The recent surge in golf-themed comedies, including Luke Wilson's new Netflix series 'The Hawk,' is a welcome development for actors who enjoy the sport, according to Wilson himself.
Wilson, who stars as the antagonist Golden Fisk in 'The Hawk,' noted that while he and his brother Owen, who starred in the Apple TV+ golf comedy 'Stick' a year prior, have participated in such projects, the genre was once difficult to get funded in Hollywood. He recalled people asking him for years to make a good golf movie, but the funding never materialized. Wilson suggested that golf was perceived as an "elitist sport" by studios, unlike more widely popular sports like soccer or football.
"It’s just a typical Hollywood thing where, for so long, it was just Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore," Wilson told Decider in an interview. "People who knew I played golf would say, ‘Why don’t you make a good golf movie?' And you just felt like you could never get someone to fund one.'"
He believes that the success of shows like 'Stick' and 'The Hawk' demonstrates a broader appeal beyond just golf enthusiasts. These series blend family dynamics, comedy, and sports, attracting a wider audience. Wilson mentioned that his brother's show also resonated with viewers who were not necessarily golf fans.
Jimmy Tatro, Wilson's co-star in 'The Hawk,' added that the inherent formality and strict rules of golf make it a ripe subject for comedic disruption, especially with a character like Ferrell's Lonnie Hawkins. "It’s also just such a serious, like, buttoned-up, rule-heavy formality sport that introducing a wild-card character like Lonnie Hawkins into the world just disrupts the whole thing in a way that makes for good humor," Tatro said.
'The Hawk' centers on Will Ferrell's character, Lonnie Hawkins, as he pursues an improbable career Grand Slam in the PGA. The series picks up years after Hawkins famously faltered on the 18th hole of the U.S. Open. Now, he faces his own son, played by Tatro, in a bid to achieve his lifelong dream. The cast also includes Molly Shannon as Hawkins' estranged wife, Fortune Feimster as his makeshift caddy, and Chris Parnell as his PGA rival.
The series poses the question of whether Hawkins will finally win the U.S. Open or accept his past as a former professional golfer. 'The Hawk' is currently streaming on Netflix, and 'Stick' Season 1 is available on Apple TV+.