Actors Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen starred together in the TV sitcom Two and a Half Men, produced by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn. However, Jon Cryer’s paycheck was significantly smaller than Charlie Sheen’s, as reported by People.
“He’s on the brink of falling apart in every conceivable way, and he’s renegotiating his contract for another year of a show that I’m also part of,” Cryer recalled in a new Netflix documentary, according to the outlet.
Cryer compared the Wall Street actor to a former well-known dictator.
“The North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Il, was notorious for acting erratically, which resulted in countries fearing him and providing him with substantial aid,” Cryer explained. “That’s similar to what happened with Sheen. His negotiations were extraordinary because his life was in chaos. Meanwhile, my life was going well, and I ended up with merely a third of what he got,” as noted by People.
Sheen was removed from the show in 2011, largely due to his off-screen issues, which included public criticisms of show creator Chuck Lorre. Sheen famously claimed he had “tiger blood” and was “winning,” while also complaining of being underpaid, despite being the top-paid actor on television.
In the documentary, Cryer disclosed that CBS had “pre-sold a few additional seasons of the show,” giving the network a reason to “invest this remarkable amount of money in Charlie.”
Sheen openly reflected on that period of his life, sharing his thoughts about Two and a Half Men.
“I remember saying, ‘Dude, I’m not sure. Emotionally, I’m done,'” he says in the documentary. “‘I understand there’s a lot of money involved, and I know there’s more to gain from this, but I’m unsure how much I have left to give. I fear returning could end disastrously.’ Those were my words,” reported People.
