India together.

"Going to India was amazing," Schwartzman said. "You cannot believe the things that I have seen there and I encourage everybody to go to India and see. Like, for instance, on the way to work one morning, I was looking down at the ground, I look up in front of me and a pickup truck is a baby elephant eating a sugar cane with a boy next to him petting him."

A lot of the movie was shot on a train that the producers rented for five months. It was 12 cars long and the crew would take the train out for 12 hours every day and cross the Indian desert, Schwartzman said.

"It was amazing because, you know, if you were late to work, there was a good chance that the set might not be there when you arrive, so that was a first," he said.

Filming a movie about spiritual awakening had an impact on Schwartzman.

"You can't help but go to India and come back taking a little something extra," he said. "It's an amazing country and the people are beautiful, and there's music everywhere, and I loved it over there. It's a warm, wonderful place and, you know, it really made me want to share it with my brothers and my family when I came home from India. I wanted to take them on a spiritual journey with me there."


For more about "The Darjeeling Limited" go to Hotelchevalier.com