How Much Did Charlie Sheen Get Paid For 'Two And A Half Men'?
Over the last couple of decades, many observers have been arguing that the world is in the midst of a golden age of television, for good reason. When you look at the current television landscape, it is pretty much impossible to argue that isn’t the case. After all, in recent years there have been more shows in production than at any other time in the past. On top of that fact, all of the streaming services and cable networks have allowed showrunners to experiment with the medium like never before which has allowed some amazing shows to exist.
Of course, just because some of today’s most popular series routinely push the envelope, doesn’t mean that a more than traditional show can’t succeed in the modern TV landscape. For example, Two and a Half Men was a by the books sitcom in a lot of ways and it amassed a massive fan following.
Cast as Two and a Half Men’s main character when the show debuted, Charlie Sheen had a lot to do with the show’s success. After all, he spent years as a bankable movie star so it makes sense that viewers tuned in to see him on their televisions for free. Of course, given how big of a star Charlie was at the time, Sheen got paid a huge salary even though he consistently fought with the show's creator.
The Making Of A Movie Star
Practically Hollywood royalty from the moment he was born, Charlie Sheen’s father Martin Sheen is a Hollywood legend and his older brother Emilio Estevez grew up to be a movie star in his own right. Of course, despite all of that, Charlie's road to stardom was far from a forgone conclusion, especially since Sheen has led such an unusual life.
Starting out as a background player in movies like Apocalypse Now, Sheen’s career started to take off with his roles in Red Dawn, Lucas, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Then, Charlie landed the role of a lifetime, as the lead in Oliver Stone’s era-defining Vietnam War movie Platoon, and his career reached a whole new level overnight. Going in to star in another Oliver Stone production a year after his Platoon success, Charlie proved that he wasn’t a flash in the pan.
After Charlie Sheen became a movie star due to his acclaimed roles in a pair of Oliver Stone dramas, he would go on to headline a slew of other movies from every genre. In fact, during the late-‘80s and early-‘90s, Charlie would star in classic films like the Major League movies, Young Guns, and the Hot Shots franchise. Unfortunately for him, the mid-‘90s would prove to be the end of an era for his career as he starred in one underperforming movie after another.
Taking Television By Storm
Throughout most of Hollywood history, many people considered it a huge demotion when a movie star took a lead role in a TV show. For that reason, many people were pretty surprised when Charlie Sheen starred in the last two seasons of Spin City, a show that Michael J. Fox was forced to leave. However, Charlie must have felt pretty good about his new career path as went on to star in Two and a Half Men the year after that show ended.
Cast as Charlie Harper, a wealthy jingle writer who was always on the prowl for another woman to seduce, Sheen’s hedonistic reputation lent the show a surprising amount of authenticity. Partially for that reason, Two and a Half Men remained a ratings juggernaut throughout all of the seasons Charlie starred in.
Even though there is no doubt that Two and a Half Men was a massive success, things were not so rosy behind the scenes. Instead, reports of Charlie Sheen and series powerbroker Chuck Lorre’s behind the scenes fights became a thing of legend over the years. Eventually fired from the show after one of his fights with Lorre went too far, and played out in the mainstream media, Charlie's career took some fascinating turns after that.
Massive Pay Day
When it comes to the amount of money that Charlie Sheen was paid to star in Two and a Half Men, it is impossible to give an exact accounting. After all, Sheen settled a lawsuit with the show for a reported $25 million after his dismissal, but there is no way to know for sure if that figure is correct. On top of that, at one point Sheen signed a $100 millon deal that involved syndication and backpay and only his accountants know how much of that he collected
All of that aside, during Sheen’s time starring in Two and a Half Men, his publicist and CBS confirmed certain details about his deal and the guy made a mind-blowing amount of money. Rumored to have turned down a deal to make $1 million per episode at one point, on the surface that seems like a ridiculous decision. However, in the end, his gamble would definitely pay off as Sheen reached a deal to receive $1.8 million per episode.
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