Charlie Sheen was one of the biggest actors on all of television during the prime years of his career thanks to his work on Two and a Half Men, and during this era, he was making bank while earning legions of new fans. Sheen had been in the game for years, but that show really took things to another level for the performer.
Despite having some serious ups and downs during his career, Sheen certainly knew how to make a ton of money for his acting, and at one point, he was able to charge a movie studio $250,000 for a single day of work.
Let’s take a look at which movie Sheen was able to land that salary for.
Sheen Made Bank For ‘Scary Movie 5’
At one point, Charlie Sheen was one of the most bankable stars on television, and this came to be after the actor made it big in movies with some solid performances. During his peak television years, Sheen was able to capitalize on his bankability by landing a number of lucrative roles. For his work on Scary Movie 5, Sheen was paid a whopping $250,000 for one day of work.
As we mentioned, Sheen was a major television star during this time, which came on the heels of Anger Management getting underway on FX. Prior to this, Sheen became a television giant thanks to his work on Two and a Half Men, which placed him among the highest-paid television performers in history. Even after the fallout that Sheen had on the show, he still cashed in like crazy with Anger Management.
Interestingly, Sheen had already appeared in the Scary Movie franchise back in 2003 as the character, Tom Logan. In 2006, Sheen would play the same character once again, bringing some continuity to the franchise. In 2013’s Scary Movie 5, however, Sheen was making a cameo as himself, which was certainly a change of pace compared to what he had done before.
Despite the change, fans were still happy to see Sheen back in the franchise in some capacity. There isn’t a whole lot that people love about Scary Movie 5, but his scene with Lindsay Lohan was certainly a memorable one. Speaking of Lindsay Lohan, some of the money that Sheen was paid to appear in the film wound up going to the actress in an attempt to lend a helping hand.
He Gave It All Away To Lindsay Lohan And Charity
According to TMZ, Sheen “gave $100,000 to Lindsay Lohan -- to help alleviate her crippling tax debt -- and he donated the rest to three charities ... as chosen by the movie's director, producer, and one of the other filmmakers behind the flick.”
That’s right, every single cent that Charlie Sheen made for his performance in Scary Movie 5 was given away to either Lindsay Lohan or to a charity. This was an interesting era for both performers, as Sheen was a pariah thanks to his public persona taking over, and Lohan had long been an infamous figure in the industry. Clearly, Sheen felt like the star could use some help.
Despite helping Lohan out, one thing that Lohan wouldn’t do for Sheen was kiss him during their scene together, per Cheat Sheet. Lohan was not into it due to Sheen’s past, but the two were still able to get their job done without too much of a fuss being made by either party. Clearly, they liked working together, because Lohan would also appear in an episode of Anger Management.
What He’s Done Since
Things have certainly changed since Scary Movie 5, as Sheen is no longer one of the biggest stars on television making a silly amount of money per episode of his show. Things move quickly in the business, and someone can go from the A-list to never being talked about in the blink of an eye. In all fairness, Sheen had some turbulent times that clearly affected his name value.
As it stands now, Charlie Sheen has nothing on tap that he is working on as an actor, according to IMDb. Things really slowed down for him once Anger Management reached an end on the small screen, and while he did land some roles after that, none have come close to matching what he did in the past. His brother, Emilio, recently made a big comeback on Disney+ with The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, and it will be interesting to see if Sheen follows his lead.
Charlie Sheen made a surprising $250,000 for a single day of filming Scary Movie 5, but in a generous move, the star wound up giving it all away to help those in need, including a former popular actress.