by LUKE JOHNSON
Many live vicariously through the madness of characters like Sheen – apparently 75,000 applied to be his intern. We are almost mass codependents in the game. If you are rich and a celebrity you can boast about getting high – and attract 2m Twitter followers.
I suppose it has something of the same appeal as dramas about vampires or gangsters – the allure of rebels and outlaws.
Managing talent that goes off the rails like Sheen is a challenge – I have had some experience. Not just performers go crazy with success. A few years ago, IT entrepreneur Christopher Dawes crashed his £640,000 car and died, just after he had been arrested during a crack cocaine bust. And Chris Albrecht, then chief executive of HBO, was fired after being arrested for assaulting his girlfriend at 3am in a Las Vegas car park. He later went for treatment for his alcoholism.
The two most important characteristics essential for success are self-confidence and self-discipline. Interestingly, many say they imbibe to gain the first trait – but by so doing, you lose the second.
The Financial Times for more
(Thanks to reader)