Known by many network television junkies as Kevin James’ loud mouth friend on “King of Queens,” and to comedy fans as a self-deprecating standup comic whose jokes often favored obscure or nerdy topics, Patton Oswalt has recently emerged as a fine actor following the praise garnered for his supporting role in Jason Reitman’s “Young Adult.”
Since that role has gained quite a little clout for the actor, despite being unjustly left out of awards season proceedings, Oswalt seems to be stepping up in the world of feature films. Variety has word that he’ll continue his recent string of high profile hirings, by joining the Ben Stiller-helmed “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” for Fox. Oswalt will be starring alongside Stiller and Kristen Wiig as an eHarmony profile advisor who helps make Stiller’s life sound a little more interesting as he lusts after his LIFE Magazine coworker played by Wiig. We’re guessing there will probably be a little more meat to Oswalt’s appearance, but we’ll have to wait and see. Shirley MacLaine is also appearing as Stiller’s mother in this long in development remake of Danny Kaye’s 1947 film. Filming is scheduled to start in April.
Oswalt proved he could be a capable actor in writer-director Robert Siegel’s 2009 film “Big Fan,” and further improved upon his skill in Reitman’s “Young Adult,” along with a myriad of appearances in films like “The Informant” and television series like “Caprica” and “The United States of Tara.” For Oswalt, who also has the Stephen Sommers adaptation of Dean Koontz’s “Odd Thomas” and Focus Features’ “Seeking a Friend at the End of the World” on the horizon, he’s certainly making great use of the ongoing momentum his acting career has taken.
