Charlie Sheen said his father, actor Martin Sheen, signed an arrest warrant after the younger Sheen overdosed and violated probation in 1998 — a decision the "Two and a Half Men" alum described as the "biggest betrayal" he could imagine, though he said he later came to see it as an act of love.
In a sit-down with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, the 60-year-old actor recounted being told by a bodyguard, "You know, the US Marshals are on the way. We're leaving in five," as authorities moved to detain him after he injected cocaine and subsequently suffered a stroke. "It felt like the biggest betrayal you could possibly endure," he said, adding that in time he recognized his father's intervention as intended to get him help.
Sheen told Strahan he was on probation at the time after being accused of battering then-girlfriend Brittany Ashland. Rather than sending him to prison, the Malibu Municipal Court opted to "err on the side of rehabilitation" and extended his probation by a year. The overdose and stroke marked a nadir in the actor's life and prompted family intervention.
Martin Sheen, now in his 80s and known for films including Apocalypse Now, remained in his son's life through the turmoil, Charlie said. The elder Sheen has read his son's new memoir, The Book of Sheen, which is due to be released Tuesday; Charlie quoted his father as saying, "Your use of humor in your darkest moments is a gift to the reader." He said that remark was meaningful amid long-standing strains in their relationship.
Charlie discussed factors he believes contributed to his substance use, including a childhood stutter that he said led him to use alcohol to "soften the edges" and find "freedom of speech." He said he now seeks to make amends with people he hurt during his years of addiction and hopes his book will reframe him as a serious writer and author.
"This story should have ended 100 times, 20 years ago, and it didn't," he said on GMA. "So, whatever happens next might be where some of the real gold has been hidden." He also acknowledged the toll his behavior took on his father, becoming emotional in a teaser for a forthcoming Netflix docuseries, AKA Charlie Sheen.
In the teaser for the two-part special, which premieres Sept. 10, Charlie says, "I can't imagine being my dad. I really hurt the people I love." The series and his memoir come amid a period in which he has been publicly reflecting on his past and seeking reconciliation where possible.
Family intervention, court decisions favoring rehabilitation and public disclosures in interviews, a book and a documentary have combined to bring renewed attention to the episode from the late 1990s. Charlie Sheen portrayed the episode as both a low point and a turning point that continues to shape his efforts to repair relationships and define his legacy beyond his long-running struggles with substance abuse.