John Owen Lowe is a rising star in Hollywood, making a name for himself as an actor, screenwriter, and producer. Outside of his career in entertainment, he is vocal about his sobriety journey and speaks frequently about mental health. Lowe’s message to young people is that turning your life around is difficult, but it’s possible, worth it, and that life does get better.

John Owen is the co-creator of and co-stars in Netflix’s Unstable alongside his father Rob Lowe. The comedy follows an eccentric biotech entrepreneur and a reserved flautist son living in his father’s shadow as they work to save the family business and their relationship. Inspired by their real-life teasing and shenanigan-filled father-son dynamic that their fans know and love, the show has proven cathartic to John Owen as he brings on-screen resolutions to issues that weren’t settled in reality. Striking a balance between humor and more serious topics like grief and trauma, the show delivers uproarious laughter and is an invitation to work through difficult familial connections.

Prior to creating Unstable, John Owen’s career often crossed paths with his father’s, starring in The Grinder and Holiday in the Wild, and writing for 9-1-1: Lone Star, penning one of the highest rated episodes in the series. He starred in and produced the thriller Grace Point, his debut as a lead actor in a feature film. Shaped by his own experiences, the movie tells the story of a young man battling addiction who gets lost in the woods on his way to a remote drug rehab center and wrestles with the locals as well as his personal demons.

John Owen’s struggles with alcohol started in his teens and continued into his early twenties, driven by feelings of self-doubt, insecurity, and the intense pressure that comes with being the son of a celebrity. Proudly sober since 2018, he credits the support of his parents, specifically his father—who has been sober for over 30 years—for his recovery.

It was never guaranteed that John Owen would follow his father into show business. His parents discouraged it and advised him to seek other avenues. He spent his high school summers doing stem cell research and became the youngest published author at the University of California San Francisco Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research. He graduated with a degree in Science, Technology & Society from Stanford University. But a creative at heart, discovering a love for acting, creative writing, and piano at an early age, he answered Hollywood’s call soon after graduation.