The Hollywood star Charlie Sheen is speaking out this week to reveal how his The Rookie co-star Clint Eastwood saved his life decades ago by convincing him to go to rehab.
Sheen’s Intervention
In the new two-part Netflix docuseries aka Charlie Sheen, Sheen, 60, recalls an intervention that his family and friends staged for him on August 3, 1990. They tricked Sheen into attending by claiming that it was a party for his father Martin Sheen’s 50th birthday.
“I get invited to my dad’s birthday party,” Sheen recounted. “I think Mom called me: ‘Dad’s got things to do, so we have to do it early.’ She’s like, ‘We’re thinking 9:00.’ I’m like, ‘a.m.?’ She’s like, ‘Yeah.’”
“She brings me into the house, and I’m looking for balloons, a cake, funny hats,” he continued. “And as I come around the corner, I see the living room has this really expertly organized circle of people.”
Sheen was shocked to find that the room was filled with “a weird mix” of people. Indeed, the motley crew included Sheen’s “7th grade history teacher, his yoga instructor and Rob Lowe,” according to People Magazine. Also there were Sheen’s parents and his siblings, Emilio [Estevez], Ramon and Renée.
Sheen Fights Back
Once Sheen realized what was happening, things became “very emotional.” He remembers staying mostly silent as his loved ones read heartfelt letters about how much he means to them.
“There’s a lot to process,” he explained. “I’d kind of heard about these things, but never been this close to an intervention.”
When Sheen asked if he could have some time to think about whether or not he would go to rehab, the group was adamant in their response.
“They said, ‘No. This is a decision we’ve made for you that has to happen today,'” Sheen recalled.
Despite this, Sheen still had no intention of going. Instead, he planned to simply agree just to get out of the room, only to not attend rehab at all.
“I was figuring, ‘If I just agree to this, just to get out of this situation, I can probably hatch a plan somewhere away from here,’” he said.
That’s when Eastwood stepped in to save the day.
Eastwood Steps Up
As Sheen plotted his escape, his father stepped out of his office and told his son, “There’s someone on the phone who wants to talk to you.”
Sheen assumed it would be another family member. Instead, he knew the voice on the other end immediately, and it wasn’t a relative.
“It’s a very recognizable, very globally familiar voice,” he stated. “It’s Clint.”
You can only imagine the chills that went down Sheen’s spine when he heard that!
Wasting no time, Eastwood gave Sheen the business.
“[Clint] said something like, ‘You’ve got to get the train back on the tracks, kid.… You’re worth saving,'” Sheen recounted. “It was really powerful. I thanked him, gave the phone back to Dad and said, ‘All right, let’s go.’”
Sheen Finally Gets Sober
This likely saved Sheen’s life, as his addiction was spiraling at the time. Though he returned to drugs and alcohol at various times over the years, he has now been sober since 2017.
“You have to be willing,” Sheen concluded. “I keep a [mental list] of the worst, most shameful things I’ve done, and I can look at that in my head if I feel like having a drink.”
Eastwood, 95, has been playing no-nonsense yet courageous characters on the big screen for decades. It’s nice to know that he’s much the same way in real life as well.
God bless Eastwood for stepping up to help Sheen when he needed it most. If only we had more Hollywood stars out there like Clint Eastwood!