Put almost any question to Martin Sheen, who turns 68 in August—whether it’s about his deep spirituality; his intervention in son Charlie’s drug addiction; his beloved sister, “Charmin’ Carmen”; or his secret desire to throw all of his dry cleaning at a prying fan with a video camera—and he will respond with a tale that is simply outrageous.
“That’s my favorite word these days,” says the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor, who has appeared in more than 70 feature films (among them, Apocalypse Now, Wall Street, The American President, and The Departed) but is perhaps best known for his Emmy-nominated role as President Josiah Bartlet on NBC’s erstwhile series The West Wing. “Outrageous!”
Indeed, the word fits Sheen’s personality and his life, which began in Dayton, where he was raised along with nine siblings begotten of a Spanish father and an Irish mother. He went on to become one of the most accomplished actors of our time, while simultaneously making a name for himself as an impassioned activist: Sheen has been arrested 67 times for nonviolent peace activism. In May, Sheen, who recently filmed Traveling with Jennifer Aniston, was honored by the University of Notre Dame with its prestigious Laetare Medal, for his humanitarian work. Much of our conversation centered, however, on a more deeply personal issue: the role he played in his son’s recovery from drug addiction—a wrenching journey that got so bleak, Sheen actually started planning Charlie’s funeral. “You have to be relentless,” he says. “It has to cost you something.”
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Dealing With Racism
“I grew up in the ’50s in a very racist atmosphere,” Sheen reveals. “I was a caddy from the time I was nine until I left home at 18, and it was a very exclusive, all-white country club. They wouldn’t even allow black caddies. They were not permitted to be seen. So I grew up watching that sort of thing, and I made very early choices about where I would stand on that issue, particularly when the N word was used by everybody all the time.”
| Q: |
“But you were half Hispanic, so how did that play out?” |
| A: |
“My dad never spoke in public because he was not made to feel proud of his accent. He had the most beautiful Belizean accent imaginable. I loved it. He was the greatest storyteller. I could listen to his voice—it was like listening to a musical instrument. But he was never made to feel proud speaking outside. There were a lot of Italians and other Latins but no Hispanics.” |
| Q: |
“So did you grow up identifying more as being white than Hispanic? You did change your name so as not to be typecast.” |
| A: |
“I never changed it officially. I never will. It’s on my driver’s license and passport and everything: Ramón Gerard Estévez. I started using Sheen, I thought I’d give it a try, and before I knew it, I started making a living with it and then it was too late.” (Laughs.) “In fact, one of my great regrets is that I didn’t keep my name as it was given to me. I knew it bothered my dad.” |
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Embracing Spirituality
| Q: |
“After you had a heart attack and a nervous breakdown at age 38, on the set of Apocalypse Now, you went to India and found spirituality. Is that when you embraced Catholicism?” |
| A: |
“I did, yeah. I was raised Catholic, but it was a religion, not a way of life. [After the heart attack] I came back to a faith more than a church. I came back with joy and with freedom and thanksgiving rather than with fear or trembling or worrying about eternity. I decided that what I really loved the most about the faith was the spirituality that this church possessed.” |
To read the entire interview in English, visit AARP The Magazine, here.
Para leer esta entrevista en español, haga clic aquí.
