Charlie Sheen on "Today": Regrets Meltdown, Honored about Kathy Bates, New FX Show

[JamesG]

Charlie Sheen on Today: I Couldn't Have "Two and a Half Men" Be My TV Legacy
Mar 29, 2012
by Lindsay Silberman


Charlie Sheen sat down with Matt Lauer on "Today" Thursday morning.





I'm going to start off with something that sounds awful at first, but bear with me, there were people around this time last year who would have placed a bet that now you will not be around.

I mean that literally...

Yeah. I would have taken that action.





You would? Really? I was going to say that if I had inside information that I would have changed the bet...

There were people who thought that you were on such a steep spiral that it was going to end really badly.

It's interesting because I was going to do a documentary with all of the footage I shot during the tour, the whole build-up during the meltdown, which could actually be a nice case study one day.

Looking at a lot of the stuff I kind of went 'ewww, whoa... can't put that stuff back out'.





It bugs you to look at it?

Yeah, because I didn't recognize parts of who that guy was. It was trip down...





Is this what some would consider to be an outer-body experience?

Yeah it is. I just wish it was somebody else's body.





Did you pull yourself through the weeds or did you have some help, like a family member or friend who grabbed you by the collar and said 'You gotta get out of this place'?

It was a team effort that was ultimately led by myself, because it has to be me to make a decision that changes a situation, but yeah it was a lot of close friends and support.

I didn't have people who went to me 'You may want to go a step back, let's watch this, is this what you want?'





You didn't have that kind of safety net at the time you needed it.

I would have said 'What do you mean? It's brilliant!'









Things are going well now. You have a new sitcom that you've already begun to shoot, a couple of high profile commercials, a new movie role...

Is this what you've thought you could have gotten in a year?

I thought it would have been 13 months, it was a joke. I didn't really have a plan, it was just me wanting to re-introduce myself to America after all of that and say 'This is me now.'





Kind of a re-launching?

Yeah, but it's a trip. There wasn't much time to put all of this back together.





There were some headlines, there was a video that TMZ somehow got of you coming out of a Guns N' Roses concert and to the untrained eye it would appear that you were somehow looped.

Yeah. Any defense attorney would never go to trial with video evidence against him. Not that any crimes were committed.

I didn't write 'Mr. Brownstone', I didn't write the damn song. I think when you drink and then go out and it's Guns N' Roses, suddenly it's on.





However, you're someone who's been to rehab in the past, you have admitted issues with drugs. I don't know of one addiction specialist who would tell a guy in your position that it's ok to drink.

If you do I should probably go to that guy. You're right but I have different theories about the whole thing.





Are you comfortable now with having a drink from time-to-time and not being afraid that you're going to go back to a much darker place?

Yeah because I don't believe in the whole mental piece of fiction that they insist that you have allegiance to, but that's just me.





You're not preaching that to other people?

No, no, no.









Did anyone make you sign some sort of behavior clause, like you have to go through random drug testing?

There's no testing unless something obvious happens. There are moral clauses in any contract, I'm sure you signed one 18 years ago.





We have drug testing here.

Yeah, and the dog that comes through.

They're getting serious about it now. There's so much money at stake today and I really don't blame them.





Also people's livelihoods. During the whole "Two and a Half Men" thing there were people who were put on the shelf that had to make a living.

Do you have any responsibility?

Of course. I mean I had my arguments against Chuck and the studio, but I'm past all of that now.





Did you think the cast and crew on the show were looking at you like some sort of volcano wondering when you were going to erupt?

I addressed that in a opening speech to them on Day 1. It's on video somewhere, I don't remember what I said, but it was a good laugh.

I couldn't have "Two and a Half Men" be my television legacy. I just couldn't have it, and on that note. If it was going to be a swan song it had to be a beautiful experience, and so far eight days has been more fun that eight years.





You play a therapist, which I mean is kind of funny in of itself...

Yeah, we're not gonna go there.




What's he like this guy?

He's flawed, he's an ex-ball player who had anger issues. I don't want to give too much away but one day he got a bat and it didn't go well. He's a guy who just wants to give something back.









You called in to TMZ at some point and had some not real nice things to say about "Two and a Half Men" and Ashton Kutcher.

I guess you apologized for that.

Yeah.





Are there some lingering bitter feelings?

A little bit but I have to work through that. I wish they had taken better care of that child left behind.





They're bringing your character back next month, and guess who's playing it.

It's Kathy Bates. I was honored. If it was supposed to be an insult they missed, because I was honored.





I'm not sure what to make of it, but if we were to sit together again one year from now what would your story be?

It will be the same, only better. We would also look younger.


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