Owen Wilson seems to have attempted suicide yesterday. We are always surprised when someone rich and famous tries to off themselves. If having everything in the world isn’t enough, what hope is there for the rest of us? But the problem is not one of wealth and celebrity, it is one of brain chemistry and personality.
The stereotype of the mad artist is a stereotype for a reason. The traits that made Owen Wilson seek the brightness of the spotlight are the same ones that can depress him if he thinks things are not the way they should be. We don’t know what Owen Wilson’s real life is like, hell, most of us don’t understand own lives.
Last year Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens was rumored to have tried to commit suicide. His pretty live-in publicist said he had ten million reasons not to kill himself. Again the common fallacy that having money and fame are all you need to keep the demons away.
It’s easy to think, hey, let me have Owen Wilson’s problems for a while, I won’t be trying to kill myself. Maybe, maybe not.
The rumors I have seen say Owen Wilson tried to slit his wrist. Like taking pills, cutting your wrists is not a very reliable way to commit suicide. Most real men follow in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway and put a gun barrel in their mouth. But that would have messed up Owen Wilson’s perfect white smile.
Owen Wilson usually plays a dimwit in the movies, let’s hope he’s smart enough to get some treatment in the real world.
