Two and a Half Men definitely raised his star value, but Charlie Sheen was already a big name in the acting business with several well-acclaimed projects under his belt. One such project was Platoon, which also starred Johnny Depp and was released in 1986. The concept of the movie itself was quite challenging, given that it was a war flick.
However, in order to perfectly capture the true essence of his role as a U.S. Army volunteer serving in Vietnam, Sheen had to scrub toilets. This, for sure, has to be the most unforgettable event in the actor’s life.
Charlie Sheen Had a Life-Altering Experience From Platoon That Even He Was Not For
Platoon, a 1986 war movie, was born from the genius of Oliver Stone and starred not only Charlie Sheen but also Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp. The first of a trilogy, the film is based on Stone’s own experience as a U.S. infantryman in Vietnam. Reflecting on his experience in the movie, Sheen recalled several aspects and highlighted one element that would undoubtedly be the pinnacle of his life.
As reported by The Guardian, both Sheen and his brother Emilio Estevez were huge admirers of Scarface and Midnight Express. Both movies presented fresh concepts on the big screen, with Midnight Express being a prison drama released in 1978 and Scarface being a dark crime drama released in 1983.
These two films established Stone’s reach as a writer and brought him alot of acclaim. Sheen’s brother Estevez was particularly excited about Platoon and immediately auditioned for the role of Chris Taylor. He did secure the part but had to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts. This led to Charlie Sheen auditioning for the same role. However, Stone found him “too mannered” and advised him to gain more experience.
Taking this seriously and determined to prove his versatility as an actor, Sheen took roles in The Boys Next Door and Lucas. This time, Stone was impressed by the actor, but there was a catch – he added that the role would be Sheen’s if Willem Dafoe approved. Sheen overcame this challenge as well and was eventually offered the role.
But this was not the end; in order to prepare the cast for the movie, Oliver Stone enforced stringent training. Sheen added:
Oliver dumped us in the jungle and put us through a gruelling training course. It was insane. You had to be treated according to your rank. Willem and Tom Berenger, playing two sergeants, were in command and I was an FNG – a “f*cking new guy”. It really felt as if I was expected to scrub latrines, which I actually ended up doing in the movie.
Oliver Stone’s hard work, along with that of the entire cast, paid off when the movie received immense acclaim upon its release. Not only was it nominated for eight Academy Awards, but it also managed to take home four, including Best Director and Best Picture. Additionally, the movie grossed a staggering $138 million domestically.
Jon Cryer Shuts Down Two and a Half Men Reboot Rumors With Charlie Sheen
After the conclusion of Two and a Half Men in 2014, there were a lot of whispers surrounding an alleged reboot of the show. But in a recent interview with Variety, Jon Cryer, who played Alan Harper on the sitcom, completely canceled out the possibility of the same.
His main reason for this also stemmed from the entire fiasco that happened all the way back in the sitcom’s 8th season, which faced a lot of issues due to Charlie Sheen.
His anti-Chuck Lorre rant, bashing the showrunner at every chance he got ultimately led to his firing from the show, and several episodes of season 8 were also cut short. Talking about working with Sheen in the reboot, he added, “Oh gosh, oh gosh I don’t know how that happens.”
He also added that while Charlie Sheen is doing quite well these days, the duo has not been in touch for a while now. But he also expressed his happiness at the fact that both Lorre and Sheen buried the hatchet and reconciled.
You can stream all the seasons of Two and a Half Men on Peacock and watch Platoon on Prime Video and Apple TV.
