LOS ANGELES - Matthew McConaughey is taking Owen Wilson's role in the comedy film "Tropic Thunder." Wilson dropped out of the Dream Works movie after an apparent suicide attempt last month.

"Tropic Thunder," which is filming in Hawaii, stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Bill Hader and Steve Coogan. Stiller is also directing.

McConaughey, 37, has an uncredited cameo in the movie, his publicist, Nicole Perez, said Wednesday.

"Tropic Thunder" is about a group of actors who gather on a remote island to shoot a big-budget war movie and are forced to become the soldiers they are playing.

Ina Treciokas, publicist for Wilson, didn't immediately return a telephone message seeking information on the actor's recovery.

Wilson, 38, was taken by ambulance to a hospital after police responded to a call from his Santa Monicahome. The day after he was hospitalized, Wilson issued a statement asking for privacy so he could "receive care and heal."