So, Charlie Sheen is frikken nuts... has been for years, everybody who pays attention to hollywood has known it since the mid 90s at the latest; and his latest behavior simply proves it out more.
He's also very smart (wrong about almost everything, but smart), very sneaky, very paranoid (and a conspiracy theorist... see the "wrong about almost everything" bit), and very rich (about 30 million a year... minus whatever the mountain of coke, 747 load of whores, and payments to various ex-wives, girlfriends, and sexual partners costs him each year).
There are times when he seems absolutely unhinged; especially in the last year or so... extra especially in the last month or so... but somehow he always comes out about where he wants to be.
So, as of a couple weeks back, he's in a public shouting match with his the network, studio, production company, and producer of his cash cow... I mean sitcom... Two and a Half Men. They've shut down production on the show, it may be cancelled, and Sheen may be fired.
There's a lot of speculation as to why...
Why is he throwing away millions of dollars? Why is he so self destructive etc... etc...
There's a lof of speculation that Sheen is not only an addict (which he clearly is, and has been for decades. He's been admitted coke abuser since coke was still cool in the mid 80s), but that he is probably bi-polar.
Maybe...
Probably...
But...
Uhh... this may sound crazy... but... just a thought...
I think he's doing this deliberately.
Sheen wants to be fired.
He doesn't want to be in 2-1/2 men anymore (frankly, other than for the money, no-one would), and this is actually the smartest way for him to get out of it.
Because he can.
Sheen is one of the few performers out there who doesn't have a morals and behavior clause in his contracts (which is why he has to self insure, and why he can't do studio features anymore. No-one will write a completion bond on him. He hasn't played lead in a major studio feature since 2001 ).
Sheen could just quit, but if he does, his contract doesn't get paid off and he forfeits million in future earnings, plus owing the studio and production company, whatever his contract penalty for quitting is (probably half what he would have made per episode, for however many episodes he no-shows for).
If they fire him, while he is still willing to, and capable of performing; then they have to pay off the penalty clause of his contract (which is probably half what he would have made per episode, maybe even all. Big stars often get 100% pay guarantees, but Sheen is so unstable only an idiot would have agreed to that provision).
Most actors have morals and behavior clauses in their contracts, so they can't get away with that sort of thing; but Sheen can.
And there's really no downside... If they fire him, great they have to pay him and he doesn't have to do the show anymore. IF they DON"T fire him, this becomes the biggest publicity stunt ever, the shows ratings get even higher, and he makes even MORE money (reportedly he wants about double what he's getting now).
I'm not saying that's the reason for all of his behavior; I think the suggestion of bi-polar disorder is probably correct (his father and brother have both suffered from clinical depression). I just think it's a pretty solid explanation of Sheens public behavior towards the studio, network, production company, and producer.
Paying a penalty to the people you hate just so you can quit vs. getting a payment for them getting rid of you; or, worst case, keep doing the job but making even MORE money... I know which way I'd go on that one.
