Why we should care about Lindsay Lohan

It’s hard to believe that it was almost a decade ago that then-“Teen Queen” Lindsay Lohan was on top of the world. What would become her most popular film, “Mean Girls,” was being released, she had a record deal, and she was never wanting for work.

Nine years later, Lohan is better known for being a celebrity jailbird and a national punch line. But, after all the rehab stints and arrests, I’m still rooting for Lohan to get back on her feet.

You should be, too.

During the peak of Lohan’s success, I made the mistake of proclaiming to my family that, “Lindsay Lohan is my life.” I haven’t heard the end of it. I’ve been paying for my Lohan obsession for years. I’m still hoping to have the last laugh, though it seems less and less likely all the time.

Recently, a piece was published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times entitled “Here Is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan in Your Movie.” Stephen Rodrick chronicled the story, profiling Lohan, various Hollywood players and the tumultuous production of her latest film “The Canyons.”

The story, while a juicy read for any pop culture aficionado, is hardly salacious. Rather, it portrays a tragic portrait of Lohan, a girl clearly in need of the right guidance — or any guidance at all.

Lohan has been borderline unemployable in recent years due to her many public catastrophes and substance abuses. Film studios have refused to insure her. “The Canyons,” though, was so low-budget that there wasn’t insurance.

Before shooting even began, director Paul Schrader briefly summed up Lohan’s involvement.

“We don’t have to save her,” he said. “We just have to get her through three weeks in July.”

Lohan was repeatedly late for shooting, she disobeyed her director and producer and she was fired on more than one occasion. Getting Lohan through three weeks in July was easier said than done.

But, Lohan’s personal life has hardly been a breeze.

She is surrounded by people entirely apathetic to her well-being. She has two fame-seeking and deluded parents more concerned with their Dr. Phil appearance than their daughter. Lohan received scathing reviews for her portrayal of Elizabeth Taylor in the recent Lifetime movie “Liz & Dick.” She also hasn’t been in a theatrically released film since 2010’s “Machete."

It’s not easy to sympathize with her, but Lohan is truly a tragic figure, a cautionary tale riding the dark underbelly of Hollywood. And, while she’s turning 27 this year, you can’t help but feel Lohan has no idea what it’s like to be an adult.

It might be hard to believe, but a part of me is always going to root for Lindsay. She had a spark in her earlier work that was undeniable, a bright foreshadowing of the work she might one day be capable of. It’s going to be a long, hard road to recovery, both personally and in the public sphere.

But, we should want Lohan to triumph — if not for her career, then for her own good.