RICHMOND, Va. β Sex, drugs, and Richmond, Virginia.
The first two topics play major roles in Charlie Sheen's recently published memoir, βThe Book of Sheen."
The final, good old Richmond, gets but a mention. But it's a memorable one.
Full transparency, I'm listening to the audiobook and I have not yet finished the eight-plus-hour listen.
But something he said about my hometown prompted me to press pause on the narration and start typing.
As you can imagine, Sheen's life story is full of the actor's highest of highs and lowest of lows.
From starring in Academy Award-winning films and becoming one of the highest-paid actors on television, to losing the fame and glory (and nearly his life) to drug addiction, Sheen's memoir was also turned into a Netflix docu-series "aka Charlie Sheen."
But the passage that grabbed my attention detailed the time Sheen spent in Richmond filming the political thriller "Shadow Conspiracy."
I've never seen the movie, but as part of my never-ending CBS 6 Video Vault side project, previously archived the CBS 6 News clip from 1995 when Sheen met anchor Cheryl Miller on the street for a quick interview between takes.
"You're not rolling, are you?" Sheen joked as he walked up the downtown Richmond street for the interview.
Watch: Behind the Scenes with Charlie Sheen
While Sheen may have been in good spirits at the time, his recollection of the movie filmed in Richmond was not so glowing.
I don't want to put words in Charlie Sheen's mouth, so here's how he described the film in his memoir.
To set the scene, it was 1995 (the movie was released in 1997), and Sheen was not thrilled with many of the acting choices he made since starring in critically successful movies "Platoon" and "Wall Street." He had just fallen in love with a woman named Donna and they were traveling together while he worked.
"Our travel itinerary included Richmond, Virginia, as well as the various garden spots in Baltimore for a film called 'Shadow Conspiracy.' The title alone tells us all we need to know," he said. "It's easily in my bottom three of all time, cinematic blunders. My review of it, were I to write one, would read something like, 'if a film could be liquid sh** you have to drink, this one comes with a funnel."
How does that translate to today's Rotten Tomatoes standards, you ask?
The movie scored 7 percent, according to critics.
It appears the experience in Richmond wasn't a total loss for Sheen.
He went on to explain that it was nice working with "Shadow Conspiracy" director George Cosmatos who had previously directed Charlie's father Martin Sheen in the 1976 film "The Cassandra Crossing."
In that film, the elder Sheen co-starred OJ Simpson, who Charlie said he met and shared a formative experience with while on set with his father.
But for those stories, you'll have to read the book.
Do you remember Charlie Sheen's time in Richmond? Email the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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