Charlie Sheen was the figurehead of Two and a Half Men. When he was fired, many fans were not pleased, especially after Ashton Kutcher became the replacement
. Actually, another actor was even planned, but he declined despite a good offer.
What happened to Charlie Sheen back then? Due to drug excesses and disputes with co-creator Chuck Lorre, Sheen was fired from Two and a Half Men in 2011. Despite his status as the figurehead of the show, working with him at that time was reportedly difficult. This was also confirmed by Jon Cryer, the actor who played Alan Harper, who still does not want to work on any major project with Sheen.
After Sheen, Ashton Kutcher took over the lead role. In the show, he played the tech millionaire Walden Schmidt. However, another actor had been approached previously, who declined despite a large salary of over 650,000 dollars per episode.
Hugh Grant was also considered
Who was originally supposed to replace Sheen? After Sheen was fired, the producers were looking for a new actor to take on the lead role. Hugh Grant was also considered, as he explained on The Howard Stern Show.
In the interview, the actor explains that the big problem was that they did not provide him with a script. There was also no concept for a new character yet. The producers told Grant to just trust them, but that felt too risky for him.
Hugh Grant became especially well-known through romantic comedies, where he could impress with his charm. Notable films include Notting Hill or Bridget Jones. However, he is now also trying out quirkier roles, such as in The Gentlemen or Wonka.
The fee would have been worth it for Grant. As Screen Rant reports, Ashton Kutcher earned 700,000 US dollars per episode, which is about 652,000 €. Charlie Sheen even received 1.8 million US dollars in his last season, which is almost 1.7 million €. Both Kutcher and Sheen were among the highest-paid actors during their time on the show.
After Sheen, it went downhill
What does Grant say about Kutcher? Grant is also asked by Howard Stern if he watched the show out of curiosity. He says that while the show was still very good, Kutcher’s character was different from the one that was sold to him.
If you look at how well the seasons have been rated on IMDb, you can see a downward trend after Charlie Sheen’s departure. The first 8 seasons always had an average rating of about 8 out of 10. From season 9 with Ashton Kutcher, the show declined, with the last season even reaching a rating of 4.23 out of 10. For those who want more comedy series, they should check out this list: 5 series like Married with Children
