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Lindsay Lohan is a no-show the Venice Film Festival, where she was expected to promote the erotic thriller "Canyons."

Director Paul Schrader told a news conference that he was "a free man," adding: "For the last 16 months I've been hostage, by own choosing, to a very talented but unpredictable actress."

Neither Schrader nor Lohan's publicist gave a reason for the last-minute cancellation.

Lohan plays an LA movie producer who with her partner, played by adult movie actor James Deen, engages in erotic encounters with couples found on the Internet. The movie premieres in competition Friday.

Schrader said Lohan "stepped up very hard" for the role.

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Lohan, 27, has been plagued in recent years by legal and substance abuse problems. She completed her latest court-ordered stay in rehab in July.