Whenever Charlie Sheen’s name comes up, a hard-partying, drug-using, philanderer comes to mind, but aka Charlie Sheen proves there’s more to the Hollywood star than the life-ruining misadventures leeched to his legacy. Directed by Andrew Renzi, the two-part documentary chronicles Sheen’s Hollywood story — from his rise to stardom to his disastrous fall from grace and journey to recovery.
At the height of his troubles, the Two and a Half Men actor kept the media busy with stories of his wild escapades, scandals, and controversies around his turbulent life. Between his substance abuse, unstable family life, HIV scandal, and sexual abuse allegation, Charlie Sheen had his hands full of issues that effectively derailed his life and career. Here are some new facts Renzi’s documentary revealed about the actor’s life and chaotic past.
1. Charlie Sheen Was Born Dead
Born on September 3, 1965, Sheen was named Carlos Irwin Estevez. “Irwin came from the doctor who delivered me and saved me,” Charlie shared after announcing he was born dead. The famous actor was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. “There were no signs of life. Dad was a devout Catholic, and he was already looking for a Priest to deliver some last rites. Mom was way more optimistic; she had faith, and the doctor beat me black and blue until there were signs of life.”
2. He Was Raised In A Nudist Household
aka Charlie Sheen revealed that the actor was raised in a nudist household. Recalling that his parents practiced nudism for a while, he said, “Maybe for a month, or five, I don’t know. I’m 5, walking into the kitchen, and there’s my naked parents.” This is just another fact people didn’t know about the actor’s life. Nothing suggests it played a role in his stormy life as an adult. In fact, multiple studies suggest that children raised in nudism are generally more confident about their bodies and sexuality.
3. He Piloted A Passenger Aircraft While Drunk
Right at the beginning of the Netflix documentary, Charlie Sheen narrates a risky event during his first honeymoon in 1995. While flying with his first wife, Donna Peele, he was invited into the cockpit, where he was allowed to take control of the passenger jet for a while. “I’m sitting there thinking f**k! I’m there, drunk, close to 300 people asleep behind me, an angry bride 20 feet behind me, and I start guiding this plane, very, very subtle adjustments. And this perfect magical machine responding in a way that I cannot put into words.”
4. He Shoved An Ice Cube Up His Butt While Filming Free Money
Yves Simoneau’s 1998 black comedy stars Charlie Sheen as Bud Dyerson alongside Marlon Brando. At this point, Sheen’s substance abuse has become a setback to his career. While on the set of Free Money, he was so high on cocaine that he couldn’t stay awake to play his role. To snap out of it, he decided to shove an ice cube up his butt. “I took an ice and I shoved it up my butt. Never done that before. And, man, I was wide awake just enough to get back on the mark and finish the scene,” he recalled.
5. His Drug Dealer Helped Him Get Sober
The second part of the documentary features an interview with Marco, Charlie Sheen’s friend and drug dealer. Marco discussed Sheen’s partying and substance abuse at length. “I would party with him for a week at a time, which turned into months, and sometimes my body just wouldn’t take it no more, and I would go home and sleep for a week or two, and then when I would go back to party, he was still partying — every single night.”
Marco confirmed that Sheen was smoking up to seven-gram rocks at the peak of his addiction. “When Charlie said that he was smoking seven-gram rocks, he was smoking seven-gram rocks,” Marco said. “Sometimes he would smoke so much crack he couldn’t even speak. He would speak in tongues.” During his recovery journey, Sheen’s drug counselor approached Marco, imploring him to reduce the potency of the crack he supplies to the actor. Marco did so for about a year and a half, aiding Sheen’s journey to sobriety.
6. He Paid At Least $500K To Multiple Blackmailers To Keep His HIV Status Private
aka Charlie Sheen also addressed the scandal around the actor’s HIV status. Sheen emphatically stated he was always upfront about his status and never exposed anyone to the virus. He also discussed how multiple blackmailers extorted money from him because he wanted to keep his status private. Sheen paid at least $500,000 to each blackmailer. “If I got off cheap, it was half a mil [for a single person],” he said. “And that was getting off cheap. That was getting them to agree they’re in the first conversation. There was one that was $1.4 million,” he added.
7. Charlie Sheen Had Sex With Men
The Netflix documentary also discussed the actor’s sexual journey when he was hooked on crack. He described the substance as “a very sexual drug,” attributing his hypersexuality to it while admitting to sexual encounters with men. “If you’re looking at a menu, at some point, you’re gonna turn that f**ker over,” he said. The actor disclosed that he struggled to come to terms with having sex with men, but has made peace with it. “Some of it was weird and a lot of it was fu**king fun, life goes on,” he asserted. Check out Chi Lewis-Parry, the Jason Momoa lookalike in 28 Years Later.
