This article contains references to addiction, mental health issues, and suicide.
Owen Wilson may play a loveable, witty charmer on the big screen, but he has a darker past that not all audiences may be familiar with. The actor made a name for himself by being one of Hollywood’s golden boys, snagging role after role and wooing dozens of beautiful women along the way. However, despite his seemingly carefree attitude, Wilson leads an incredibly private life with more than a few skeletons in his closet.
From messy tabloid breakups and scorned exes to a daughter he’s never met — there are more than a few reasons why the “Marry Me” star has been the center of controversy in recent years. It could be why the father of three keeps his personal life out of the spotlight, escaping to his Maui mansion and notoriously evading the paparazzi every chance he can get.
But this is nothing new for Wilson — whose mental health has been a cause of concern stemming back to the late 2000s, when reports of Wilson struggling with personal demons first surfaced. While you can count on him for a good punch line and a great sense of humor, we’re breaking down the lesser-known, tragic details about Owen Wilson.
Wilson has worried about death since he was a kid
Owen Wilson’s childhood was far from perfect. The “Father Figures” star admitted that he struggled with depression for years and started contemplating the concept of death at around 11 years old. “I don’t remember ever talking with my parents about it,” he explained in an interview with Esquire. “Although I do remember one time saying to my dad — and 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.”
Eventually, he learned to appreciate the good times when they come and recognize the ebb and flow of life’s good and bad moments. “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,” the “Marley & Me” star said.
Multiple accidents left a lasting mark on his nose
While Owen Wilson is undeniably known for his good looks, there’s one specific feature that viewers can’t seem to miss. The “Haunted Mansion” star has an infamous crooked nose, one that has even led to some harsh feedback over the years. As for what happened to Wilson’s nose, the actor blames the shape on numerous accidents throughout the years that led to two broken noses — giving it a permanent dent.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Wilson admitted he first broke his nose during a fight in high school. After that left a lasting mark on his snout, the actor revealed that he receives comments where people admit, “You look kind of odd, disfigured.” In his 2022 Wired interview, Wilson revealed he broke his nose a second time while studying at college. “At University of Texas, yeah,” Wilson explained. “Playing … we were doing intramural flag football and I got banged but also I think, just like as a kid, roughhousing.”
The “Paint” star was also involved in a third accident in 2000 when he was thrown from his motorcycle. The incident left him flying into the air only to hit the ground on his face, and while he didn’t break his nose, it may have further cemented the shape. Still, a less-than-perfect nose hasn’t hindered Wilson in the love department — as the Butterscotch Stallion’s reputation for being a Hollywood heartbreaker hasn’t faltered yet.
Wilson allegedly had a drug problem
Owen Wilson allegedly struggled with drug addiction in the late 2000s, according to sources close to the star. Us Weekly (via ABC News) reported in 2007 that the actor’s inner circle was “all too aware” that he had been dealing with depression and a dependency on drugs, despite Wilson’s representative at the time denying he had been using cocaine or heroin.
The New York Post also reported on Wilson’s alleged drug addiction, with an insider claiming that his longtime friend Woody Harrelson even attempted an intervention at the actor’s Maui home. “Owen went to Maui, Hawaii, to kick his habit,” a source told the publication. “He was like a baby on that couch.”
Sources close to the star even claimed the actor’s alleged drug problem was the reason behind his and Kate Hudson’s split at the time. Wilson and Hudson started dating in 2006 after co-starring in “You, Me, and Dupree,” in an on-again-off-again relationship that ultimately ended in 2009. “It didn’t work with Kate because he just couldn’t be dependable, and he hated himself for it,” a friend of the star revealed at the time.
He attempted to take his own life
Owen Wilson’s wellbeing was on the minds of many after news of his heartbreaking suicide attempt surfaced in August 2007. Extra confirmed the news at the time after obtaining the call log from the Santa Monica Police Department, which labeled the call from the actor’s residence as “attempted suicide.”
While the Santa Monica Police Department kept details of the incident under wraps due to patient protection laws, Star magazine and the National Enquirer reported (via ABC News) that the actor had cut his left wrist and taken undisclosed medication, attempting to commit suicide. According to another report by Us Weekly, the “French Dispatch” star had attended church a few days before the event, leading some to believe he may have been looking for spiritual help. Shortly after the incident, Wilson told TMZ, “I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.”
Following the suicide attempt, Wilson took a large step back from the spotlight. He was replaced by Matthew McConaughey for his role in the 2008 film “Tropic Thunder” and returned to the big screen later that year for the heartfelt feel-good project “Marley & Me.” Still, he couldn’t dodge the elephant in the room when reporters hinted at his attempt on his own life. In one specific USA Today interview (per Gawker Archives), he stormed out upon being asked if dogs help him “get through the difficult times.”
While Wilson doesn’t talk publicly about the incident, he did tell Esquire in 2021 that his brother Andrew helped him get stable after the suicide attempt. His brother was tasked with things like “writing up little schedules for each day so that life seemed at first manageable and then … actually good.”
Owen Wilson has struggled with the paparazzi invading his personal life
Owen Wilson and the paparazzi don’t mix. The father of three has had a long history of disliking the paparazzi, and his opinions have manifested in physical altercations allegedly on more than one occasion.
In 2008, Page Six reported on Wilson’s antics at a Patrón Highcroft Racing party in Miami, in which he didn’t make the best impression. “There were 150 people who watched Wilson jump across the pool, making a complete a** of himself,” one partygoer told the publication. Photographer Manny Hernandez was at the event and managed to snap a few shots of the actor in action, which caused havoc. “[Wilson] charged at me and started screaming at me hysterically,” Hernandez said at the time, recalling Wilson telling him to “erase those photos right now.” However, a representative for the actor refuted those claims, telling Page Six, “He was invited to the event and was promised there would be no media there. He didn’t yell at anybody.”
Two years later, the “Wedding Crashers” stars problems with the paps continued, as he and his brother Andrew were sued by a photographer over an alleged physical altercation in Santa Monica. Clint Brewer told TMZ in 2010 that he “was walking up the stairs and was pushed in the back” by Owen, which led to “sustained severe bodily injuries, a portion of which are permanent.” As of the time of writing, there’s no indication as to how the suit was resolved.
Wilson’s apprehension of the paparazzi hasn’t seemed to ease with his years in the spotlight. One YouTube video featuring the star in 2013 claims he called TSA on the paparazzi at the LAX Airport for snapping one too many photos of him.
Wilson’s struggled with commitment — and he missed his son’s christening because of it
Owen Wilson seems to have a reputation for struggling with long-term commitment. The actor broke up with his girlfriend Jade Duell in 2011, six months after the pair welcomed their son Robert Ford. “Owen wanted the freedom to do what he wanted with his friends, both male and female, while remaining a family unit with Jade and the baby,” said a source to the National Inquirer at the time (via the Irish Examiner). Duell, however, reportedly wanted the actor to make a long-term commitment to her, which he wasn’t able to provide. “Jade wasn’t willing to go along with that, so Owen decided to end things with her,” the insider added.
Those commitment issues seemed to extend to Duell and his son’s christening that June, which Wilson skipped out on short notice. “Owen had every intention of being there, but when it came time to board his flight at Los Angeles Airport, he couldn’t do it. He left the airport and drove around Santa Monica for hours,” a source close to the star told the publication. Cold feet, much?
He has never met his daughter
Owen Wilson has been seen out and about with his two sons, Ford and Finn, but his connection with his daughter, Lyla, is nonexistent. Wilson’s first child, Robert Ford, was born in 2011 when he was with his then-girlfriend Jade Duell, and he welcomed his second son Finn with his then-personal trainer Caroline Lindqvist in 2013. While he co-parents his two sons with his former partners, the actor has decided not to assume a father role for his only daughter and even decided not to have visitation rights.
“He has never met her, unfortunately,” Wilson’s ex-girlfriend Varunie Vongsvirates told the Daily Mail in 2021. Vongsvirates told the publication she begged for the star to have an active part in his daughter’s life to no avail. “He helps financially but it’s never been about that,” she revealed. “Lyla needs a father. It’s ironic how [Owen] keeps getting these father roles, he’s playing a father in his new movie, and he’s never met his own daughter.”
The “Wonder” actor reportedly changed his phone number upon learning the news that Vongsvirates was expecting, according to RadarOnline. “When Varunie told Owen she was pregnant, he was not happy about it, and that was the last time they ever spoke,” an insider confirmed. Lyla makes several appearances on Vongsvirates’ Instagram page, where many viewers have taken to airing their feelings about Wilson’s lack of interest in fatherhood. “What kind of man is he not wanting to even meet his own daughter,” wrote one user. Despite the public backlash, Wilson has yet to comment publicly about his daughter.
He described life as being nightmarish at times
Owen Wilson got candid about the ups and downs of life, likening them to a day at the movies. In his 2021 Esquire interview, the actor compared some of life’s darker moments to Tom Hardy’s experience in “The Revenant,” telling the publication that sometimes experiencing hardship can feel like “some nightmarish guy trying to kill you, where even if you get the upper hand, 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.”
However, Wilson, who has experienced plenty of hardship in his life, has learned that even through the toughest moments, he has learned to remain patient and roll with the punches. “And when life’s being played by that guy, you just gotta hang on and wait for it to pass,” he said.
If you or anyone you know needs help with mental health, substance abuse, or suicide, contact the relevant resources below:
