Owen Wilson got candid about his 2007 suicide attempt and how his older brother Andrew helped him heal following the harrowing incident.
The 52-year-old discussed his thoughts about life, death and his suicide attempt with Esquire in a profile titled, “Owen Wilson Is Doing Great, Thanks.”
“Sometimes life seems to be played by Tom Hardy in ‘The Revenant,’ some nightmarish guy trying to kill you, where even if you get the upper hand,” the “French Dispatch” star said, “He’s still going to be there at the end whispering, ‘This ain’t gonna bring your boy back’ or your dad back or any good times from your past back. Or whatever. And when life’s being played by that guy, you just gotta hang on and wait for it to pass.’”
Andrew “stayed in his house with him” following the attempt, according to Esquire, and “after that, rising with him each morning and writing up little schedules for each day so that life seemed at first manageable and then, at some point, a long time later, actually good.”
Wilson has battled depression in the past and told the publication that the idea of death “landed with me when I was about eleven.” The Texas native also recalled a conversation he had with his father, a TV executive, about the concept of death when he was a young boy. “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,” Wilson explained.
In August 2007, Wilson was rushed to the hospital after he tried to take his own life. His other brother, “Legally Blonde” star Luke Wilson, was the one who found him and called 911.
On a lighter note, the “Wedding Crashers” funnyman revealed in the interview that he’s feeling very appreciated lately. “I’ve been in sort of a lucky place of feeling pretty appreciative of things,” he said. “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. … Feeling pretty grateful. Well, grateful’s one of those words that get used all the time. Appreciative. Of, you know, stuff.”