Jon Cryer recently revealed that he had no idea about Demi Moore's drug addiction when they dated in the 1980s. The “Two and a Half Men” star opened up about their brief relationship while filming "No Small Affair" in an interview.
“We dated for a short time while we were working on ‘No Small Affair,’ but I guess our particular affair was, in fact, pretty small,” Cryer said. “She was already struggling with a drug problem. One that I was blissfully unaware of until a couple of weeks before the movie ended.”
Moore’s battle with addiction began in her 20s, fueled by heavy drinking and cocaine use as she coped with rising stardom. She first went to rehab in 1985, following advice from "St. Elmo's Fire" director Joel Schumacher, and remained sober for nearly two decades before relapsing in her 40s. She returned to rehab in 2012 and has been sober since.
Moore recalled how she relapsed while on a trip with her husband Ashton Kutcher in 2019. “Ashton said, ‘I don’t know if alcoholism’s a thing. I think it’s about moderation,’ ” she said on Red Table Talk. “If I had stayed close to working my program… I, of course, lived the majority of my adult life sober. I was great sober.”
“I made my own story up, that he wanted somebody that he could have wine with that he could do stuff [with]. He’s not the cause of why I opened that door up. I wanted to be something other than who I am. And I gave my power away,” Moore added
59-year-old Cryer fondly remembered Moore's charisma and Hollywood savvy. “She was incredibly charismatic and had a much better grasp of the business than I did,” he said. “She knew everyone in town, but we were both really nervous about being leads in a movie for the first time.”
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Cryer played Moore’s love interest in 1984’s “No Small Affair”. He said that he learnt a lot about how to reach heights in Hollywood from her.
Moore, in her 2019 memoir "Inside Out," mentioned that Cryer lost his virginity to her—a claim he later denied on Twitter. “While I’m sure she was totally justified making that assumption based on my skill level, I had actually lost my virginity in high school,” he wrote, adding, “I have nothing but affection for her and not a regret in the world.”
The two actors are featured in the upcoming Hulu documentary "BRATS," directed by Moore’s fellow Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy. Although Cryer was considered an adjacent member of the Brat Pack, he never felt part of the core group. “I didn’t perceive myself as part of the Brat Pack because I didn’t think I was one of the cool kids,” he said. “And they were definitely the cool kids.”
Moore and Cryer supported McCarthy at the “BRATS” world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC on Friday, joined by Ally Sheedy and Howie Deutch. "BRATS" premieres on Hulu on June 13.
