Probably not, but Wilson, Cast Away's breakout star, gets our vote for best supporting ball.
He's been hailed by critics for his effortless performance as Tom Hanks' stoic sidekick, but America's most famous sporting good-turned-thespian is finding stardom is a whole 'nother ball game.
Sure, there've been other famous inanimate Hollywood heroes. Take Wonderboy, for instance. Crafted by Robert Redford's character, Roy Hobbs, in The Natural, this relatively shy bat-actor not only helped his costar belt one out of the park, but also helped hit a homerun at the box office.
But no one was auctioning off Wonderboy online to the tune of $18,400, as happened last week with one of the three original "Wilsons" used in the Robert Zemeckis-directed box-office smash. (A second ball is currently going for more than $3,000 on www.fox-auction.com.)
And no one has been more surprised by Wilson's sudden fame than his makers, Wilson Sporting Goods, the Chicago manufacturing firm known worldwide for turning out balls, bats and racquets, not movie stars.
"In no way would we ever guess there'd be this much great exposure." says Molly Murphy-Wallace, Wilson (the company)'s communications manager and Wilson (the actor)'s personal publicist. "We have great athletes who are endorsing our products, but just in terms of sheer brand exposure, it can't compare. This takes us to another level."
Murphy-Wallace was careful to note that athletic endorsements from the likes of Michael Jordan, the Williams Sisters and Pete Sampras, still bring in the big bucks from a retail perspective. But when it came to getting the Wilson brand name out into the world in one swoop, Wilson, the new movie star, has done wonders.
Wilson's odyssey from volleyball to Hollywood hero began two years ago, when the filmmakers called the manufacturers to see if they'd be interested in donating some sporting goods equipment to the film in exchange for a promotional plug.
Since the company's marketing strategy usually consisted of product placement, in addition to endorsements and grass-roots marketing, the decision was an easy one.
"With names like Hanks and Zemeckis, it was a no-brainer," explains Murphy Wallace. "Initially we started with soccer balls, but they called back and said a soccer ball wasn't going to work, so they asked for volleyballs."
But in no way did the company ever dream of what was to befall their silent film star next.
"Originally when they took the product, it was never intended that this character was supposed to be named Wilson, so it was abosolutely terrific," Murphy-Wallace adds.
For those who haven't seen the flick, we won't give away the plot, but Wilson's Zen-like challenge of just "being" opposite the always-yakking, slightly nutso Hanks proved so popular, it garnered the volleyball a special award this year from the Broadcast Film Critics Association as "Best Inanimate Object."
Wilson's success is also good news for its maker, which has seen a financial turn-around since 1998 after a string of seven consecutive money-losing years.
The company is even considering merchandising its big-screen ball star. "We're looking at opportunities, but we have nothing concrete right now," says Murphy-Wallace.
Instead of the usual movie tie-in action figure, though, Wilson would be, well, a ball. Complete with a simulated Hanks handprint.
And a star is born.