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Owen Wilson "Doing Very Well," Still Full of Laughs
Owen Wilson by Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com
Barely a week after he attempted to take his life, Owen Wilson is giving friends hope for a turnaround. "Obviously, he has been through a lot," director Wes Anderson told reporters at a Monday press conference to promote The Darjeeling Limited, in which Wilson costars. "I can tell you that he has been doing very well, he has been making us laugh." Anderson reiterated Wilson's request for space during this delicate juncture, saying, "When he is ready he's going to speak for himself much better than any of us could" — and in that charming, "Golly-gee, shucks" voice of his.
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Sep 4, 2007 9:15 AM
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Maybe I'm just too cynical, but I'm finding it really difficult to feel sorry for Owen Wilson. Here's a man who has such a charmed life - good looks, good work, alot of money, good health, etc. etc. But he decides life is too tough for him, so he wants to check out. It didn't seem to matter to him what that would do to his family and friends who care about him. He comes across as a selfish, self-centered spoiled brat, so it's not really all that heartwarming to hear that he's "doing well" and is "still full of laughs". Kate Hudson is one smart girl who dodged the proverbial bullet.
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Sep 4, 2007 9:52 AM
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Well, so much for having sympathy for those with mental illness.
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Sep 4, 2007 10:06 AM
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pattijen- I am sad to see that you would be so quick to judge a stranger that you know nothing about - none of us do. He is an Actor with a publicist. All we know is what he wanted us to know.
Good looks, lots of money, etc. Does not buy happiness. Inner demons and overwhelming saddness come to people at all walks of life. It is true he did not think about what this would do to his family. HE did not think about it because he was not thinking straight. No person Thinking straight would kill themselves. pleae try to find some compassion for another person who is obviously feeling so distraught inside that the thought of going on is just to much.
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Sep 4, 2007 10:09 AM
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TV has convinced most of us that money and fame will buy happiness. It's not true. pattijen2222, you should go online and learn more about depression. It is an illness that does not necessarily have anything to do with how good or bad your life is going.
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Sep 4, 2007 10:09 AM
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As for Andersons comment "...he's been making us laugh..." makes me think that he's still trying to cover up some pain by trying to entertain others around him. He shouldn't have to perform for anyone right now, and should just concentrate on getting himself right. I like Owen Wilson's work and I hope he gets well soon.
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Sep 4, 2007 10:19 AM
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I hope that he is doing well and gets the help that he needs. He should probably take a break for awhile from the scene and get his head cleared. He seems like a really nice guy. I really hope that everything works out for him.
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Sep 4, 2007 10:48 AM
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I don't think anyone should judge a person's actions unless you know them personally. "Being selfish" was probably the furthest thing from his mind on that day. There is so much that we don't know about the situation and being that he is a celebrity, most of what we hear is probably sensationalized any way. He is lucky to have such a great family and support group. I wish him the best and hope whatever made him attempt suicide never haunts him again.
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Sep 4, 2007 11:25 AM
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Why is it that we (myself included) are willing to ive Owen Wilson a break when we make fun of Britney Spears and LiLo who obviously have their share of demons, too. Any thoughts?
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Sep 4, 2007 11:39 AM
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Shame on the first poster for thinking that depression and mental illness are so easily rectified by money and fame.
Why is it that we (myself included) are willing to ive Owen Wilson a break when we make fun of Britney Spears and LiLo who obviously have their share of demons, too. Any thoughts?
A double standard, obviously, but Owen Wilson clearly does not have parents and managers who are trying to exploit him despite his problems, leading to a very public downfall for us to comment on. Mama Spears and Mama Lohan would do well to take a cue from the Wilson family.
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Sep 4, 2007 11:53 AM
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Maybe I'm just too cynical
Maybe, you're just too naive.
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Sep 4, 2007 12:30 PM
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It's not so much of a double standard as apples and oranges. The current sympathy for Owen Wilson is based on the shock of what appears to be a good life suddenly gone wrong, almost tragically so. Think of him spending the next year or two shaving his head, stepping out of cars wearing a kilt but no underwear, being impossible to work with, charged with DUI/ other drugs then getting out on the celebrity clause. Train wreck jokes will ensue. Sort of a more famous version of Andy Dick.
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Sep 4, 2007 12:43 PM
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We have sympathy for Owen Wilson because the man tried to kill himself. He wasn't driving drunk endangering other drivers, courting the paparazzi on a drug-fueled head shaving spree, driving with a baby in his lap, leeking his own sex tape, the list goes on and on.
We have sympathy for him because he's battling a serious disease (depression), not making an @ss out of himself to get on the cover of magazines.
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Sep 4, 2007 12:59 PM
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Two comments:
First, to luluspencer - good point. Owen Wilson has shown himself to be a functioning adult, with the respect of his peers. Those who have worked with him speak very highly of him. No matter what personal demons he was fighting, he seems to have tried very hard not to take it out on those around him, and he never, ever whined (at least in public) about how "bad" it was, or seemed to expect others to "fix" it for him.
Second, to pattijen2222 - we seem to be judging you for judging him, which to me seems a tad hypocritical. It is obvious you are very angry - have you perhaps lost someone? Or do you feel that his life is so great because yours is so difficult? Whatever the case, I am sorry you are so unhappy, and I apologize if it seems like we all ganged up on you. mooshki made a good point - studying the subject (online or otherwise) might help you find perspective, and perhaps a measure of peace.
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Sep 4, 2007 1:44 PM
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I'm glad Owen is facing his demons and getting help. I hope he doesn't read the judgmental thought of a bitter and jealous public. Here is a list I ran in a recent blog of those who have had mental health issues, are famous, and who admitted their problem/sought treatment. Kudos to these people and to Owen Wilson. References at the end if you'd like to check it out yourself.
John Quincy Adams (US President), Lionel Aldridge (football star), Buzz Aldrin (astronaut), Alvin Ailey (choreographer), Adam Ant AKA Stuart Goddard (singer),Ann-Margaret (actress), Louie Anderson (comedian, actor), Gillian Anderson (actress, Isaac Asimov (author), Diane Arbus (photographer), Fiona Apple (musician), Ludwig van Beethoven, (composer), Robert Burns (poet), Drew Barrymore (actress/producer), Daniel Boorstin, (former US presidential advisor), Zach Braff (actor), Art Buchwald (columnist), Oksana Baiul (skating star), Kim Basinger (actress), Ned Beatty, (actor), Syd Barrett (musician), Carol Burnett (actress/comedian), Maurice Bernard (actor), Irving Berlin (composer), Danny Bonaduce (actor/radio dj), Halle Berry (actor), Kjell Magne Bondevik (Prime Minister, Norway), Steve Blass (baseball star), David Bowie (singer), Charles “Buddy” Bolden (musician), Charlotte Bronte (author), Marlon Brando (actor), Willie Burton (athlete), Barbara Bush (former First Lady - U.S.), Delta Burke (actor), Robert Borrstin (political advisor), Lord Byron (Poet), Cher (singer/actress), Dick Clark (producer/music magnate), John Candy (comedian), Ray Charles (musician), Deanna Carter (singer), Helen Caldicott (activist/writer), Dean Cain (actor), Drew Carey (actor/ comedian), Earl Campbell (football star), Eric Clapton (musician), Jim Carrey (actor/comedian), Melanie Chisholm (singer), Naomi Campbell (model), Jim Carrey (actor/comedian), Rosemary Clooney(singer), Jose Canseco (baseball star), Shawn Colvin (musician), Mary Jo Codey (First lady of New Jersey), Judy Collins (musician), Dick Cavett (TV host/writer), Courtney Cox (actress), Margaret Cho (actress/comedian), Natalie Cole (singer), Michael Crichton (writer), Francis Ford Coppola (director), Sheryl Crow (musician), Winston Churchill (English Prime Minister), Nicolas Cage (actor), Sandra Cisneros (writer), Patricia Cornwell (writer), John Cleese (comedian/actor), Leonard Cohen (musician), Paula Cole (musician), Shayne Corson (hockey star), Judy Collins (musician), Shawn Colvin (musician), Jeff Conaway (actor), Ty Cobb (baseball star), Pat Conroy (writer), Billy Corgan (musician), Calvin Coolidge (US President), Bill Dana (comedian), John Daly (golf star), Rodney Dangerfield (comedian/ actor), Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederate States of America), Gaetano Donizetti (opera), Jonathan Davis (musician), Charles Darwin (scientist), Mike Douglas (TV host), Sandra Dee (actress), Walt Disney (entrepenuer), John Denver (musician), Dame Edna (comedian), Ellen DeGeneres (comedian/actress), Richard Dreyfuss (actor), Johnny Depp (actor), Paolo DiCanio (soccer star), Eric Douglas (actor), Charles Dickens (author), Patty Duke (actress), Scott Donie (Olympic star), Kitty Dukakis (Former First Lady of Massachusetts), Michael English (singer), Queen Elizabeth (English monarch), Jim Eisenreich (baseball star), Thomas Edison (inventor), Ralph Waldo Emerson (writer), Robert Evans (film producer), Jules Feiffer, (cartoonist), James Farmer (civil rights leader), Edie Falco (actress), Betty Ford (Former US first lady), Carrie Fisher (actress), James Forrestal (undersecretary of US), Eddie Fisher (singer), Aretha Franklin (singer), Harrison Ford (actor), Albert French (writer), Sally Field (actress), Connie Francis (singer), Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York), Sigmund Freud (psychoanalyst), Stephen Frye (actor), Shecky Greene (comedian), Barbara Gordon (filmmaker), Phil Graham (Washington Post), James Gandolfini (actor), James Garner (actor), Peter Gabriel (musician), Kendall Gill (basketball star), Ruth Graham (writer), John Gisbon (pianist), Danny Glover (actor), Dwight Gooden (baseball star), Tipper Gore (Former US first lady), Galileo (scientist), Carey Grant (actor), Mariette Hartley (actress/activist), Tim Howard (soccer star), Juliana Hatfield (musician), Ernest Hemingway (writer/ Nobel Laureate), Margaux Hemingway (actress), Audrey Hepburn (actress/activist), Olivia Hussey (actress), Pete Harnisch (baseball star), Linda Hamilton (actress), Stephen Hawking (physicists), Sir Anthony Hopkins (actor), Marty Ingels, (comedian), Janet Jackson (musician), Kay Redfield Jamison (psychologist/author), Richard Jeni (Comedian), Billy Joel (musician), Beverly Johnson (supermodel), Jim Jenson (newscaster), Elton John (musician), Ashley Judd (actress), Daniel Johns (musician), Naomi Judd (singer), Angelina Jolie, (actress/activist), Al Kasha (songwriter), Danny Kaye (actor), Leila Kenzle (actress), John Keats (poet), Franz Kafka (writer), Gelsey Kirkland (dancer), Margot Kidder (actress), Nicole Kidman (actress), Joey Kramer (musician), Julie Krone (star athlete), Pat LaFontaine (hockey star), Jessica Lange (actress), Robert E. Lee (US general), Jacob Lawrence (artist), Vivien Leigh, (actress), Peter Nolan Lawrence (writer), Primo Levi(writer), John Lennon (musician), Meriwether Lewis (explorer), Courtney Love (singer) Allie Light (director), Abraham Lincoln (American President), Rick London (cartoonist), Mary Todd Lincoln (Former US first lady), Salvador Luria, (scientist/Nobel Laureate), John Madden (football star), Meat Loaf (musician/actor), Camryn Manheim (actress), Martha Manning (psychologist), Gustav Mahler (composer), Alanis Morisette (singer), Howie Mandel (comic), Bette Midler (singer/actress), Dave Matthews (musician), Gary McDonald (actor), A.J. McLean (musician), Burgess Meredith (actor), Sir Paul McCartney (Musician and Beatle Extraordinaire), Robert McFarlane (security advisor), Sarah McLachlan, (musician), Rod McKuen (writer), Gary McDonald (actor), Les Murray (poet), John Stuart Mill (philosopher), J.P. Morgan (industrialist), Edvard Munch (artist), John Mellencamp (musician), Paul Merton (comedian), Kate Millet (writer/feminist), Carmen Miranda (dancer), Claude Monet (artist), Mandy Moore (singer/actress), Michelangelo (artist), V.S. Naipaul (writer/Nobel Laureate), John Nash (Mathematician /Nobel Prize), Ralph Nader (consumer rights advocate), Stevie Nicks (musician), Vaclav Nijinsky (Dancer), Sir Isaac Newton (scientist), Deborah Norville (journalist), Marie Osmond (entertainer), Sir Laurence Olivier (actor), Rosie O’Donnell (comedian/actress), Georgia O’Keefe (artist), Donny Osmond (entertainer), Lani O'Grady (actress), Eugene O'Neill (playwright), Dolly Parton (musician), Meera Popkin (broadway star), Charley Pell (football coach), George Patton (US general), Jane Pauley, (journalist), Teddy Pendergrass (musician), Edgar Allan Poe (writer), Elvis Presley (entertainer), Ezra Pound (poet), Jason Pollock (artist), Cole Porter (composer), Jimmy Piersall (baseball star), Alma Powell (wife of General Colin Powell), Susan Powter (motivational speaker), Freddie Prinze, Jr. (actor), Roseanne (comedian/actress), Bonnie Raitt (musician), Burt Reynolds (actor), Lou Reed (musician), Norman Rockwell (artist), Theodore Roosevelt ( President of the United States), Joan Rivers (comedian, actress), Mac Rebennack AKA Dr. John (musician), Alex Rodriguez (baseball star), Alys Robi (vocalist), Winona Ryder (actress), Yves Saint Laurent (fashion designer), Sam Shepard (playwright), Tom Snyder (TV host), Monica Seles (tennis star), Linda Sexton (writer), Neil Simon (playwright), William T. Sherman (US general), Marc Summers (TV host), Diana Spencer (Princess of Wales), John Steinbeck (author), Paul Simon (musician), Lauren Slater (writer), Willard Scott (star weatherman), William Shakespeare (writer), Carly Simon (singer), Jose Solano (actor), Rick Springfield (musician/actor), Brooke Shields (model/actress), Rod Steiger, (actor), George Stephanopoulos (political advisor), Barbra Streisand (singer/actress), William Styron (writer), Charles Schulz (cartoonist), Teresa Stratas (opera singer), Sissy Spacek (actress), Dave Stewart (singer), Darryl Strawberry (baseball star), Lori Schiller (writer), Francis Sherwood (writer), Scott Simmie (journalist), Earl Simmons AKA DMX (musician/actor), Alonzo Spellman (football star), Nikola Tesla (inventor), Spencer Tracy (actor), Hunter Tylo (actor), Leo Tolstoy (author), Ted Turner (entrepreneur), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (artist), Mark Twain (author), Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky (composer), Anne Tyler (author), Tracy Ullman (actor), Dimitrius Underwood(football star), Vivian Vance (actor), Meredith Vieira (reporter), Kurt Vonnegut (writer), Mike Wallace (journalist), Evelyn Waugh (novelist), Damon Wayans (comedian/actor), Tennessee Williams (writer), Dar Williams (musician), Ed Wood (director), Tom Wolfe (writer), Michael Warren (Canada Post), George Washington (US President), Lewis Wolpert (scientist), Hugo Wolf (composer), Luther Wright (basketball star), Virginia Woolf (novelist), Bill Wilson (Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous), Tom Waits (musician), Brian Wilson (musician), Jonathan Winters (comedian), Ann Wilson (singer), Amy Winehouse (Singer), Oprah Winfrey (TV host), Robin Williams (comedian/actor), W.B. Yeats (poet), Robert Young (actor), Bert Yancey (golf star), William Zeckendorf (industrialist), Renee Zellweger (actor)... and Owen Wilson (actor)
References
Buchwald, A. (1999). Famous, important people who have suffered depression. Psychology Today.
Fonda, J. (2005). My life, so far. New York: Random House.
Jamison, K.R. (1993). Touched with Fire. Manic depressive illness and artistic temperment. New York: Free Press.
Shepard, S. (1999). Mrs. Gore Breaks the Ice on Mental Illness. Washington Bureau: The Palm Beach Post.
Shields, B. (2005). Down came the rain: My journey through post partum depression.
New York: Hyperion Books.
(2005). Health: Celebrities who have admitted suffering from depression. England: Burmingham Post.
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Sep 4, 2007 3:54 PM
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