Introduction to the Salary Disparity
Jon Cryer revealed in the Netflix documentary that his payday for "Two and a Half Men" was only a third of what his co-star Charlie Sheen earned. This significant disparity in salary is surprising, especially considering Sheen’s irregular behavior, which threatened the show’s survival and ultimately led to a delay in season 8.
The Impact of Sheen’s Behavior on the Show
Cryer explained that Sheen’s life was "falling apart in every respect" during that time, and yet, he was able to negotiate a higher contract for another year of the show. Cryer stated, "He falls apart in every respect that I can imagine, and he negotiates his contract for another year of a show that I’m also supposed to be on." This situation led to a significant difference in their salaries, with Cryer earning only a third of what Sheen earned.
The Reason Behind Sheen’s High Salary
Cryer compared Sheen’s situation to that of Kim Jong-il, the dictator of North Korea, who acted crazy to get enormous aid from countries afraid of him. Similarly, Sheen’s negotiations went "off the charts" because his life was falling apart, and Cryer, whose life was going well at the time, got a significantly lower salary. Cryer said, "The dictator of North Korea was a guy named Kim Jong-il. He acted crazy all the time and thus had enormous aid from countries that were so afraid of him that they would shovel money at him. Well, that happened here."
The Financial Aspects of the Show
According to a 2011 report in Forbes Magazine, Sheen earned $1.9 million per episode of "Two and a Half Men." Cryer continued with the show for its 12th and final season. He mentioned that CBS was more or less forced to spend a significant amount of money on Sheen because they had already pre-sold several additional seasons of the show before Sheen’s public collapse.
Cryer’s Hesitation to Participate in the Documentary
In the documentary, Cryer expressed his hesitation to participate in the two-part Netflix series. He had worked with Sheen for eight years and was initially afraid to take part in the documentary. Cryer said, "I worked with Charlie Sheen for eight years. And if they wonder how it is to work with Charlie Sheen for eight years, when I started, I was hair. I was afraid to take part, partly because part of Charlie Sheen’s cycle was that he was terribly measured, and he has the things he put back into the house again, and he lets himself be on the way."
The Documentary’s Release
The documentary, "Alias Charlie Sheen," is now available to stream on Netflix, offering a unique glimpse into the lives of the actors and the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the popular show "Two and a Half Men."
