As Gerard Butler is checking out of rehab for a burgeoning addiction to painkillers, Hawaii Five-0’s Alex O’Loughlin is checking in for the same problem. According to his rep, the 35-year-old Australian born actor “is taking a short break to receive supervised treatment for prescription pain medication.”
O’Loughlin, who was also in the 2010 romantic comedy The Back-Up Plan opposite Jennifer Lopez, was prescribed the painkillers after a recent shoulder injury and has developed a dependency to the meds. The actor— who resides in Los Angeles but lives in Honolulu during filming—is being treated at an undisclosed location.
O’Loughlin plays Lieutenant. Commander Steve McGarrett on the popular CBS police drama that is a remake of a 1970’s series by the same name. His character requires him to be extremely physical and he often does his own stunts—or claims to. However, there is no word on if he sustained the injury while filming the show.
Fans of Hawaii Five-0 shouldn’t worry too much about this personal issue affecting the season. The production is already ahead of their shooting schedule and are currently filming episode 20, which doesn’t focus on O’Loughlin’s character. Another lucky coincidence is that the production plans to take a few weeks off once the episode wraps before returning to shoot the remaining three episodes of season two.
In a statement concerning the news, CBS Studios said, “We respect and support Alex’s decision. Everyone at CBS TV Studios and Hawaii Five-0 wishes him well and we look forward to his return.”
Painkiller addiction is quite a trendy problem in Hollywood. Other celebrities who have battled an addiction to pain meds include Charlie Sheen, Nicole Richie, Matthew Perry, Jack and Kelly Osbourne and Jamie Lee Curtis.
