John Owen Lowe had a “mental breakdown” two weeks into filming the first season of his Netflix show, Unstable, alongside dad Rob Lowe.
“I walked off set and I went into my trailer, and I went, ‘Oh s--t. I was trying to become my own person and get distance away from him and I am now his costar. My face is next to his on a one sheet and I'll be doing press with him,’” John Owen, 29, shared during a Thursday, July 25, appearance on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy. “It was like all these realizations dawned on me and I remember calling my representatives, which is so funny.”
John Owen recalled his reps telling him to “chill out” because the show would be a good thing.
“I think it is important to say, they helped me find the normal perspective or the healthy perspective where it's like you should feel grateful that you get to do this for a variety of reasons,” the actor continued. “Namely this, you know, my dad won't be around forever. It'll be amazing that we share this together and it's hard to work in the entertainment industry.”
Unstable premiered via Netflix on March 2023, and stars Rob, 60, and John Owen as the fictional father-son pair of Ellis and Jackson Dragon. The series made headlines for mimicking the real-life dynamic between the two Lowe family members, which was previously showcased on social media. (John Owen frequently trolls his dad in Rob’s Instagram comments section.)
Despite this past “breakdown” — so to speak — about working with his dad, John Owen is currently on a press tour with Rob as they gear up for Unstable season 2, which is set to premiere on Thursday, August 1.
“It’s a medium through which I get to make fun of him on national television,” John Owen shared during a Wednesday, July 24, appearance on Good Morning America. “He’s a very good sport about it.”
Rob shares John Owen and older son Matthew Lowe with wife Sheryl Berkoff. Previously, the three Lowe men starred in the 2017 A&E Network reality show The Lowe Files. While Matthew, 31, has become what Rob has called his “civilian son,” John Owen decided to follow in their dad’s footsteps.
“I wrote on (9-1-1: Lone Star) for four years and I wrote, you know, five episodes and was deeply ingrained in the writing process and that's where I learned from,” John Owen told Radio Andy host Andy Cohen on Thursday. “I started as a staff writer. I was the lowest on the totem pole.”
He added: “I worked my way up to story editor … and worked hard and learned a lot, but I was going insane. Essentially you're writing for him, and I ended up writing a lot of stuff for him and it drove me bonkers.”