Owen Wilson rarely gives interviews since his 2007 suicide attempt, but in a new discussion with Esquire, the Loki actor gave a rare look at his past struggles. Wilson, 52, recalled how his brother Andrew Wilson, 56, supported him in the days after his suicide attempt. Wilson recently starred in the Marvel Disney+ series Loki and will be seen in his frequent collaborator Wes Anderson’s upcoming The French Dispatch.
Wilson “doesn’t talk much” about his suicide attempt, Ryan D’Agostino wrote for Esquire, but he was willing to talk about how Andrew helped him. Andrew, who starred in Drew Barrymore’s Whip It, stayed at Wilson’s house and got up with him each morning. He wrote up schedules for his younger brother so each day seemed “at first manageable and then, at some point, a long time later, actually good.”
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The Wedding Crashers star also recalled how he thought about death, even at a young age. “Death—that kind of landed with me when I was about eleven. And I don’t remember ever talking with my parents about it,” Wilson told D’Agonstino. “Although I do remember one time saying to my dad—and I remember exactly where in the house—saying, ‘I worry about dying,’ and seeing my dad turn away and catch himself. And I was surprised to see that reaction. But who knows, maybe that was part of why I said it.”
Today, Wilson is in a “lucky place,” and “feeling pretty appreciative” of his life. “I know everything’s kind of up and down, but when you get on one of these waves, you’ve gotta ride it as long as you can. I’ve just felt—yeah. Feeling pretty grateful,” Wilson said. “Well, grateful’s one of those words that get used all the time. Appreciative. Of, you know, stuff.”
In August 2007, Wilson attempted suicide and was treated for depression. He was forced to drop out of his friend Ben Stiller’s movie Tropic Thunder, with his role taken by Matthew McConaughey instead. Ever since Wilson has rarely done interviews. In 2016, The Independent noted that Wilson walked out of interviews if he thought a journalist was about to ask him. Although Wilson quickly returned to movies, he has not been credited with a screenplay since. “If I do write another script, it would be something more personal to me,” he said in 2016.
This year, Wilson joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Mobius in Loki, the first regular television role of his career. He also starred in Bliss, which Amazon released in February, and The French Dispatch, which opens on Oct. 22. He also stars opposite Jennifer Lopez in Marry Me, which opens in February 2022.
