Owen Wilson shows the human side of Hollywood

Posted Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at 3:10 PM Central

by John Couture

More often than not, we as a society seem to strip Hollywood stars of their humanity. And for the most part, they deserve it. The Britneys, Lindsays and Parises of the world generally deserve all the ridicule and dehumanization that we lob towards them.

But, every now and then, there's a Hollywood story that grounds us all. A story that reminds us that our favorite Hollywood celebrity is just as human as you or I. John Belushi, James Dean and Phil Hartman's stories remind us that Hollywood isn't a shield against human emotion. And this week, we got another reminder with the sad and perplexing story of Owen Wilson's hospitalization.

While nothing official has seen the light of day, speculation is rife and that chatter claims that Wilson was hospitalized after a suicide attempt on Sunday. Wilson remains hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and spokesperson there confirmed that the actor is in good condition.

The only word out of the Wilson camp is a brief statement that he would like to take time "to heal in private." Today, the ramifications of his actions are starting to come to light.

Variety is reporting that Owen has dropped out of buddy Ben Stiller's buddy war comedy Tropic Thunder. With an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte and Jack Black, who would've ever thought that Owen Wilson would be the one to cause upheaval in the shoot?

Owen Wilson is no different than any of us who might be going through a rough patch. The difference between Owen and the other Hollywood tragedies listed above is that Owen will get a second chance to make things right.

Best of luck man, we can't wait for you to make us laugh again.