Charlie Sheen Recalls O.J. Simpson Ping Pong Match, Calls Him a 'Tool'
Charlie Sheen, in his new memoir, The Book of Sheen, recounts a childhood ping pong match with O.J. Simpson on the set of The Cassandra Crossing. He describes Simpson's competitive nature and refers to him as a "tool" for his behavior during the game.
The Heated Ping Pong Match
The incident occurred in 1976 while Sheen, then 10 years old, was visiting his father, Martin Sheen, on location in Italy for the film The Cassandra Crossing, which also starred Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner, and Burt Lancaster. During a break, Sheen and Simpson engaged in a competitive ping pong game that drew the attention of the cast and crew.
Sheen remembers the game being intense, with the score tied at 21-all, and well past his bedtime. He describes Simpson as "extremely competitive" and unconcerned that his opponent was a child. Sheen, an athlete himself who later received a baseball scholarship, felt he was lured into the game only to have Simpson subtly cheat to win.
"He knew that I knew," he wrote. "The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I was set up. Lured in with the off hand, only to be crushed like a bug when it mattered most. What a tool."
Sheen's Reflections in His Memoir
Sheen's memoir, along with his new Netflix documentary, aka Charlie Sheen, are aimed at telling his stories "in the way they actually happened." He stated that he spent much of his 50s apologizing for past actions and wanted to take ownership of his experiences. He says the book is a deep dive into his past struggles, with him "finally telling the stories in the way they actually happened.”
The Book of Sheen and aka Charlie Sheen on Netflix are available now.
Unused Naked Gun 4 Jokes About O.J. Simpson
The article also references a scrapped Naked Gun 4 script by David Zucker that included jokes about O.J. Simpson's post-football notoriety. Zucker directed the original Naked Gun movies. The script, titled Naked Gun 44 ¼: Nordberg Did It, features jokes about Nordberg’s character and his fate.
David Zucker’s scrapped sequel would have featured Frank Drebin Jr., Ed’s son, and included a joke acknowledging O.J. Simpson’s notoriety after the original films. Other titles considered were Naked: Impossible.
One scene involved officers eulogizing their dead fathers in a "Hall of Legends", where Nordberg's son refuses to pay tribute to the character played by Simpson, for obvious reasons. Another joke involved Frank Drebin Jr. learning that Nordberg was his father's best friend and was tracking down the killer until his wife was found dead and then he was trying to track down that killer. When Frank Jr. inquires about Nordberg, Jane responds that she “saw him at Frank’s memorial service, said goodbye, sold him my knife collection and never heard from him again.”
