Wilson, still under observation, won’t be at “Darjeeling” premiere at Venice Fest or Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder” shoot
By Jeffrey Jolson
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 8/29/07 — Owen Wilson, hospitalized in Los Angeles after an apparent suicide attempt, will be necessarily dropping out of the Venice Film Festival premiere of “Darjeeling Express” on Sept 3 and the filming of “Tropic Thunder” next week in Hawaii with longtime film partner Ben Stiller.
Wilson is technically still on the premiere attendees schedule at the 75th Venice Film Fest, though fis co-stars in “Darjeeling Express,” Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman, may well still attend. It is not clear if he will be well enough for promotional activities, which start in about two weeks for the Sept. 29 US opening.
He could be well enough for some promo on the Fox Searchlight film, but doctors presently say he will be “kept under observation for several days.”
The film follows three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other .
Wilson will also not appear in the ensemble comedy “Tropic Thunder,” already six weeks into production in Hawaii, according to the trade papers.
The decision was characterized as a mutual agreement between director Ben Stiller and the 38-year-old actor, who was taken to the hospital Sunday after police responded to the report of a suicide attempt at his Santa Monica home.
The Hollywood Reporter said Wilson had a minor part in the movie, which stars Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. and revolves around a group of actors who find themselves in the middle of a war.
Wilson’s part was to be filmed in just a week, the trade paper said. Messages left early Wednesday for a DreamWorks representative and Wilson publicist Ina Treciokas seeking comment weren’t immediately returned.
Many Hollywood insiders believe Wilson’s setback will be short-lived and that he will continue to enjoy big-screen success.
“He’s loved,” Bernie Brillstein, a veteran Hollywood manager who worked with John Belushi and Chris Farley, said Tuesday.
Brillstein said the apparent suicide attempt is “serious, but it’s a singular case. Anyone can have a bad day, a very bad day.”
Wilson’s box-office track record — “Wedding Crashers” topped $200 million, “Cars” brought in almost $250 million — plus his on-screen image as an affable everyman who can charm the ladies while boozing with the boys has made him a favorite with both filmmakers and filmgoers.
Wilson’s public perception is “very positive,” industry analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Media By Numbers said Tuesday. “Owen Wilson has a really good reputation and people in general really feel bad for him right now.”
Wilson’s next starring vehicle, Paramount’s “Drillbit Taylor,” is set for a March release, a studio spokeswoman said, declining further comment.
A spokesman for 20th Century Fox declined to discuss Wilson’s scheduled appearance opposite Jennifer Aniston in the upcoming “Marley & Me.”
AFP Contributed to this report