I felt powerless during son Charlie's meltdown: Martin Sheen

London: Veteran star Martin Sheen has admitted it was tough seeing his actor son Charlie Sheen getting sacked from the hit series 'Two and a Half Men' in 2011.

The 74-year-old star confessed it was "painful" to see Charlie go through such hard times in the public eye but insists there was nothing more he could have done for his son, reported Female First.

"What he was going through at that time, we were powerless to do much. Except to pray for him and lift him up. You try to be as present as possible. But you have to be aware of the circumstances. You have to be aware of many things that the public is not aware of.

"Only those of us that knew him understood what was going on. I'm talking about steroids, at that time. He was in a very desperate situation. And he was doing what he felt would get him out of it - going public. And it was very painful. No less painful for him," Martin said.