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

Director Paul Schrader declared himself "a free man" at a news conference today presenting the film.

"For the last 16 months I’ve been hostage, by own choosing, to a very talented but unpredictable actress. She was supposed to be here today, she said she would be, but she is not," Schrader said.

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

Lohan plays the girlfriend of a Los Angeles movie producer, portrayed by adult movie actor James Deen, who together engage in erotic encounters with couples found on the Internet. The movie was being shown out of competition, and Lohan’s presence was highly anticipated.

Schrader said Lohan "stepped up very hard" for the role but that the process was "exhausting" for her.

"One of her problems as an actor is she has a very hard time faking things," Schrader said.

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