aka Charlie Sheen does its best to let its titular star tell his story, arguably one of Hollywood’s wildest up-and-down rides. The new Netflix documentary features home videos, tons of clips from Charlie Sheen’s projects, and interviews with key figures from his life — this includes ex-wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller, lifelong friend Sean Penn, Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, two of Sheen’s children, and Sheen’s drug dealer Marco.
It’s all in the quest to unpack the journey that’s led to Sheen’s notorious rise and fall, one of many projects being launched as Sheen tries to return from tabloid exile (he also has a new memoir out). Many interview subjects appear at least a little ambivalent about participating: former co-star Jon Cryer opens the documentary by saying “I’m not here to build him up and i’m not here to tear him down, but I sure hope this doesn’t go bad.” But there are a lot of kind things said about the movie star-turned-addict, in addition to some big revelations about the past 40 years of Sheen’s career, and the self-sabotage that occurred along the way.
At the Time of His Interview, Charlie Sheen Is 7 Years Sober
This is one of the first questions he’s asked in the documentary, to which he responds, “I knew you were going to ask that.”
Sheen Was Offered the Lead Role in The Karate Kid
Before Sheen traveled to Budapest to film his first movie role in Grizzly II: Revenge (alongside George Clooney and Laura Dern), he auditioned for “the biggest project in town.” While he thought he’d blown the audition, director John G. Avildsen thought differently, and offered him the role of Daniel Russo, asking him how quickly he could get into karate training. Unfortunately, he was already committed to Griz, and his father Martin Sheen told him that he had to abide by his word. When he asked to push the production start of The Karate Kid by two weeks, the movie said no, and Ralph Macchio ended up with the part.
Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen Played a Stunt Basketball Game Against Michael Jordan
For West Wing fans who fondly remember a Season 1 cold open, this one’s fun: In 1987, father and son squared off against the NBA GOAT for a three-part basketball contest. The full video is available online — there were a lot of rules to theoretically even the playing field (Jordan having to shoot free throws with his eyes closed, for example), but the Sheens did ultimately win it.
Clint Eastwood Convinced Sheen to Go to Rehab for the First Time
Sheen’s first trip to rehab in 1990 was preceded by an awkward intervention that culminated in a phone call from the iconic Hollywood figure, who told him “You gotta get the train back on the tracks, kid.” No spoilers, but this did not work out long-term. He did, however, get the Hot Shots script while still in treatment, one of many opportunities he found immediately followed a setback.
Sheen Lost His Virginity at 15 to a Sex Worker
Her name was Candy, he says, and in the doc he thanks her for her service. He also paid for Candy’s services by stealing his father’s credit card.
Heidi Fleiss Doesn’t Love that Sheen Sold Her Out
aka Charlie Sheen (Netflix)
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The infamous madam, arrested in 1993 for charges that ended up culminating in federal tax evasion, is interviewed for this documentary in her home/bird sanctuary. Wearing comfortable clothes and speaking frankly, she reveals that the only reason Sheen was busted for his involvement in her sex work operation was that he paid her with travelers’ checks at one point, which were discovered by the cops — “I never said anything, I never said anything about anyone.”
Still, he was threatened with a few years of jail time for procuring girls for his friends, and so the only way out of facing charges was to rat her out. Something Fleiss didn’t think he had to do, as she doesn’t think “a rich kid from Malibu” would have really faced any consequences. She also says that she was paid a visit by Martin Sheen after her conviction, who asked her to “go easy on Charlie.”
Sheen Insisted on Chris Tucker Getting First Billing in Money Talks
As you might expect, Chris Tucker (interviewed for the documentary) is very grateful for this. “He’s this huge star, you know, not being selfish. Who does that in Hollywood?”
High on Drugs, Sheen Found a Unique Way to Get Through a Scene
While filming a supporting role in a 1998 movie called Free Money, Sheen says he did so much cocaine that he could not keep his eyes open in the middle of a take. So, he asked for a glass of ice, went to the bathroom, and stuck an ice cube “up my butt.” The documentary then shows the actual scene (labeled on screen as “The Actual Scene”) to show how effective a technique it ended up being. His eyes do at least appear to stay open.