The small and sleepy village of Janwada seemed awake with excitement as a horde of delegates and celebrities walked down its narrow bylanes for the inauguration of the Jaldhaara foundation by WaterHealth International. And one among the 65 philanthropists from the States was actor Jon Cryer, popularly known as Alan on the successful American sitcom Two and a Half Men. One of the highest paid television stars, he nearly went unnoticed as he walked in with his wife Lisa Joyner.
We ask him the obvious — What’s Jon Cryer doing in Hyderabad? “When I met Jacqueline Lundquist (Chief Serendipity Officer — WaterHealth International) a few years ago, she had mentioned something about the project. Then a few months back, she asked if I wanted to participate and I said, ‘Why not?’ There are a lot of people who want to come and help such causes in India, and I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity,” he said.
This is Jon’s first visit to India and he has landed himself in Hyderabad and then Janwada. “This is the land of the most self-assured cows,” Jon laughed, adding, “I had been warned about it.” But what’s really taken him by surprise is the fact that his TV show has a huge fan following here in India as well. “Working in LA, you tend to think that the show has an American style of humour. But I’m surprised to find that so many people have been following it over the years,” he remarks. How similar is he to his onscreen character Alan? “Well, I look a lot like him,” he quipped.
It has been a roller-coaster ride for the past decade, what with the show’s immense popularity at first and then Charlie Sheen’s controversial exit, followed by the introduction of the character Walden played by Ashton Kutcher. “It’s been an amazing experience and of course, change is part of life. We didn’t think it would happen but it did and the reaction post the change has been great too!” he said.
On his new co-star, Jon says, “It has been wonderful working with Ashton. He is a very goofy guy and something that you don’t expect of him, since he’s so good looking. But he’s great fun to work with.” Controversy’s favourite child these days, Miley Cyrus, was featured in two episodes. “It’s unusual to see Miley in a show like ours but since Ashton knew her, he suggested bringing her in for a small part. And I must say, the shooting for those two episodes were some of the most fun ones,” Jon said.
Does he plan to see more of India on this trip? “I would love to but I really don’t have the time. We have begun shooting for Season 11,” he said signing off.
