Lawrence Plans Return to Film Set After Treatment

Actor-comedian Martin Lawrence was expected to be released Thursday from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he was treated this week for dehydration and exhaustion after police detained him for suddenly walking into a Sherman Oaks intersection and yelling curses at passing motorists.

Kim Jones, publicist for Lawrence, the star of the Fox TV series “Martin” and the current film “A Thin Line Between Love & Hate,” said the 30-year-old actor was in good condition and good spirits. She said he would probably rest at home over the weekend and hopes to return next week to filming a comedy for Touchstone Pictures.

Lawrence was detained by police Tuesday after they were summoned to the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Tyrone Avenue in Sherman Oaks around 12:30 p.m. and saw Lawrence, who was having his car washed at the time, walking in traffic and screaming. One witness said Lawrence was shouting, “Fight the establishment.”

Lawrence ran out of the street when officers arrived and fought with officers who tried to restrain him, police said.

Dr. William I. Young, Lawrence’s physician, said that Lawrence had been suffering from exhaustion, adding that “substance abuse has nothing to do with this case.”

“He has been given a toxicology screen and no drugs that would contribute to his condition were discovered,” Young said. “All statements made regarding prescribed medication and a seizure were totally erroneous.”

Meanwhile, prosecutors in the city attorney’s office said they would probably not decide until Monday whether to file a misdemeanor weapons charge against Lawrence, who police said was carrying a loaded pistol in his pocket when he was stopped.

Jones said she did not know why Lawrence was carrying a handgun.

“All celebrities carry protection these days,” the publicist said. “It’s not uncommon.”

Lawrence is in production on “Nothing to Lose,” a buddy comedy from Touchstone Pictures. The film stars Tim Robbins as an executive who kidnaps an armed robber, played by Lawrence. The two men bond as they seek revenge on the executive’s wife for having an affair with his boss.

Filming has continued on scenes that do not involve Lawrence, Touchstone executives said.

“We’re taking it day by day,” said Terry Curtin, senior vice president of publicity for the Walt Disney Co., which owns Touchstone. “Our biggest concern is for Martin Lawrence’s welfare. We understand he will be back imminently, in a matter of days.”

The film is scheduled to wrap at the end of June, and then Lawrence is slated to begin filming “Bad Boys 2,” the sequel to the hit Columbia Pictures action comedy released last year that has grossed more than $65 million domestically.

Spokespersons for Columbia Pictures declined to comment on whether the “Bad Boys 2” shooting schedule would now be altered.

The comedian has often been the subject of controversy. His TV series was frequently criticized for what many called negative racial stereotypes. His 1994 concert film, “You So Crazy,” was originally rated X because of its off-color language.

But Lawrence said in an interview last year that the anger that surrounded “You So Crazy” and some of his earlier show business experiences dissolved soon after he married his wife, Patricia, in 1994.