The legacy of CBS’s sitcom “Two and a Half Men” was always going to be
While Cryer’s tell-all book, “So That Happened,” isn’t officially released until April 7, excerpts are already available and The Hollywood Reporter previewed some of the most compelling passages detailing Sheen’s bouts of drug use, advice to Cryer on soliciting prostitutes, intense salary negotiations and more.
TheWrap has pulled the 7 biggest best truth bombs from Cryer’s life with Sheen.
Hiding Sheen’s Stash
During “Two and a Half Men’s” honeymoon phase, Sheen knocked on Cryer’s dressing room door in a panic because his then-wife
“I was prepared for the weirdest, but it really was all pretty tame, some of it just topless mags,” said Cryer. “Really, if this was the worst I’d have to deal with regarding Charlie’s vices, bring on the bags of porn for me to hide.”
Vegas With
When both stars traveled to Las Vegas to meet a group of CBS affiliates, Cryer “was ready to get the Sin City tour from my co-star,” he said. “Instead, he went to his room and took a nap. We showed up at the party for the syndicated stations, and then Charlie went back to his room to sleep. I watched our director, Jim Burrows, play blackjack. What happened in Vegas didn’t have to stay in Vegas because it was boring as shit.”
A Beginners Guide to Prostitution
“I was in a bad state right after my divorce, and I certainly didn’t feel dateable,” Cryer confessed. “I decided I might as well pay someone for company and certain intimate pleasures so that I could at least get my equilibrium back with the opposite sex. Charlie suggested a few online purveyors he used, as this was when prostitution was gaining a foothold on the Internet.”
Upholding the “Bro” Code
After a brief flirtation with professionals, Cryer met an aspiring actress and sparked an immediate connection. However, Sheen then had to confess (on the advice of his therapist) that he himself had previously dated the young lady. Sheen said things didn’t work out, and Cryer naturally asked why.
“‘Well, I wanted to bring another girl into bed with us, and she was not happy about that,’” Sheen explained. Afterwards, Cryer said Sheen “looked me straight in the eye and with no trace of irony, said, ‘So heads-up on that.’ I went home that night and broke up with Stephanie.
Texts to Remember
When Sheen was arrested in Aspen, Colorado, in 2009 for spousal battery (during his third marriage to Brooke Mueller), Cryer reached out to offer his support.
“I texted him, ‘Dude, my thoughts are with you. If you need to talk, give a call; if you’ve got bigger problems, call me when you get back.’ Charlie texted back, ‘Thanks bro. Yikes — f— me, wut a bad day … I’m flying home tonite. I’ll try to call over the weekend. Shower rape was bad but the food was okay. Hair and makeup for mug shot got there too late.”
“He followed that with: And I had same bail bondsman as Kobe. … No joke … :)”
Extraordinary Negotiations
Sheen brokered a record-breaking per-episode salary “despite falling off the wagon, a rocky marriage, looming felony charges and possible time behind bars, he managed to secure a massive raise [to $1.8 million an episode], fully three times what I was being paid,” Cryer wrote.
“I immediately began contemplating a series of well-publicized drunken brawls in retirement homes or possibly leading cops on a destructive car chase just prior to my next contract negotiation.”
Standing Up the Executives
In the last of Sheen’s days on “Two and a Half Men,” studio brass Bruce Rosenblum and Peter Roth were brought in to assess the damage from his addiction and subsequent marital troubles. Sheen was also having problems delivering a performance, paring down even the simplest stage blocking because he couldn’t focus. On the day Rosenblum and Roth were to meet with Sheen, he couldn’t even remember his lines during a live taping. After a few minutes composing himself, Cryer said Sheen completely nailed the scene — and then walked out on his superiors.
“Charlie chose to walk out, still in full makeup, get in his car and have his driver take him home. He left Bruce Rosenblum and Peter Roth just standing by his trailer. And with that, we all accepted that something was truly broken here, that Charlie couldn’t be counted on to even go through the motions anymore. That was the last episode of ‘Two and a Half Men’ Charlie would ever shoot.”