Charlie’s Demons

Tuesday, May 28, 1996

By Emily Forster

Daily Bruin Contributor

Most people in the public eye end up getting their name dragged
through the mud at some point or another, but Charlie Sheen’s
career has gotten splashed with more than the average scandalous
soil.

"It’s kind of a double-edged sword," explains Sheen. "You’ll
talk to these guys (in the media) and hear that I’m the easiest guy
in Hollywood to deal with in those personal situations. Then they
go off and dig for the dirt.

"So do you stop being easy? Do you stop being accessible? And
then are they going to dig deeper into the dirt? What do you do?
What do you do?"

Sitting behind a veil of smoke from his cigarette at the Hotel
Nikko, Sheen pauses to slurp loudly on a cup of coffee. Looking
colorful in a red blazer and a black turtleneck, Sheen is at the
hotel to promote his upcoming film, "The Arrival."

In the film, Sheen plays a radio astronomer who discovers what
might be a message from aliens, putting himself in a lot of
danger.

But instead of discussing his role in the sci-fi thriller, Sheen
talks about his poetry, the power of acting and the tabloid
press.

"I have a decent relationship with them when I’m dealing with
them," says Sheen. "When I see them out I always give them their
5-10 minutes to take photos and shoot their stupid video.
Everybody’s got a video camera these days ­ you can’t hit
anybody anymore."

"Now I know how the cops feel," laughs Sheen, "Gone are the good
ol’ days of whacking a photographer and beating on a bad guy. We
need to return to a simpler time when people really had respect and
a faith in this country."

Sheen is particularly bothered by the disrespect of the tabloid
press.

"They always forget that without us they have nothing to report
or exploit," says Sheen. "But without us, what are they going to
write about?

"The bottom line is, they’ll always be on that side of the video
camera. They’ll always be on that side of the lens."

The actor has gotten unusual advice on dealing with the press
from his father, actor Martin Sheen.

"My dad says, ‘Just don’t leave your house. Just stay home,’ "
Sheen says. "I’ve always said, ‘If you don’t want to be bothered,
don’t leave your house, and worry about the day they stop coming up
to you.’ You see how there’s this dichotomy?"

By hiding out, he could avoid harassment from the press, but he
would have to give up the joy he gets from acting.

"Sometimes it’s magic," says Sheen. "Other times it’s not, but
when somebody yells ‘cut,’ when things happen you didn’t plan, you
didn’t anticipate, you didn’t expect, it’s what keeps you searching
for those moments continuously."

"To get a good reaction, to see that smile on a 5-year-old’s
face, to bring a tear to somebody’s eye ­ it’s what keeps you
coming back."

Sheen’s addiction to the rush of acting also has its drawbacks
for the actor.

"The bad part is that there’s a lot of waiting, a lot of sitting
around, a lot of down time," says Sheen. "It’s hard to keep the
energy level up. We’re all human and it’s just impossible."

In order to keep himself preoccupied during "down time," the
actor began writing poetry. He pieced together a book of 100 poems
entitled "A Peace of My Mind" and it was published in 1988 by the
New York-based company, STARC.

"It didn’t really take off on its own like I hoped it might,"
says Sheen. "Maybe it’s a little too hard-edged. Maybe it’s a
little too real. Maybe it frightens them. It’s very honest. It’s an
extension of myself, of how I view the world and my role in it.
It’s about life, death and love."

It’s the love department that probably gives Sheen the most
material for his poetry. Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss’ trial
exposed Sheen as one of her organization’s best customers. A UCLA
student sued Sheen for assault and infliction of emotional
distress. Model Donna Peele married Sheen after knowing him for six
weeks and then divorced him five months later. The latest incident
in Sheen’s mess of media-friendly antics has been this divorce
suit.

"I haven’t been on any real dates lately because of legalities
involving the settlement with my wife," explains Sheen. "I was told
that if I went out and a photo was taken that it could hinder the
settlement against me. So I’ve spent a lot of time out in public
(with friends)."

Sheen mimics the average on-looker as he mutters, "’There’s
Charlie again, with his buddies. Wait a minute ­ isn’t he
supposed to be with women?’"

Although Sheen can joke about the treatment he gets from the
public, his overall feeling for it is one of bitterness. He
realizes that America’s reaction toward his behavior has hurt his
career.

"Certain conservative studio heads and executives will view me
as being taboo because of a lot of the baggage that comes with
hiring me," says Sheen. "The foreign numbers are still happening. I
haven’t had a hit here in a while but I’m still making it overseas.
The foreign press, they find a lot of these incidents humorous and
normal. They’re more blasé about it. This doesn’t justify it
or make it right, and I’m not moving to Italy."

When it is suggested that Sheen is a sacrificial lamb for all of
the celebrities whose actions are morally questionable, he seems to
enjoy the prospect of himself as a martyr.

"’A sacrificial lamb?’" repeats Sheen. "I think that we are
living in such conservative, almost claustrophobic, self-absorbed
times that the one guy that does things or behaves in a manner that
was acceptable at a time stands out. I think the safest thing is
just not to talk. If you don’t talk, you just can’t be hassled for
what you say. But then again, you’ve got freedom of speech and all
of that. That’s the reason we pay all that rent to live in the best
country in the world."

FILM: "The Arrival," directed by David Twohy. Opens Friday.

Charlie Sheen plays Zane, an astronomer who discovers what might
be a message from aliens, in David Twohy’s sci-fi thriller, "The
Arrival."

Photoillustrations by BRENTON MAR/ Daily Bruin.