Charlie Sheen may no longer be TV's highest-paid actor or regular fodder for the tabloids. But he remains a fascinating player in the pop culture world. At least that's what organizers for the Wizard World Comic Con are betting on by inviting Sheen to join "Doctor Who" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" veterans as a guest Saturday and Sunday at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Sheen, 51, who was famously booted from "Two and a Half Men" in 2011 and revealed he was HIV-positive four years later, chatted with us Tuesday from his Los Angeles home.
Q: Have you ever done one of these conventions before?
A: I have not. I figured it's a new experience, so why not? I've only heard great things about these events.
Q: You're not really associated with comic-book movies or sci-fi.
A: Not really. I did a film back in '95 called "The Arrival" in Mexico City about an alien invasion. It was a little ahead of its time. I also did a terrible film in '85 called "The Wraith." The cast was great and the director was a lovely man, but to this day I still can't figure out the plot. But it's become somewhat of a cult favorite. People bring it up almost as much as "Men at Work."
Q: Which of your projects do you think fans will most likely bring up during the convention?
A: It'll probably be a mash-up of "Two and a Half Men" and "Hot Shots!" Maybe "Major League." It's hard to predict. I'll open up a piece of fan mail and it'll be a cover for me to sign of a DVD for a film I had forgotten.
Q: I wonder if there's a place for you in the current comic-book film world. Would you be interested in that?
A: I would jump at anything they would offer. It kind of blows my mind when actors walk away from those franchises. I can tell you that years ago, when I had an office at Orion Pictures, I brought them Spider-Man and said, 'I'm about a year away from being too old to play Peter Parker.' They said, "We don't really see a future in comic books." That was in 1987. I don't think there's room for me on any of the teams right now, but I think I'd make a great villain.
Q: I can see you taking on Iron Man.
A: Robert Downey and I went to high school together! It'd be amazing. That would be incredible.
Q: Do you have any particular ties to the Twin Cities?
A: I was there for the Twins' world championships in both 1987 and 1991. I saw the Kirby Puckett catch and walk-off homer, and Jack Morris' masterpiece. The only thing that comes close to those games was Game 7 last year. I was rooting for Cleveland, of course. I don't get to ballgames very often, but the ones I've been to have been pretty special.
Q: How's your health?
A: It's really good. I'm taking PRO 140, part of this FDA study. It's one shot a week with no side effects. The FDA has never seen anything like it. It's a miracle that fell out of the sky.
Q: I'm not sure where you are in your relationship with your former TV boss, Chuck Lorre. Any chance you two will ever work together again?
A: I screwed that up and I continue to screw it up. Honestly, I think what they should do is do what "Sex and the City" and "The X-Files" did and do a movie. I think it would bookend things nicely. It may be a masterpiece or a mess, but we won't know until we do it.
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