Elijah Wood took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about his show Wilfred that just started back up for its third season. Wilfred centers around two main characters, Ryan (Elijah Wood) and Wilfred (Jason Gann). Wilfred is actually the neighbor’s dog, but to Ryan, he is a real person. Throughout the show there are funny scenarios followed by real-life lessons learned by both characters.
Sometimes it is hard for Elijah to keep a straight face when he is filming certain scenes. “For some reason I sort of busted up more this season because of what Jason [Gann] was doing more than ever before. I’m so used to seeing him in the dog suit, and to a certain degree the context of a lot of the situations I’m very used to, but it’s still definitely serves to make me laugh. It’s a wonderful environment to work in. It’s something that all of us as a crew are kind of constantly laughing, so pretty wonderful thing to go in to work to that every day,” says Wood.
All jokes aside, how long can a show like this go on before the character himself evolves past the laughs and lessons? “I think that the structure of the show that’s been created is such that it’s about a guy who is essentially in recovery, and trying to figure out what his path in life is. This manifestation of ‘Wilfred’ has provided essentially a push for him to kind of figure that out. I think that can only really last for so long to believe that we are dealing with a man who is kind of struggling for answers to these questions and in this sort of existential question period of his life and in recovery. I don’t know that we can believe that for ten seasons.
“I think to a certain degree, there has to be a resolve or a move in a certain direction, so I don’t know. I think … to the fairness of the construct of the show, I think it can only survive for so long. I would hate to make the show kind of carry on for too long and it not necessarily support what we’ve created, if that makes sense.”
Of course it’s always better to end a show before it jumps the shark, but what made Elijah take on this role to begin with? “Well, upon reading the pilot script I kind of fell in love with the whole idea of the show, both the character and the structure of what this show was, being so unique, and so unlike anything I’ve seen or read before. I also found it deeply funny.
“As far as the character is concerne,d I think the idea of playing someone who has effectively hit a wall in his life, and is trying to rebuild himself, and help himself … it definitely provides a lot to work with. There is a sense of growth over the course of now the three seasons, and I think that keeps things exciting, but it’s also fun to work in the context of what we’ve created, and always exciting to work with Jason. Aside from the characters in development, I find it inspiring and always exciting as an actor to be working opposite him for everything that he comes up with. It sort of inspires me.”
Of course, comedy was a new genre of acting for Elijah. When he took on the role of Ryan it was a little different than other characters he’s portrayed in the past (Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings series). Wood says,”Well, I’d never really worked in comedy before so the idea of playing a character that does—you know there are sort of comedic elements to the performance, and not having worked in that space before, was definitely challenging. I suppose I—I’m not really fearful, but any time you sort of jump in to something that is a little less familiar it comes with it, you know that sort of exciting anxiety about pulling it off in the right way. But I think I was also always comforted working with Jason because it always felt so comfortable even initially in a working relationship.”
In this season there are many fun episodes coming up. Elijah recollects one of his favorites so far. “In episode three, the kind of caper aspect of that episode between Wilfred and Ryan kind of working together, that was something that we sort of experienced for the first time this season and it was something that we all really loved. I love the idea of Ryan and Wilfred not always being in sort of a combative relationship, but rather actually working toward something together. It was a blast. It was really fun, particularly that scene where we bust in to the guy’s car, and we’re sort of in this thing together, in like a sort of caper scenario, so that was really fun. I think it’s something that we’d like to continue doing.”
Aside from Wilfred, there are a few other things that keep Elijah busy these days. He just formed a production to do horror films. “I, for a long time, wanted to develop films and produce films from their inception point, and be involved in film making from a different perspective. As the idea sort of percolated, I ended up meeting my two producing partners. We were working on an entirely different film that we were developing, and in that process we sort of realized we have a shared mutual love of the horror genre. It really was just born out of that, and wanting to, I don’t know, make horror films … the kind of horror films that we love that aren’t necessarily being as widely made. But life is a varied experience, and I have a lot of interests, and I feel very fortunate actually to be allowed to explore those interests, and to be in a place in my life where I can do that,” says Wood.
As far as other roles or aspirations once the Wilfred gig is up, Wood just goes with his gut and continues to push forward his abilities to grow and do things that he hasn’t done before. He prefers to take roles that provide new experiences and new challenges.
And, in case you’re wondering whether or not Elijah is anything like the character he plays in this comedy, it’s safe to say he isn’t. Don’t take our word for it though, Wood says, “I think I can relate to elements of the character, but no, I’m relatively well-adjusted and mentally sound, so I’m not entirely like Ryan,” he laughs.
Wilfred airs every Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. ET on FX. Tonight is a special night for Wilfred fans though — they will air two new episodes back-to-back at 10:00 and 10:30 p.m. ET.
I write like I think—fast, curious, and a little feral. I chase the weird, the witty, and the why-is-this-happening-now. From AI meltdowns to fashion glow-ups, if it makes you raise an eyebrow or rethink your algorithm, I’m probably writing about it. Expect sharp takes, occasional sarcasm, and zero tolerance for boring content.
