He has that look of innocence. But don’t let that fool you. Wiley Wiggins is wise beyond his years. But he still has that innocent charm. And he knows how to use it. “I was born in Austin, Texas to a pair of local counter-culture types. My uncle played guitar for Janis Joplin in her first band. I was involved in the early ’90s hacker/phreak scene, mostly just as a hanger on with some of the old Legion of Doom people as well as Emmanuel Goldstein of 2600 magazine. ‘Dazed and Confused’ was my first movie but I had acted on and off quite a bit beforehand. I’ve spent a lot of my life couch surfing.”
The really strange thing is that the star of one of this year’s best films, Richard Linklater’s Waking Life, is not even seen on screen in the film. Wiggins plays a cartoon character. Sure, he provides the voice acting and performance for his animated avatar, but Wiggins hard work behind the camera shows. He also worked on the production as a part of the army of animators. Wiggins has a passion for film. He’s not just an actor, he’s a filmmaker in his own right as well as being a fan. “My favorite projects that I have taken part in are Frontier and Waking Life. I’ve made two of my own short films, called ‘Binary Cancer Tacos’ and ‘Posthumous Corduroy Petunias’ (respectively). I am afraid of things happening to my body that I can’t feel.”
Still, the former LA resident (for a short time) is a little annoyed at the lack of real celebrities. “I am upset that I never saw Crispin Glover or Annabel Chong in a grocery store during the year I lived in LA.”
Get the interview and get to the real Wiley in part two of WILD WILEY WIGGINS>>>
