Charlie Sheen says FX show is his 'swan song'

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Published on June 17, 2012 12:00PM EDT

Is Charlie Sheen preparing to leave television after his FX show Anger Management succeeds (or fails)?

That’s what the former star of Two and a Half Men told the New York Times on Sunday. Sheen, whose comedy premieres on June 28, said he’s been acting for 30 years and “there’s a lot more out there to do than make-believe, you know?”

“I mean, I’m grateful,” he told the newspaper. “I’ve got a dream life as a direct result of television, you know? But at some point you just get tired of wearing somebody else’s clothes, saying somebody else’s words and working in somebody else’s space. I’m also aware of the fact that you don’t get these kinds of shots in the same lifetime. You’re only supposed to have one hit show, unless you’re Kelsey Grammer.

“When I’m done with this business it’s just going to be about soccer games and amusement parks,” he added, in reference to his children with ex-wives Denise Richards Brooke Mueller. “And when this ends, I’m done. This is my swan song.”He also said he wouldn’t agree to random drug tests should FX ever question his state of health. “I told them to go [away] with that one. It’s an invasion of privacy, man. Total invasion of privacy.If they say, ‘What’s going on?’ I’m like, I don’t know, what’s going on with you? ‘Well, you seem a little …’ Really, that’s your opinion? How does the work look? ‘Well, the work’s great but …’ Everything after ‘but’ is a dial tone. Go to hell.”

Sheen also believes that fans will give him a break for returning to TV. “They seem to be rooting pretty hard for this next thing. And the ones that pay attention know that I’m not just some loose cannon that’s out there making [stuff] up. Or trying to set up a different image of who I think I am or trying to convince them I’m somebody different. I think that’s the reason people have stayed with me, is because I’ve just always been honest. I’ve always been like, “I did it, sorry, nobody got hurt, nobody got arrested.” Not all the time. And you move on. A friend of mine, a guy I really respect, says that as long as you’re teachable, then you have some sense of humility. And to be teachable you have to listen. No one listens anymore.”

FX ordered 10 episodes of Anger Management, with an additional 90-episode pickup contingent on it hitting a certain ratings benchmark.

For more:

‘Anger Management’ scoop: Test scores are in

He’s baaaaaack! First teaser for Charlie Sheen’s ‘Anger Management’ drops — VIDEO