Owen Wilson will turn his head if you know the password. Stephanie Trong gets it out of him, as well as his rules of attraction.

The University of Texas at Austin will be holding a small reunion at downtown New York restaurant Lure Fishbar. In attendance will be Stephanie Trong (Journalism) and Owen Wilson (English), with a special keynote address entitled "Hi, Nice to Meet You" by esteemed filmmaker Wes Anderson (English). Wes will only stay for a second because he's a last-minute bonus, however, Owen, 36, and Stephanie, 28, will settle into a huge banquet to bat questions back and forth. During that time, Owen will eat eight pieces of sashimi, including a tough, scaly chunk probably meant for decoration and order some chicken skewers. He'll also get the hiccups. Talking points will include Owen's new movie, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, directed by the aforementioned keynote speaker and hitting theaters Christmas day.

You're actually short of graduating by two credits, aren't you?

Math class and fourth-semester Spanish. The problem was, I took the first three semesters at Austin Community College - not that ACC is terrible, but there was more wiggle room for someone like me, who knows how to finesse the system. And then when I had to take it at UT [hiccups], pardon me, I could not pass because it was a lot harder. I failed.

Where did you live back in the college days?

[He swallows some fish and points to a leftover piece.] I just ate this, I wonder if I wasn't supposed to. It tastes...it was skin, but it's like plastic. Anyway, when I lived with Wes, we were near the Castilian [a private dorm].

The neighborhood where all the jocks lived?

Yeah, I wasn't a part of that. I was like that cool, mysterious guy. No, I don't know. I wasn't in a fraternity. I didn't play sports.

So, have you seen The Life Aquatic?

I saw it and I really liked it. It's hard watching something that you're in, but this one I was able to enjoy. I have a Southern accent in the movie, like Shelby Foote [Mississippi-born novelist/character actor/Civil War enthusiast]. Kind of old-fashioned, very courtly.

What else?

Bill Murray plays a Jacques Cousteau-type character named Steve Zissou. It's hard to describe. There's some animation involved. It's probably Wes's most ambitious movie in terms of effects, action, things like that.

I've heard that you improvise a lot on-set. Do other actors ever get mad?

Yes, sometimes people get irritated, starting with my brother Luke in Bottle Rocket. He would get pissed at me, like, "Why don't you just say the lines that you wrote?"

My friends and I still quote Bottle Rocket.

Why didn't people like that movie more? It's depressing. We thought it was so funny.

That "cacaw" is the best cacaw in the world.

Yeah, cacaw, cacaw. People will say that to me when I'm walking around.

Do you automatically turn your head?

I gotta be honest, I try to ignore people when I hear them yell for me. But when someone says "cacaw" to me, I always turn and have a connection with that person.

Do you enjoy lap dances?

Yeah, where is that coming from? [smiles]

You've got a ladies' man reputation.

Well, you can't grow up in Dallas and not have dated a few strippers. It's like the strip bar capital of the world.

I've gotten a lap dance before. It's awkward.

Yeah! It is. I got more into it in college, early 20's. I would say there's still something to be said for a good strip club. But now I try to appreciate the artistry. [laughs]

All right. You're single?

Yes, I am. Where are you going with this?

Where do you not want me to go with this?

I like that, you can hit the ball back. I usually can't find somebody who can hit the ball back. I am single.

Did you just break up with somebody?

Yeah. She's probably the best girl I've ever gone out with, her name is Carolina. And luckily for me, we've started talking again.

Do you have any theories of attraction?

For me, it's not so much a type, like, "I like blondes or Spanish girls." It's more that your eye has to be drawn to them. There are some other hurdles, like can you stand being around the person, and are you on the same wavelength, sense-of-humor wise?

I'm surprised you didn't just say "simpatico." You like to say that in interviews.

I was about to use it. But simpatico I use more for buddy movies [laughs].

Let me take quick notes about what you're wearing. Because it's so important.

Well, these shoes I got in Rome [pointing to a pair of black Nikes]. I didn't wear them at first. But now I'm into them. I kind of think of clothes as draft picks. Sometimes you get a first-round draft pick that you just know it's going in a starting lineup. And sometimes you're like, "I don't know, I don't know if this guy is going to make it." And then they end up playing for 10 years on your team.

Okay, black tee under a button-up shirt, baseball hat...

Don't say that stuff about draft picks. What if I use that in a story? That's really funny. It would be good to have a character say that.

You can't take that back.

Okay, go ahead and use it.

Sorry, it's just part of my job.

Don't apologize.

Don't ever apologize?

Love means never having to say you're sorry.

That line is a point of contention in our office.

It's so stupid because it's one of the main things you'll be saying when you're in love. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

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