The incident that is said to have triggered Owen Wilson’s suicide attempt was a fight with a close friend after he failed to deliver promised material for a comedy project. It was reported that Wilson pulled out of the comedy he was involved in with good friend Ben Stiller after he was hospitalized, but that might not have been the case. Variety reported that the decision for Stiller not to be involved after his illness was “mutual,” but The National Enquirer says that Stiller and Steven Spielberg, who were directing and producing the film, decided they needed to fire Wilson and arranged to have the news delivered to him in his hospital bed.

The film had been shooting for six weeks at that point, according to People, so they probably couldn’t afford to wait any longer. There were millions at stake and Owen was a major liability:

It’s hush-hush and strictly confidential, but tragic comedy star Owen Wilson didn’t “quit” his movie after that drug-fueled suicide bid – my spy reveals he was actually fired by pal Ben Stiller and mogul Steven Spielberg… although both agonized endlessly over how to deliver the blow without sending him over the edge! Even as Wilson was rushed to Cedars-Sinai, director Stiller and producer Spielberg – under the gun because “Tropic Thunger” rolls next month – huddled desperately, debating two major points: (1) Could Wilson recover fast enough to handle the grueling shoot; and (2) would insurers of the multimillion Dreamworks flick underwrite a drug-taker/suicide risk?

“Ben was literally sick about making a decision to fire his good friend,” said an insider – but after hours of deliberation, Stiller and Spielberg concluded Owen had to go! But how to soften the blow? Incredibly, Plan A was to phone Wilson at the hospital and ax him on his bed of pain… gently of course! “Ben proposed calling directly so Owen wouldn’t hear the news from the press or a flunky,” said the insider. “But after family members told them Owen was not in a good state of mind, they realized the direct approach was far too stressful.” Rather than order studio lawyers to contact Wilson’s people, however, Stiller and Spielberg conferenced them personally to deliver the bombshell that Owen was goin’!

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker’s column, September 24, 2007]

So instead of having their people contact Owen’s people, Stiller and Spielberg contacted Owen’s people and by eliminating one level of detachment from the situation were able to relieve some of their guilt. At least they considered contacting Owen directly, and it sounds like they were told not to do it that way. Hopefully Owen’s people broke it to him once he was feeling a little better and was able to handle the news.

There’s a really nasty article in this week’s Star Magazine about how Owen must not have really tried to cut his wrists because a recent picture, not the ones from the beach, showed no scars on his right wrist. Photos taken recently on Malibu beach do reveal scars on his left wrist, showing that the suicide attempt did involve some cutting on Owen’s part.

The article is titled “Was it All a Hoax?” and circles a picture of Owen’s right scarless wrist with an arrow pointing to it:

The truth about what happened to Owen Wilson on Aug. 26 has now become a mystery that seems to be getting deeper by the day. While it’s been reported that The Wedding Crashers star sliced his wrists and took drugs in a desperate suicide bid, Star has learned that the entire incident may be cloaked in a cover-up that began right after Owen was found bleeding at his Santa Monica home.

“I’ve seen many patients who have attempted suicide by slashing their wrists, and even weeks later there are red marks and scarring,” says Louis Mueller, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist based near Tampa, who has not treated the actor but has studied photos of him taken shortly after his release from the hospital. “These photos do not computer with attempted suicide by slashing of the wrists.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, September 24, 2007]

The article goes on to say that 911 was not called until an hour after Owen’s brother Luke found him, and brings up the fact that a criminal attorney was called to visit Wilson when he was at the hospital. They then put even more emphasis on the pictures, with another quote from that random psychologist.

Star is grasping at straws. Owen’s other wrist shows a clear scar, which is because he’s probably right-handed and used that hand to cut his left wrist without getting to the other one. Maybe the reports were incorrect that both wrists were slashed, but it’s not some big conspiracy and Star should have passed up that story instead of needlessly speculating about it. The guy needs help, not more grief.

Owen Wilson will forever be known as the celebrity who tried to take his own life, but he has also become a much-needed symbol of the very hidden and deep pain of depression. As I mentioned earlier, Owen shows us that anyone can suffer from mental illness, and that there is no shame in getting help before its too late. While the rest of us yearn for fame and wealth, we may be better off just as we are. Rich celebrities aren’t immune from problems any more than the rest of us, and they’re certainly subject to a lot more nasty speculation about their personal lives.

Owen Wilson is shown in the header image on Labor Day paying a visit to his brother Luke Wilson. Thanks to Splash News for the pic.