Chuck Lorre details 'healing' moment with Charlie Sheen years after public fallout
Chuck Lorre has shared some further insight into his relationship with Charlie Sheen 15 years on from firing the actor from Two and a Half Men.
Sheen played the lead of Charlie Harper in the hugely successful sitcom, which first premiered in 2003. Jon Cryer starred as his brother Alan Harper, while Angus T. Jones portrayed Alan's son, Jake.
Two and a Half Men, which was created by Lorre, ran for 12 seasons – but Sheen was axed after season eight.
Sheen went to rehab in January 2011 and it was Lorre's intention to write him back into the show after he'd sought treatment, but things turned sour between them.
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After leaving rehab, Sheen, 61, did a series of TV and radio interviews where he bad-mouthed Lorre. In one discussion he called him a 'clown' and a 'stupid, stupid little man'.
Then, in March 2011, it was announced that Sheen has been dropped from Two and a Half Men. But Sheen didn't go down without a fight and proceeded to sue Warner Bros. and Lorre for wrongful termination, seeking $100 million in damages.
The case went on to be settled in September that year. The terms of it were never made public.
While it certainly seemed that there was no way back for Lorre and Sheen, they have since reconciled and Lorre has revealed in his new memoir what he found to a be a 'healing' moment between him and the actor.
He penned in his book, titled 'Sitcom: A Memoir', about Sheen's struggles during Two and a Half Men: "Looking back, I refused to believe what was happening was happening, even though I had more than enough examples that he was going off the rails.
"We spent eight and a half years together working and succeeding wildly, and I wanted it to continue, and as a result I don’t think I was very objective about the whole process, until I was getting hammered over the head with it."
Around 12 years after their very public feud, Lorre extended an olive branch and offered Sheen a role in his show Bookie.
"We had a great run, and the fact that we put it behind us and got to work together again on the Bookie... that was really healing," Lorre, 73, said, as per Us Weekly.
Elsewhere he described Sheen as a 'survivor', adding: "When you get past the descent into madness that goes with drugs and alcohol, he was a great guy."
Sheen has even contributed to the blurb of Lorre's new memoir, which was published on October 13.
The Ferris Bueller's Day Off star wrote: "When it comes to sitcoms and life in general, always bet on the guy who’s not hammered on crack."
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV, Charlie Sheen, Books
Niamh Shackleton