Owen Wilson, a Dallas-born movie star is opening up for the first time about his father's battle with Alzeimer's disease. The actor tells the Dallas Morning News that it's been "a rough thing'' and he explains how he and his family have been coping with it.
"It's one of those things where if somebody had said 10 years ago, when my dad and I were joking around, having a putting match, that this is the position your dad's going to be in, where he basically needs 24-hour care, you'd think, 'Gosh, I won't be able to handle that. That's just not possible,' " said the younger Wilson about the ordeal of his 74-year-old father.
Based on a report by Today, Owen Wilson added that during these toughest times, he and his family remained optimistic. The father of Owen, Robert A. "Bob" Wilson, is married to photographer Laura Wilson, a long-time Dallas executive who headed KERA, the city's public television affiliate. Bob Wilson was part of the creation of a local news program with Jim Lehrer as host which eventually led to the popular national show, "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.''
Owen together with his two brothers, Andrew, 51, and Luke, 43, are caring for the man who was so protective of them when they were growing up. "For me and my brothers, there just wasn't a bigger influence on us," Owen shared. "Maybe it sounds trite or something, but I really believe that his spirit gets carried on through me, the way I like to joke around," Owen added, as quoted by Entertainment Tonight news.
In his upcoming movie, No Escape, which will open on Aug. 26, he will play the role of an American father. Owen emphasized that, "There's a lot of stress inherent in being a parent, and worrying about your children and wanting them to be OK. When they're born, you feel this love you've never felt before. If they were in danger, you'd just do anything that you could to help them."
