Two and a Half Men thrived on CBS, though some might argue that the show was never the same when Charlie Sheen left. Ashton Kutcher gave the series extra time on-air, however, his role on the series is heavily debated. As for Charlie Sheen, he almost returned for the finale, but creative differences pushed back his return.
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Jon Cryer thrived in his role, however, as we'll reveal in the following, he almost didn't appear on the series. We'll take a look at what happened, and why creator Chuck Lorre had to fight to get the actor on the series.
In addition, we're going to reveal a secret from Jon Cryer and his head of hair. The actor revealed that although he wasn't wearing a wig, he was given special treatment by the stylists with a certain 'add-on'.
Chuck Lorre Needed To Push For Jon Cryer To Be On Two And A Half Men
Jon Cryer had a few close calls prior to his time on Two and a Half Men. Among notable roles he was considered for, including Chadler on Friends. According to Cryer, a complication with a fax machine was a major reason as to why he missed out on the role.
Cryer recalls, “I didn’t have a fax machine but I did have my computer, so I figured I’d just hook it up to the phone and she’d fax me the pages. What I forgot was that the British phone jacks are different than American phone jacks." Cryer's tapes would eventually get stopped at the airport but at that point, it was already too late as Matthew Perry was cast.
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Cryer ultimately changed his career thanks to Two and a Half Men. However, getting Cryer onboard wasn't easy behind the scenes. According to Chuck Lorre, the network pushed back at Cryer's casting.
"There was a lot of pushback when I was doing Two and a Half Men. They didn’t want Jon Cryer. He’d been in a series of pilots that didn’t get on the air — or, if they did, they got canceled — and he got pinned with that label, “show killer.”
Cryer thrived in the role, but little did fans know, for many seasons, his hair wasn't exactly real...
Jon Cryer Didn't Have All The Hair Fans Saw On Two And A Half Men
Jon Cryer called his hair on Two and a Half Men, an "elaborate illusion." Speaking with Conan O'Brien, the actor revealed that he wasn't exactly wearing a wig, but used something else instead.
"This is the work of several talented professionals making the most of like four hairs. It's amazing, actually, what they can do. I'm not wearing a piece or anything like that, but it's a long involved process that starts with stuff like shoe polish, basically, that they coat your scalp at the top."
Cryer continues, "They basically just paint -- they get a roller type thing -- and just whoosh along the top. You have to decide if you're going to go full Travolta and get the full front in."
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Hilariously during the same interview, Conan asked what happens if it rains. Cryer responded by saying, "You're out of luck. It flattens out, and you can get the nice little rivulets going down. But thankfully, your eyebrows will channel it down the side."
These days, Cryer is embracing his new look, without the assistance of the 'shoe polish'.
Jon Cryer's Time On Two And A Half Men Soured During Charlie Sheen's Downward Spiral
Jon Cryer had a blast with Charlie Sheen during the early portion on Two and a Half Men. According to Cryer, he was blown away by Sheen's professionalism working in front of a live audience.
However, things started to sour along the way, and during Sheen's darkest moments, both Cryer and Lorre contemplated ending the show.
"I think there was a moment where Chuck Lorre and I were looking at each other and we said, 'It's not worth this show going on if going on enables Charlie Sheen to kill himself. If giving him enough money to do whatever the thing is that ends his life, you know, we don't want to be a part of that,'" he explained.
"And I think, actually, when Charlie was let go from the show, the first thought among most of us was, 'OK, we're done. This has been a great thing but we're done at this point.'"
Ultimately, the environment completely changed behind the scenes when Ashton Kutcher was cast. It went from negative, to very positive. Despite the change in atmosphere, fans will argue that the show wasn't the same without Sheen.
