Jon Cryer opened up about his complicated relationship with Charlie Sheen and revealed that participating in the Netflix documentary about his former co-star helped him process the feelings he had been carrying for years, including frustration not only with Sheen, but with the public who enjoyed his downfall.
speaking in The view On Friday, Cryer reflected on his decision to participate in Also known as Charlie Sheen.which covered the actor’s career, his relationships and his struggles with addictions.
“I had a lot of mixed feelings about being a part of that because obviously he’s a very complicated guy and we had a complicated relationship. But mostly I realized that I wasn’t angry at him anymore: I was still a little angry at America.”
The reason for that frustration, Cryer explained, was the joy with which some people responded to Sheen’s public breakdown.
“I knew him as a friend, as a coworker, so it was really painful to see all that and see that madness and see a lot of people enjoying it. So that’s part of the reason I wanted to, obviously, tell my side of the story.”
The two actors starred 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 struggles with addiction.
Sheen had accused Cryer of being 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 honestly about the pay disparity between them.
Sheen earned about $2 million per episode in his final year, while Cryer earned about $550,000.
He likened Sheen’s escalating contractual demands to a geopolitical strategy.
“The dictator of North Korea was a guy called Kim Jong-Il. He acted crazy all the time and that’s why he received huge amounts of aid from countries that were so afraid of him that they threw money at him. Well, that’s what happened here. His negotiations got out of control because his life was falling apart. I, whose life was pretty good at the time, got a third of that.”
The documentary seems to have had a quietly reconciliatory effect.
Sheen texted Cryer afterward to thank him for participating, and Cryer said he would be open to continuing to rebuild the relationship.
“Yes, I would. It’s funny because every once in a while an article comes out where we’re arguing, and that’s just not the case.”
Sheen, for his part, said last month: “Jon is a lovely man and a very talented guy.”
