At least Charlie Sheen has a good sense of humor about that whole “tiger blood” thing.
The actor, who was diagnosed with HIV in 2011, told “Good Morning America” host Michael Strahan on Wednesday that he’s feeling “really good” these days. Sheen said he has been enrolled in a Food and Drug Administration trial for a new drug that he’s pretty optimistic about.
The “Hot Shots!” star wasn’t always so positive, however.
“The day I was diagnosed, I immediately wanted to eat a bullet,” Sheen admitted on Wednesday. “But my mom was there — I wouldn’t do that in front of her, or let her find me to clean up that mess.”
“But then something else came over me, and they gave me a handful of pills and said, ‘You can go home now, and you’re gonna live,'” he continued. “If I was there with brain cancer or some stomach thing or meningitis, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
“I can feel the future with this thing, and it’s much bigger and more important than I am,” Sheen said of his health and newfound advocacy.
But how’s he feeling mentally? “Some days are better than others, but most days are pretty frickin’ cool,” Sheen said with a smile.
OK, you seemed quite composed today, Charlie — so what the hell was all that “tiger blood” and “adonis DNA” nonsense from a few years ago? We’re paraphrasing the former New York Giants great there, of course.
“I was doing way too much testosterone cream, trying to keep the old libido up. It metabolizes into basically a ‘roid rage,” Sheen explained. “That whole odyssey, that was basically an accidental ‘roid rage — but there’s some good quotes that came out of it, right? There was a few fun moments.”
It was all “so bizarre,” he added. Indeed. Watch the video above.
Charlie Sheen's 13 Craziest Moments: From 'Winning' to Curing Alcoholism With His Mind (Photos)
Charlie Sheen boozes his way through "Wall Street" "I'd begun drinking all the time," Sheen recalled of shooting the 1987 Oscar-winning drama. "We shot in New York City, so I'd be out to the bars every night till 3 or 4 a.m., then try to show up for a 6 o'clock call to stand toe to toe with Michael Douglas and handle 50 percent of a scene."
He added, "I'd be drinking away, doing blow [cocaine], popping pills, and telling myself I wasn't an addict, because there wasn't a needle stuck in my arm."
Charlie shoots Kelly Preston In 1990, actress Kelly Preston was shot in the arm -- by Sheen's revolver, which he later claimed had fallen out of his jeans pocket and fired a bullet that struck his then-girlfriend with shrapnel from the toilet bowl.
A Charlie Sheen Christmas Nothing says Christmas like presents under the tree, mistletoe hanging in the doorway and maybe threatening your wife with a knife. At least, that's the way Brooke Mueller claimed things went down on Christmas 2009 when, she told 911, Sheen pinned her to a bed and put a knife up to herthroat.
Getty Images
Charlie's New York adventure According to reports, the actor allegedly suffered a meltdown at a New York hotel in November 2010 during a stay with porn actress Capri Anderson, during which she claimed, Sheen snorted a white powder, put his hands around her neck and then tore open her purse.
Getty Images
"Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre is a "maggot" When you're clinging to your high-paying job by a thread, it's probably not a good idea to insult your boss, but that logic apparently eluded Sheen, who tore into Lorre with a scathing open letter in February 2011. Maybe it was the tiger blood talking.
Getty Images
Charlie cures his alcoholism -- with his mind! In another classic Sheen interview with radio personality Alex Jones in February 2011, the actor reveals that he managed to rid himself of the blight of alcoholism, with the awesome power that is his mind.
Getty Images
Sheen invents "winning!" In a bizarre March 2011 live stream that attracted over 104,000 viewers in the first 15 minutes, Sheen promised a dial-in from the president, sent #TigerBlood viral while debuting a new "Winning" tattoo.
UStream
Sheen's "20/20" interview In March 2011, as the world gawked at Sheen's increasingly strange behavior and wondered if the "Two and a Half Men" star was nuts, the actor set the record straight with an absolutely unhinged face-to-face with "20/20's" Andrea Canning.
ABC
Charlie Sheen pays Lindsay Lohan's taxes In a typical display of Sheen generosity, the actor sent his "Scary Movie 5" co-star Lindsay Lohan a $100,000 check in 2012 to help her pay back a $230,000 debt to the IRS.
"Charlie has a long history of helping out his friends in many ways and this is just another example of that,” his spokesperson said.
Getty Images
Charlie gets fake-married to a porn star Hey, remember in early 2014 when Charlie Sheen said he'd tied the knot to adult actress Brett Rossi ... and then it turned out to be a big joke? Probably for the best, because he's not all that good at the marriage thing.
Getty Images
Charlie threatens Ashton Kutcher With his lucrative "Two and a Half Men" gig in his rear-view mirror, Sheen did the logical thing and threatened Ashton Kutcher, his successor on the once-popular CBS sitcom. As a war of words between the two actors grew more heated in 2014, Sheen tweeted, "[Y]ou ever tell me to shut the F*** up, EVER again and I'll put you on a hospital food diet for a year."
Getty Images
Sheen's "bad reaction" to gas at the dentist's office Nobody enjoys visiting the dentist, but Sheen may have taken things too far when, according to reports, he allegedly went after his dentist with a knife in 2014. Sheen's lawyer later dismissed the allegations, claiming the actor had merely had a "bad reaction to the noxious gas put in his mouth and nose."
Getty Images
Sheen bashes ex-wife Denise Richards on Father's Day Charlie Sheen celebrated Father's Day 2015 by evaluating his ex-wives. While Brooke Mueller got his stamp of approval, Denise Richards didn't fare as well. "Brooke M is a sexy rok star whom I adore D Richards a heretic washed up piglet Shame pile Happy Father's Day!!!" he wrote.
Getty Images
1 of 13
The actor has had a long career of revelations, social media feuds and classic Hollywood bad-boy behavior
Charlie Sheen boozes his way through "Wall Street" "I'd begun drinking all the time," Sheen recalled of shooting the 1987 Oscar-winning drama. "We shot in New York City, so I'd be out to the bars every night till 3 or 4 a.m., then try to show up for a 6 o'clock call to stand toe to toe with Michael Douglas and handle 50 percent of a scene."
He added, "I'd be drinking away, doing blow [cocaine], popping pills, and telling myself I wasn't an addict, because there wasn't a needle stuck in my arm."
