2008 Woodie Awards
Why Owen why?
Alli Downs
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: opinion
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Almost three months after Owen Wilson's attempted suicide and no word from him yet. He's a member of the dubbed "Frat Pack," which includes other funny guys like Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, brother Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Steve Carell, in reference to the "Brat Pack" of the eighties. You would never expect one of these guys to be struggling with drugs and depression, but on August 26th of this year, Owen slit his wrists and no one really knows why.
He seemed to have it all, a great career and a hot Hollywood girlfriend, Kate Hudson, but soon after their break-up, things started to go downhill for him. It was reported by his family and friends that he didn't take the break up very well. It's bizarre to think of our favorite actors and actresses as having real problems, but Owen's almost deadly choice shocked some of us back into reality. He showed his fans and the public that just because it appears that you have everything it doesn't necessarily make you happy.
Why does society as a whole associate money and popularity with happiness? Owen's struggle is just another example of how the two don't go hand in hand. We are always looking for the next best thing that looks better on the other side, but the minute we get it, we realize that maybe it wasn't so great. Why can't people just be happy with the things they have?
I guess that it's just harder for fans to believe that their favorite musician or actor can be that unhappy when we believe they have so much going for them. Another example of a famous person being suicidal would be the infamous Kurt Cobain. His suicide is still one of the most talked about incidents in the music industry. He was on the top of his game, with his band Nirvana, when he killed himself. It is eerie to think that people that have so much success in their careers can't be happy.
What exactly possess' these people to be so unhappy? I'm a huge fan of Owen Wilson and I really want to know why he felt so helpless. I know it's appropriate to give someone who has gone through something this serious a considerable amount of time to recuperate, but when are we going to be able to hear his side of the story? It's unrealistic to say we should never ask him about it. I'm personally waiting for the Barbara Walters or Oprah appearance from him. He is famous and in the spotlight, so of course people are curious about his personal life. When you make the decision to be famous you agree that some aspects of your life are not personal anymore. Not that a suicide attempt isn't personal, its just hard to expect people to not wonder.
Probably the most important question that Owen's representatives are asking themselves now, is will he be able to bounce back in his career after this? Honestly, yes. If Britney Spears can have a number two debut album after all the crap she's done in the last year, it would be obscene to think that Wilson's next movie won't be just as popular as his last one. He can take as much time as he needs, but the public is eventually going to want to know, "why Owen, why?"
He seemed to have it all, a great career and a hot Hollywood girlfriend, Kate Hudson, but soon after their break-up, things started to go downhill for him. It was reported by his family and friends that he didn't take the break up very well. It's bizarre to think of our favorite actors and actresses as having real problems, but Owen's almost deadly choice shocked some of us back into reality. He showed his fans and the public that just because it appears that you have everything it doesn't necessarily make you happy.
Why does society as a whole associate money and popularity with happiness? Owen's struggle is just another example of how the two don't go hand in hand. We are always looking for the next best thing that looks better on the other side, but the minute we get it, we realize that maybe it wasn't so great. Why can't people just be happy with the things they have?
I guess that it's just harder for fans to believe that their favorite musician or actor can be that unhappy when we believe they have so much going for them. Another example of a famous person being suicidal would be the infamous Kurt Cobain. His suicide is still one of the most talked about incidents in the music industry. He was on the top of his game, with his band Nirvana, when he killed himself. It is eerie to think that people that have so much success in their careers can't be happy.
What exactly possess' these people to be so unhappy? I'm a huge fan of Owen Wilson and I really want to know why he felt so helpless. I know it's appropriate to give someone who has gone through something this serious a considerable amount of time to recuperate, but when are we going to be able to hear his side of the story? It's unrealistic to say we should never ask him about it. I'm personally waiting for the Barbara Walters or Oprah appearance from him. He is famous and in the spotlight, so of course people are curious about his personal life. When you make the decision to be famous you agree that some aspects of your life are not personal anymore. Not that a suicide attempt isn't personal, its just hard to expect people to not wonder.
Probably the most important question that Owen's representatives are asking themselves now, is will he be able to bounce back in his career after this? Honestly, yes. If Britney Spears can have a number two debut album after all the crap she's done in the last year, it would be obscene to think that Wilson's next movie won't be just as popular as his last one. He can take as much time as he needs, but the public is eventually going to want to know, "why Owen, why?"