Jon Cryer has opened up about his complicated relationship with Charlie Sheen, revealing that taking part in the Netflix documentary about his former co-star helped him process feelings he’d been carrying for years, including frustration not just with Sheen, but with the public who enjoyed his downfall.
Talking further The view on Friday, Cryer reflected on his decision to attend aka Charlie Sheenwhich covered the actor’s career, relationships and addiction struggles.
“I had a lot of mixed feelings about being a part of it because obviously he’s a very complicated guy and we had a complicated relationship. But mostly I realized I wasn’t mad at him anymore: I was still kind of mad at America.”
The reason for that frustration, Cryer explained, was the glee with which some people reacted to Sheen’s public disclosure.
“I knew him as a friend, as a colleague, so it was really painful to see all that and to see that craziness and to see a lot of people enjoying it. So that’s part of the reason why I obviously wanted to tell my side of the story.”
The two actors played together Two and a half men for eight seasons from 2003 to 2011 before Sheen was fired following public meltdowns, clashes with creator Chuck Lorre and serious addiction struggles.
Sheen had accused Cryer of being a “coat, a traitor, a troll” for not reaching out during that period.
Ashton Kutcher replaced Sheen for the show’s final four seasons until it ended in 2015.
In the documentary, Cryer also spoke candidly about the pay gap between them.
Sheen earned close to $2 million per episode in his final year, while Cryer had about $550,000.
He likened Sheen’s escalating contract demands to a geopolitical strategy.
“The dictator of North Korea was a guy named Kim Jong-Il. He was acting crazy all the time and got massive amounts of aid from countries that were so afraid of him that they wanted to shovel money at him. Well, that’s what happened here. His negotiations went off the charts because his life was falling apart. Me, whose life was pretty good at the time,.”
The documentary seems to have had a quietly conciliatory effect.
Sheen texted Cryer afterward to thank him for participating, and Cryer said he would be open to continuing to rebuild the relationship.
“Yeah, I would. It’s funny because every now and then an article comes out that we argue and that’s just not the case.”
Sheen, for his part, said last month: “Jon is a lovely man and a very talented guy.”
