Charlie Sheen rose to prominence in the 80s with successful films such as Platoon, Red Dawn, Wall Street, and Eight Men Out. The actor proved that he had the dramatic chops that elevated the material he was given. By the time the 2000s rolled in, he started appearing in comedic roles, replacing Michael J. Fox as the lead of Spin City.
The actor then went on to star in the beloved sitcom Two and a Half Men and played his iconic role, Charlie Harper. After appearing in 8 seasons, Sheen was fired from the show after he made disparaging remarks regarding the show’s producer Chuck Lorre in 2011. The actor had a wild condition for his return when Lorre approached him to appear in the series finale.
Charlie Sheen Pitched A Scene For a New Harpers Series When Approached For A Return In The Sitcom
Charlie Sheen played Charlee Harper in the hit CBS sitcom Two and A Half Men. The actor tasted enormous success with the show and the character became synonymous with him. His performance earned him multiple Golden Globe and Emmy nominations. However, he was let go from the show in 2011 after reports of substance abuse and making crude remarks at his Two and A Half Men producer Chuck Lorre (via Entertainment Weekly).
He appeared till season 8 of the show and was replaced by Ashton Kutcher, who played a new role named Walden Schmidt who buys Harper’s house after his death. However, the makers had planned to bring Sheen back for the series finale of the show. Producer Lorre told Entertainment Weekly that they approached Sheen with a new role of a ninja warrior from Mars which was supposed to be part of a gag.
According to Lorre, his character would have gone on a maniacal rant about drug use and a piano would be dropped on him. While the makers found it funny. Sheen did not. Instead, he pitched a heartwarming scene that would set up his TV return with a new show titled The Harpers, starring him and his co-star Jon Cryer. Lorre said,
Our idea was to have him walk up to the front door in the last scene, ring the doorbell, then turn, look directly into the camera, and go off on a maniacal rant about the dangers of drug abuse. He was a ninja warrior from Mars.
He was invincible. And then we would drop a piano on him. We thought it was funny. He didn’t. Instead, he wanted us to write a heart-warming scene that would set up his return to primetime TV in a new sitcom called The Harpers starring him and Jon Cryer. We thought that was funny, too.
Lorre and his team certainly did not entertain Sheen’s pitch for a potential new show. The actor, unfortunately, tried to bite more than he could chew and lost his chance at returning for a funny appearance that fans would have loved. Two and A Half Men concluded with its 12th season in 2015.
Charlie Sheen Underwent A Rigorous Training Course For Oliver Stone’s Platoon
Charlie Sheen starred in Oliver Stone’s war drama Platoon where he played a new Army volunteer serving in the Vietnam War. Stone is known to be a perfectionist and ensured that everyone looked the part. The actors including Sheen, William Dafoe, and Tom Berenger were made to undergo some hardcore bootcamp training.
In an interview with The Guardian, Sheen revealed that Stone brought them to a jungle where they were constantly grilled and were made to do some intense training. He thought that they would get to go to their hotels after their training but they were made to stay together. In the end, the Spin City star is happy with the course since it led to authentic representation of the war as well as forging relationships between the actors. Sheen said,
Oliver dumped us in the jungle and put us through a grueling training course. It was insane. I thought we’d go out in the day then return to the hotel at night, but at sundown on the first day, there was no bus pulling up.
I looked at Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker and said: ‘I guess we’re just staying here.’ It was a shock – but I don’t know if we could have captured the authenticity without that intense boot camp. Relationships that were forged there still exist to this day. We survived together.
Platoon was a critical and commercial success, grossing $138 million against a $6 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). The film was nominated for 8 Oscars and won four including Best Picture, Best Director for Stone, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. It is considered one of the best war movies ever made. Fans can watch Platoon on Prime Video.
Two and a Half Men is streaming on Peacock.
