This was a day that few could’ve predicted. But Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre have not only made amends, but they also collaborated together on a new project.
To understand the significance of this, much backstory is needed. Chuck Lorre was the creator of Two and a Half Men, which starred Sheen. Over the course of eight seasons, Sheen more or less kept his offscreen struggles in his private life. But it got to the point in January 2011 where things took a different shape.
While Sheen was pursuing in-home rehabilitation, he did an interview in which he made offensive remarks towards Lorre, including referring to Lorre - who is Jewish - as his real name “Chaim Levine”. Following this, Warner Brothers suspended the show for the remainder of the season. Sheen’s public antics intensified, and he doubled down. This naturally led to Sheen being fired, and replaced with Ashton Kutcher.
Given all the media attention this story got at the time - primarily due to Sheen’s willingness to appear on any platform that would have him -, it seemed as if that bridge was burned for good. Even when the show was ending in 2015, there was talk that Sheen could come back but it never came to fruition.
Then, as Lorre started working on a new project this past year, he knew it was perfect for Sheen.
Details on Charlie Sheen & Chuck Lorre's latest collaboration.
That project is Sebastian Maniscalco’s Bookie, which Lorre and Maniscalco collaborated on. When they needed to cast someone for the pilot, they realized it was a great fit to have Sheen play himself. Lorre reached out, and after some changes, they made it happen. And it seems like it was cathartic for Lorre.
According to Lorre, “I don’t want to be too mawkish about it, but it was healing. And he was also totally game to make fun of himself. When he came to the table read of that episode, I walked up, and we hugged. It was just great.”
“I was nervous, but almost as soon as we started talking, I remembered we were friends once,” Lorre shared. “And that friendship just suddenly seemed to be there again.”
The show starts streaming November 30th, and we can’t wait to see how the reunion translates to the screen.
