No More Tears for Jon Cryer

An old adage has it that if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That's true, unless you're Jon Cryer. In his case, it's try, try, try, try, try and try again. The actor did five failed TV series before he landed a successful sitcom, CBS's Two and a Half Men. Which reminds him of another wise saying: Better late than never.

TV Guide Online: After a couple of false starts, like The Famous Teddy Z and Partners, you've finally got a hit. Can you relax and enjoy the adulation?
Jon Cryer: There's a part of me that holds back. At our 10th-season finale, then I might say, "I get that the show is a hit."

TVGO: What do you hear most from the show's fans?
Cryer: "You are just the most sexless character on television!" I imagine that [latter problem] will be corrected this year because my character is bound to date. I'm hoping for a fling a week. Apparently, when they had auditions [for girlfriends], it was like the auditions for The Apprentice. There were lines around the block.

TVGO: Do Pretty in Pink fans still shout "Duckie!" at you on the street?
Cryer: Yes, but the kind of people who enjoyed Duckie are just more apt to yell at people in the street anyway.

TVGO: On Men, you play a divorced dad. Last year, you went through a divorce in real life. Was it strange to have your art merge with your life?
Cryer: When word leaked out that I was getting a divorce, Charlie came up and said, "Dude, if you need a place to stay, let me know." And I thought, "How much of your life do you want to be like the show?" Maybe we could make a reality show out of this.

TVGO: Is there anything about Alan you'd like to change?
Cryer: I just want him to dress better. We had one makeover show, but it didn't seem to stick. The worst outfit was shorts with pink socks, and a pinkish pastel polo shirt with a little hat. I got calls from agents saying, "Oh, what are they doing to you?"

TVGO: The show was a hit in its first season, but this summer's reruns moved you guys near the top of the ratings heap. Are you the heir apparent to the Everybody Loves Raymond time slot when that show departs next spring?
Cryer: CBS was talking about us being a replacement for Raymond before we were even on the air. For me, having been on a lot of shows that started off well and didn't finish that well, this was like somebody speaking Venusian to me. The fact that we've been doing so well as of late in reruns is insanity. Maybe we should just go with reruns all the time!

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