The character Woody Harrelson hated playing: “I wish I had some reason to like him a little more”

Woody Harrelson has done a lot in his career. He played loveable barman Woody Boyd on Cheers for eight years and became TV royalty in the process. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and starred in a host of classic films, including White Men Can’t Jump, Natural Born Killers, Zombieland, and No Country For Old Men. He also tried directing once and refused to do it the easy way, putting together a project that would make experienced helmers wake up in a cold sweat. Hell, he even starred in that film as well and somehow conspired to create a character that he hated playing – even though he was portraying himself.

The origin of this unique film goes back to 2002 when Harrelson found himself in a spot of hot water in London. After a messy evening at the China White nightclub, Harrelson hopped in a taxi to take him back to his hotel. For some reason, though, he freaked out and broke an ashtray and a lock in the back of the cab. The driver told The Sun, “I turned round, and he was kicking the inside of my taxi. He had suddenly gone completely bonkers. He was kicking the glass and trying to get out. I tried to find a space to pull over, but he had already yanked back the door and broken it.”

Harrelson hot-footed it from the scene of the crime and hailed another cab, all while the first taxi driver and the police were chasing him down. The second taxi was eventually stopped in Sloane Square, where Harrelson again attempted to run from the law. The famous star was then arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and wound up spending a night in the cells.

In 2018, Harrelson admitted to Entertainment Weekly, “It was probably the least fun night I ever had and one that I was anxious to forget.” No one knows for sure what caused his outburst, but in 2017, he hinted to The Guardian that something bad may have gone down in China White, saying, “It was hellish. I’m never going to that club again.”
Over the years, though, despite wishing he could forget the embarrassing night ever happened, Harrelson couldn’t stop thinking about it. Spending a night in a prison cell wasn’t anything particularly new to the reformed hellraiser, but still, the horrible evening stuck with him like a bad smell. He was adamant, “There wasn’t a speck of humour in it. It was a complete bummer,” but with enough time removed from the situation, he began to think, “Hey, this could be pretty funny.”

So, Harrelson began writing a semi-autobiographical script about his crazy night in England’s capital, changing some elements to increase the humour quota. He also altered the celebrities he ran into on that fateful night—Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire—because he struggled to make their scene funny and included his buddies Owen Wilson and Willie Nelson instead.

The actor then came up with a crazy idea for the film, which he titled Lost in London. It would be shot live on January 19th, 2017, and live-streamed in a select group of cinemas worldwide. This meant the rookie director was handling a live shoot with 30 actors and 14 shooting locations, as well as extensive car and foot chase scenes. It was a mammoth task for Harrelson to coordinate, let alone think about his performance as a fictionalised version of himself – and maybe he should have paid more attention to that.
In a 2019 interview with Metro, Harrelson admitted, “This is probably one of the least likeable characters I’ve ever played, and I’m playing me. So, I wish I had made some reason to like him a little more.”

Strange actorly self-loathing aside, though, the project was therapeutic for Harrelson, who saw it as a mea culpa of sorts for a night that could have cost him much more than a simple black mark on his reputation. He conclusively described to EW, “I’d say it’s a deep, soul-searching comedy. It’s about a guy who has it all and runs the risk of losing it all. And then, hopefully, ends up with this shot at redemption.”