Charlie Sheen Faces an Uncertain Future -- On and Off the Screen

Charlie Sheen's disclosure that he's been HIV-positive for four years will no doubt elicit considerable sympathy. But will it do anything to alter the declining trajectory of his acting career?
By Jon Friedman ,

Charlie Sheen's disclosure that he's been HIV-positive for four years will no doubt elicit considerable sympathy and concerns about his health. But will the news do anything to revive his once-spectacular acting career?

After a frenetic period when he was sparking all kinds of splashy headlines, it's been a while since the suddenly vulnerable Sheen, 50, has created any sort of buzz.

"Charlie Sheen used to be a media sensation," noted Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University professor who studies television's impact on popular culture. "You couldn't turn on the TV without hearing about his latest exploit and his Tiger Blood image."

"Now, the zeitgeist has moved on," he said. "This announcement will put him back in the headlines. But will every studio head reach out to him, now that he is an underdog? No. His career is not booming, and he is in a bottom-line business."

Sheen, the son of Hollywood star Martin Sheen, has been a man of many images during his three decades as an actor. When he exploded as a twenty-something movie star in PlatoonWall StreetEight Men Out and Major League, in the late 1980s, he appeared to be on the threshold of enjoying a brilliant film career.

And when he surfaced as the bankable star of the No. 1-rated CBS  (CBS) - Get Report sit-com Two and a Half Men in 2003 -- playing a thinly veiled version of himself, as a wisecracking ladies man -- he once again proved himself an audience favorite.

But Sheen stunningly self-destructed, with media reports describing his descent into a haze of drug binges, sexual antics and public vitriol toward his boss at Two and a Half Men. He was written out of the show at the height of its popularity, a highly unusual move in the ratings-driven entertainment industry.

His comeback in the cable series Anger Management -- karma! -- didn't quite make a splash, much less put him back on top.

And now what? Sheen, making the announcement on NBC's (CMCSA) - Get ReportToday show, said he was going public because he wanted to put an end to a smear campaign and extortion attempts.

"I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of sub-truths and very harmful and mercurial stories that are about me, threatening the health of so many others that couldn't be further from the truth," he said.

Sheen said he has already paid millions of dollars to keep this bombshell out of the public's view. He can probably count on having his longtime fans still in his corner.

"By and large, he is still a popular actor," said Brad Adgate, a senior vice president at Horizon Media, a media-services company. "The public likes him. I don't think this announcement means we'll never see him again on TV or in the movies. Some people will say they're not surprised because of his lifestyle, but they'll be sympathetic."

For now, Sheen will have to focus on his health, and rebuilding bridges to his supporters. After years of wild partying and bad publicity, he has a lot to live down.

"This will strike a lot of people as the expected ending of a cautionary tale," Thompson said.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.

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