Owen Wilson says he’s finally found a sense of peace after years of battling mental health challenges.
While promoting his new Apple TV+ series Stick, where he plays a down-and-out pro golfer looking for redemption, the Oscar-nominated actor opened up about his personal journey.
“We can all sort of look back at bad things that happen, where you’re like, ‘Yeah, without that bad thing, then I don’t get to this good thing,’” Wilson shared on CBS Mornings. “And so that idea of rock bottom, again, just reminds me of times in my life when I’ve had struggles, how much I needed people — family, friends. So I think that sort of is reflected in this show.”
Much like his character Pryce Cahill, Wilson knows what it’s like to feel the weight of success. With blockbuster hits like Wedding Crashers, Meet the Parents, Cars, and Night at the Museum, the 56-year-old has faced pressure from all angles.
“Early on, you’d make something like, ‘Wow, if this doesn’t do well, I don’t know what I’m gonna do,’” he recalled. “It just felt like so much was riding on stuff, so much pressure to kind of do well and succeed. I do kind of feel, yeah, a little bit more sort of peace… taking time to smell the roses.”
Owen Wilson is embracing a new chapter of happiness and calm — something he once thought was out of reach.
Reflecting on his journey, the actor mentioned studies that claim people often find greater happiness after turning 50. At first, he wasn’t convinced. “You hear those studies that say the happiest time in people’s lives [is] after 50. As a kid, I was like, I don’t know if that’s gonna be true,” he said with a laugh. “I really had a hard time believing that. But here, I do find myself… I feel pretty happy, pretty content.”
Wilson has previously been open about his mental health struggles. In a 2021 Esquire interview, he spoke about his recovery following a 2007 suicide attempt, crediting his older brother Andrew Wilson for helping him get through the darkest time. Andrew moved in, woke up with him every morning, and even created daily schedules to help bring some order and hope back into his life. At first, those routines made life manageable — and eventually, they made it feel good again.
“I’ve been in sort of a lucky place of feeling pretty appreciative of things,” Wilson shared. “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. I’ve just felt — yeah. Feeling pretty grateful. Well, grateful’s one of those words that get used all the time. Appreciative. Of, you know, stuff.”
