Who is Wilson Bethel? The Vital Stats:
- Name: Stephen Wilson Bethel
- Nicknames: Willy
- Height: 6′
- Age: 28
- Born: February 24, 1984 in Hillsborough, New Hampshire
- Profession: Actor, Musician
- Status: Unknown at time of publication
- Filmography (year, title, role):
2004: The O.C. (Brad) – television series, 1 episode “The Telenova”
2005: JAG (Seaman Apprentice Charles Bander) – television series, 1 episode “Dream Team”
2005: NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service (P.O. John Kirby) – television series, 1 episode “Switch”
2008: Tunnel Rats (Cpl. Dan Green) – feature film
2008: Generation Kill (Cpl. Evan Q-Tip Stafford) – television mini-series
2008: Cold Case (James “Jimmy’ Tully) – television series, 1 episode “Shore Leave”
2009-2011: The Young and the Restless (Ryder Callahan) – television series
2011: Stealing Summers (Trevor) – feature film
2011-Present: Hart of Dixie (Wade Kinsella) – television series
2012: The Perfect Student (Trent) – feature film
2012: Not Today (Bill) – feature film
I usually learn a lot about my Man Candy Monday men while doing their Man Candy profiles thanks to the wealth of information I dig up as I do my research. This was not the cast with Wilson Bethel. Why? Because there is a near criminal lack of information about Wilson out there. Luckily, I’ve been a Wilson Bethel fan since Tunnel Rats (also known as the only Ewe Boll movie I’ve ever enjoyed) so I think I already know enough about him to make this a pretty damn good profile. Sadly, I’m a bit light on the pictures this time around (how is the internet not flooded with Wilson’s manly goodness – which sounded far dirtier than I intended, I swear) but I’ve included some of my favorite Hart of Dixie clips, Wilson Bethel interview clips and the hilarious PSA he did to help make up for the lack of photographic evidence of Wilson’s appeal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwrZLLkkLRk
If you aren’t watching CW’s Hart of Dixie yet, you should really start immediately. Not only does it offer a near constant supply of Man Candy (Wilson of course, Scott Porter, Cress Williams) but it also happens to offer a cast that plays every scene to perfection, tons of humor, just the right amount of drama and enough love triangles to keep fans who like to root for the favorite couples happy. The promo clip above gives you a pretty good idea of what the show is all about but really only scratches the surface in terms of story. Wade plays a much bigger role in the show the the clip implies and thank heavens. On a show that can be as out there as Hart, there needs to be a character that speaks for the fans. When a character does something particularly crazy, there needs to be someone on the show that calls that character on their behavior and no one does that better than Wilson’s Wade Kinsella.
So I get that perhaps the Hart of Dixie promo clip may not have entirely sold anyone new on the show so how about the clip above. Rachel Bilson? Adorable! Wilson Bethel? Shirtless! Those things are obvious but what really gets me about this scene is that it’s not played in a serious way. It’s a great example of Hart‘s humor. We’ve all seen this famous scene staring women (Halle Berry, Denise Richards and countless others I can’t be bothered to try to remember right now) so it’s nice to see a beautiful man in the role instead. On top of that, it’s Wilson Bethel shirtless so it’s pretty hard to find something not to like about this one.
What I love the red hot chemistry between Bethel’s Wade Kinsella and Rachel Bilson’s Dr. Zoe Hart (as evidenced in the clips above) what really sells me on this show in Wilson’s performance. He’s so effortlessly charismatic and charming. I don’t always love the choices Wade makes as a character but Wilson always sells them. Usually by the end of each new episode, I look back and realize Wilson’s scenes were my favorite – shirtless or fully clothes. I’m loving the occasional Wade/Lemon (played by the ridiculously beautiful and ridiculous talented Jaime King) scenes because they not only bring together two of the most interesting characters on the show but they also bring viewers unexpected gold. And how can I talk about how awesome Wilson is on the show without mentioning Wade’s bromance with Mayor Levon Hayes (played by impossibly charming Cress Williams)? And what about Wade and Bluebell’s Golden Boy, George Tucker (played by the gorgeous and talented Scott Porter)? There are lots of great relationships on Hart of Dixie but it seems that Wade Kinsella is one half of all the best ones. That can’t be a coincidence.
Okay so you get it – Hart of Dixie is a great show and everyone should watch it. What about Wilson Bethel outside of the show though? As I said, I’ve been a fan since Tunnel Rats for many, many reasons far beyond his good looks. He’s got a sense of humor about himself and his role on HOD, as you can see in the ‘PSA’ above. His interviews are always a joy to watch because of that charm and charisma I mentioned earlier. More than that, one gets the feeling that with Wilson, what you see is what you get. There doesn’t seem to be any of that typical Hollywood ego many stars on the rise seem to acquire. He just seems like an all around good guy and there’s nothing more appealing than that to me. Of course, the fact that he’s a talented actor (something that I feel often gets overlooked, unfortunately) doesn’t hurt in the least. Clearly I’m not alone in my love of Wilson though. Bethel’s fans rallied this week to give him a landslide win in last week’s Man Candy poll and I couldn’t be happier. Make sure you head over to Girl In Stereo (by clicking here) to check out this week’s nominees, vote for your favorite or nominate someone new. I’d also recommend checking out my Man Candy Monday archive for links to all my past Man Candy profiles. You can view the archive by clicking here. Make sure you share this post on Twitter and Like it on Facebook using those handy little buttons at the top of the page below the title so you can get Wilson into Girl In Stereo’s Man Candy Monday Hall of Fame. For now, it’s time for pictures. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
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