Continued from page 4

Owen Wilson: What Happened?

Originally posted Thursday August 30, 2007 12:00 PM EDT

"He's vigilant when it comes to diet and exercise," says a source close to Wilson (in Hawaii in March). "Yet every once in a while he goes off the deep end." Photo by: Will Binns / Pacific Coast News

Still, there were no clear signs Wilson was in serious trouble in the days before his crisis. His actions seemed normal, whether grabbing a casual lunch at Ivy at the Shore in Santa Monica or having dinner with his father and uncle at a local Italian restaurant.

One possible indication that something was amiss: Around 11 a.m. on Aug. 24, he pulled up to St. Monica church and walked inside. The signs now are far more serious. While colleagues on his upcoming film The Darjeeling Limited, costarring Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman, head to the Venice International Film Festival, Wilson will be in L.A., as he put it, "healing." Meanwhile, his friends are grateful that help came before it was too late. "He's really funny and warm and sensitive," says one close pal. These are not the qualities, of course, that one instantly associates with Hollywood. Adds his friend: "Maybe that's why he's in the situation he's in."

• By Karen S. Schneider with Bob Meadows. Alexis Chiu, Jennifer Garcia, Mary Margaret and Kristen Mascia in Los Angeles, Linda Marx in West Palm Beach, Darla Atlas in Dallas and KC Baker and Jeffrey Slonim in New York City