Actor sees ‘supernatural quality’ at work in his recovery
Famous for his viral rants as much as his acting work, actor Charlie Sheen recently offered a rare glimpse into his evolving perspective on spirituality, personal responsibility and the lessons learned from his tumultuous past.
In a revealing Sept. 26 interview with Tucker Carlson, the 60-year-old Sheen reflected on everything from his abrupt firing from CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” in 2011 to his controversial work with Infowars host Alex Jones and the “9/11 Truth” movement.
The conversation took a profound turn as Sheen discussed his spiritual outlook, which he said was sparked by a surprising question about God from comedian Bill Maher.
“Bill Maher asked you about God? What world is this?” Carlson asked. “We are in a brand new age.”
Dissatisfied with his initial response to Maher, Sheen offered another response to what he called the God question.
“Most days, I don’t know what else to call [God]; that’s what I should have said in that moment. Most days, I don’t have a better word or anything else for it.”
Discussing his spiritual journey, Sheen noted “threads throughout this whole experience” where the timing of events suggested a “supernatural quality.” He also acknowledged his views on religion were largely influenced by his father, actor Martin Sheen.
“My dad, devout Catholic growing up … let us know that that was his personal journey and we were welcome to climb on board, but it wasn’t anything that he was going to mandate,” he said.
The actor said the freedom to decide for himself left him “God curious.” He stressed that he wasn’t just saying that to appease Carlson, who comes from an Episcopalian background. Carlson assured that he’s not necessarily an authority on spiritual matters.Â
“Things are changing so fast, and I don’t have the answers to most questions, but I definitely have become convinced that God’s real, for sure,” said Carlson.
Sheen said it was “inspiring to see that level of acceptance.” Carlson replied: “Don’t you feel it?”
“I do,” Sheen answered. “But still, there is a part of me that still wants to be a science snob. … I don’t want to get there and be wrong. … Aren’t you allowed to wait until the last minute?”Â
“I’m not controlling any part of all this [world],” he added. “That I know for a fact.”Â
One realization, he said, was that there is no such thing as randomness. “Nothing’s a coincidence,” he said. “It’s just, everything’s connected.” Carlson agreed: “And people are connected.” Â
In January, Sheen’s daughter, Lola, shared footage of her baptism and publicly declared Jesus as her Savior, revealing He saved her from “battling severe anxiety” and gave her a “peace that makes no sense.”
It’s unclear how much Lola’s faith influenced Sheen’s own journey, but he acknowledges that, at this point, he still struggles with doubt and unbelief.
“Some days I’m all in. I’m like, ‘OK, then, sure.’ Well, you know, can I describe it better? Do I have a better prediction? No,” he said. “There’s other days I’m like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know.'”
After Carlson criticized contemporary science as a “dogmatic religion,” Sheen agreed and appeared resigned to the conclusion that, in the end, he may not receive an answer to every question he has about life.
“I’m not going to try to solve the unsolvable, right?” he said. “I’m fine being completely mystified by it.”
Following a public breakdown after leaving his hit show “Two and a Half Men” in 2011, Sheen has publicly explored the Christian faith. Los Angeles-based Pastor Tim Storey has ministered to Sheen and told The Christian Post in 2015 that he has had discussions with the actor about God for over a decade.Â
“He is trying to learn about himself, he’s trying to work through his own challenges, and we have amazing talks about God,” Storey said at the time. “Just like a parent or a mentor, sometimes we wish our children or our students would make different choices. And even at a faster pace. I’ve obviously wished that for Charlie. I’m still very hopeful that he will continue to make better choices.”
