Actress Lindsay Lohan attends the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner in Washington April 28, 2012.[Photo/Agencies]

At the premiere of director Paul Schrader's micro-budget thriller "The Canyons" last week in Los Angeles, the film's star and Hollywood's favorite troubled actress, Lindsay Lohan, was nowhere to be found among the booze-sipping pool-side crowd.

"We get used to these last-minute situations," Schrader wryly told the audience. "We know that she wanted to come, but the drama wasn't sufficient enough."

"The Canyons," penned by "American Psycho" author Bret Easton Ellis and also starring adult film actor James Deen, is just one step in Lohan's latest attempt to revive her stalled acting career, which at age 27 may be running short on time, according to industry veterans.

The former child star who earned high marks for her roles in 1998's "The Parent Trap" and 2004's "Mean Girls" is as well-known for her legal troubles - theft and reckless driving - as for her talent. She has been to rehab six times.

"Lindsay lives in an atmosphere of chaos," Schrader said in an interview. "It just seems to be part of her makeup and if there isn't chaos, somehow there becomes chaos. It's exhausting to be around her. It's exhausting for her."

Lohan's early success and enviable looks made her one of the most sought-after actresses of her generation. But her inability to steer clear of trouble has pushed many fans to write her off in recent years.

Since leaving a court-ordered 90-day stint in rehab last month, the actress has enlisted a sober coach to help her stay clean, guest-hosted comedienne Chelsea Handler's talk show "Chelsea Lately" on US cable network E! and taped an interview with redemption queen Oprah Winfrey that will air on Sunday.

"It's not a one-shot situation, it's one day at a time, and her primary problem is reliability," Schrader added. "It's not lack of talent or lack of charisma. It's lack of reliability."

Lohan's publicist, Tej Herring, declined to comment when asked about the actress's next career steps.

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