Jon Cryer says he didn’t know Demi Moore was addicted to drugs when they dated
In the dark.
Jon Cryer revealed that he didn’t know Demi Moore was addicted to drugs when they dated in the 1980s.
“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, 59, told PEOPLE in an interview published Saturday.
The “Two and a Half Men” star continued: “She was already struggling with a drug problem. One that I was blissfully unaware of until a couple of weeks before the movie ended.”
As a member of the “Brat Pack,” Moore, 61, went to rehab for drug and alcohol addiction in the 1980s.
She relapsed in 2012 and returned to rehab to get sober again.
“What would always be great about her was already evident; that incredible combination of vulnerability, toughness and beauty,” Cryer added abut Moore.
Cryer, who played Moore’s love interest in 1984’s “No Small Affair,” said that he learned the ropes of Hollywood with her help.
“She was incredibly charismatic and had a much better grasp of the business than I did,” he told PEOPLE.
“She knew everyone in town, but we were both really nervous about being leads in a movie for the first time.”
Moore’s battle with addiction began in her 20s, when she started drinking heavily — and later using cocaine — to cope with her ever-increasing stardom. She went to rehab under the advice of “St. Elmo’s Fire” director Joel Schumacher in 1985 and remained sober for almost 20 years before relapsing in her 40s.
In 2019, Moore recalled how she relapsed while on a trip with then-husband Ashton Kutcher.
“Ashton said, ‘I don’t know if alcoholism’s a thing. I think it’s about moderation,’ ” Moore 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],” Moore added. “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 has been sober since 2012.
In her 2019 memoir “Inside Out,” Moore wrote that Cryer lost his virginity to her — which he denied.
“Well, the good thing about this is she doesn’t have to feel bad about it anymore, because while I’m sure she was totally justified making that assumption based on my my skill level (and the stunned look on my face at the time), I had actually lost my virginity in high school,” he wrote on Twitter (now X) at the time.
“But she’s right [about] the other part, I was over the moon for her during a very troubled time in her life. I have nothing but affection for her and not a regret in the world,” Cryer added.
The “Passion of Mind” actress and Cryer are both featured in the upcoming Hulu doc “BRATS,” directed by Moore’s fellow Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy.
Cryer was always considered an adjacent member to the Brat Pack.
“I didn’t perceive myself as part of the Brat Pack because I didn’t think I was one of the cool kids,” he told PEOPLE. “And they were definitely the cool kids. I thought the two films that defined the group were ‘The Breakfast Club’ and ‘St. Elmo’s Fire,’ neither of which was I in.”
Moore and Cryer both supported McCarthy at the “BRATS” world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC on Friday.
Ally Sheedy and Howie Deutch were also there.
“BRATS” premieres June 13 on Hulu.
