Actor Charlie Sheen is speaking openly for the first time about having had sexual encounters with men, saying he no longer feels the need to hide parts of his past. The 60-year-old former Two and a Half Men star makes the revelation in his upcoming two-part Netflix documentary, a k a Charlie Sheen, which premieres on September 10.

“Liberating” to Tell His Story

Sheen says the experiences began during periods of heavy drug use. “That’s what started it,” he explains in the film, recalling his years of smoking crack. At first, he struggled to understand his actions. Over time, he says he came to terms with them: “Some of it was weird. A lot of it was fun. And life goes on.”

In an interview with People magazine, Sheen described it as “liberating” to finally speak about the subject:

“I’m not going to run from my past, or let it own me. It’s f—ing liberating … to just talk about stuff. It’s like a train didn’t come through the side of the restaurant. No one ran into the room and shot me.”

Struggles With Secrecy and HIV Diagnosis

Sheen has previously spoken about contracting HIV during a drug-fueled encounter, disclosing his diagnosis publicly in 2015 on NBC’s Today. He said at the time that he had been the target of blackmail, paying “millions” to people who discovered his medication and threatened to expose him.

In the new documentary, Sheen stresses he never transmitted HIV to others. Looking back, he says the secrecy around both his health and his private life was exhausting. “I was tired of hiding my sexual truth and I was ready to write my own narrative,” he told People.

Regret Over “Tiger Blood” Years

Sheen also reflects on his widely publicized 2011 “tiger blood” meltdown, when he left Two and a Half Men and embarked on a controversial live tour. He now calls that decision a mistake.

“That tour didn’t have to happen,” he says in the film. “I’m not a victim, but somebody should have tapped out for me and said, ‘This is a bad idea.’ I’ve combed through all the mental health manuals, and I’ve never found ‘exploitation’ as a good treatment protocol.”

He adds that he has spent the past eight years apologizing and making amends to those he hurt during his battle with addiction.

Family Life Today

Sheen, who has been married three times — to Donna Peele, Denise Richards, and Brooke Mueller — is now focused on raising his children. He has two daughters, Sami and Lola, with Richards, and twin sons, Bob and Max, with Mueller.

“My romantic life is as uneventful as it possibly could be, and it’s been that way for a long time,” Sheen said. He explained that his home life has been centered on his children, with little space for dating. “I had to get to a place where I could be alone, but not lonely.”

Still, he says he remains “open to love again,” though he doubts he would remarry.

Looking Ahead

Sheen’s candid reflections arrive alongside the release of his memoir, The Book of Sheen, due out September 9. Between the book and the Netflix documentary, the actor says he hopes to present an honest account of his life, from his struggles with addiction to his experiences in Hollywood.

The documentary also features commentary from family members, including brother Emilio Estevez and father Martin Sheen, as well as archival footage from Sheen’s decades in film and television.

For Sheen, the disclosures mark a turning point. “I’m not running from anything anymore,” he says. “I want to own my story — the good, the bad, all of it.”