Owen Thiele hasn’t been on dating apps recently.
For good reason.
He and his boyfriend, celebrity stylist Jared Ellner, have been together for 10 years.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t help friends find love. Thiele stars in a new ad campaign for Tinder’s Group Hangouts, which lets groups of friends meet other groups.
In the spot, from twin sister directors Fa and Fon Watkins, Thiele channels Sir David Attenborough as he observes and narrates Gen Z dating “in the wild” and what happens when they start meeting people via Group Hangouts.
It’s a full circle moment for Thiele and Ellner. “I’ve never told anyone this, but when Jared and I were dating for just a few months, a Tinder representative asked us to do a campaign for them,” Thiele says. “It was so strange. It was literally like three months into dating.”
They sat for a photo shoot. However, Thiele recalls, “Our faces were cut out and it was just our hands interlocked. So our hands are somewhere on a Tinder ad.”
I caught up with Thiele recently for an exclusive chat about Tinder, Anton and Paul Baker’s future on “Adults,” the “13 Going on 30” sequel and working with Connor Storrie in Molly Gordon’s A24 comedy “Peaked.”
You’ve had a boyfriend for 10 years, so when was the last time you were in the dating pool?
I haven’t been in the dating room for a second, but all of my friends, most of my friends, are single. I’m constantly trying to help them. I’m constantly matchmaking. But it never goes well. I shouldn’t be in charge of that. That shouldn’t be something that I’m in charge of. Luckily, there’s an app now where they can do it for you.
Have you had any success setting friends up?
Actually, yes. A friend of mine is dating another friend of mine that I set up. They’ve been dating for eight years.
You’re doing a little Sir David Attenborough cosplay in the campaign.
I’ve been doing ads for Tinder on my podcast, and they’ve just been such a collaborative, great partner. And then they approached me with this ad, and these two beautiful twins, Fa and Fon, directed it. These gorgeous girls directed this and came up with this fun idea where I was bird-watching, but it was actually people-watching. I was like, that sounds like something I would do. I would sit in a park and watch people all day if I could, and just read them. I signed on immediately.
But you didn’t do a British accent.
I didn’t do a British accent, which is honestly the best, I think Tinder would have taken a fall of some kind. Stocks would have been down if I had done that.
Anton and Paul Baker kiss at the end Season 2 of “Adults.” A third season hasn’t been greenlit yet, but if it does, do you think Anton and Paul Baker will be together?
Oh my God, I don’t know. Honestly, the writers have not told us anything, and they do this on purpose because of things like this. If they had told me, I would have said, “Marc, they’re going to be together. They’re getting married officially.” I think Paul Baker and Anton have found a really beautiful way to communicate that feels very honest and open and real. But I’m wondering what that would be like if they were actually in a relationship. I think right now it’s easy for them to communicate because they have this kind of will-they or won’t-they tension that’s building. But once that’s gone, what will happen? Anton’s crazy. Anton yells a lot. He’s constantly screaming. So I don’t know. I don’t know.
You’re also in the “13 Going on 30” sequel. Are you nervous about trying to live up to the original?
Yes, it is a sequel, but it’s a new thing. I don’t think it in any way does it try to be this iconic film that we all know and love. I feel very lucky to be a part of the lineage, I love “13 Going on 30.”
What was it like when Jennifer Garner walked on set? That must have been surreal.
I wasn’t there because I had left for the day already. This is what happened: I get in my car, and I’m driving away as I see a black Escalade, and I was like, “Turn around, Owen, turn around, turn around.” I tried to turn around, but the security guard was like, “There’s no more spots on the lot.” I’m like, “No!”
You also have “Peaked,” directed by your childhood friend Molly Gordon.
She’s been directing me since we were two years old when we were in a play together, “Beauty and the Beast.” We were two years old at the Adderley School, and I’m not kidding. She’s one year older than me. I have memories of her telling me where to stand.
And your podcast guest Connor Storrie is in it. Did you get to work with him, or were you driving off the lot that day too?
I got to stay for that one. We have a few scenes together. He’s so brilliant. In every single interview, I somehow accidentally, but also on purpose, bring up Connor Storrie. There’s now this tally on Twitter that’s going around that I just saw recently, which is how many times can Owen Thiele bring up Connor Storrie? I read it being like, “This has to be fake.” But there’s proof for every single mention. I bring him up every time I can.
What is it like now working with him after the crazy success of “Heated Rivalry?”
He’s genuinely so humble and so down to earth and so wonderful and deeply cared about making Molly happy. He’s so collaborative. In one scene, I have like one line and he was like, “Am I giving you what you need?” I was like, “For my one line? Yes.” He cares so deeply. He’s genuinely a very well-trained actor. I come from an improv background where we’re constantly cutting each other off. I learned from him on set.
Watch Thiele’s Tinder video below.