No Charleston for Charlie Sheen. The actor, 54, was set to compete on season 28 of Dancing With the Stars — and even planned to rehearse with pro Cheryl Burke — but walked away ahead of the premiere, Us Weekly exclusively reveals in the new issue, on newsstands now.
“I was very flattered by ABC and their offer, but at the end of the day, I have two left feet and I just can’t dance,” Sheen confirms to Us.
That said, his casting was part of a bigger deal at ABC. “When there is a big star like that, they will get some sort of deal for a pilot with ABC,” the source tells Us of the former Two and a Half Men star.
Sheen’s publicist, Jeff Ballard, also confirmed the news to Us, noting that while “ABC made a very generous offer” for a pilot series, “it was contingent upon his participation on Dancing With the Stars.”
Burke, 35, who has been recapping this season of Dancing With the Stars for Us, is partnered with former NFL pro Ray Lewis. The duo landed in the bottom two during the Monday, September 23, episode. However, they made it through, while Mary Wilson of The Supremes was sent home.
“I always say to all my partners, ‘It’s just me, you and the music. That’s it,'” the pro dancer told Us after week one. “Sometimes people can get lost within the crowd, but we have to remember that ballroom dancing is an intimate sport where people look into your story and not the other way around. It’s so important to just stay focused as a couple and that you don’t let your adrenaline get the best of you by dancing too fast to the music or whatever. Just stay calm and collected and take it all in and know that everyone in that ballroom is rooting for. No one wants to see anyone to do bad.”
She also revealed that her and Lewis’ journey has been “tough” so far, as they both have had injuries and missed time rehearsing together.
“We had less time with rehearsals [and] we just needed to focus on one dance at a time,” she said. “If we had that extra week, we would have already probably been done with this dance. For me, I’m going to be able to at least assess if Ray can do this turnaround. One day, learn a routine. The next day, learn it to music and then work technique.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Marc Lupo
