Charlie Sheen has revealed his biggest career regret: turning down the lead male role in Wes Craven's 1984 horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street. He rejected the part after meeting Craven, telling him he didn't believe audiences would take to the character of Freddy Krueger, a decision Sheen now admits was badly wrong given the character's subsequent status as a horror icon.

Sheen disputed a rival account from New Line Cinema's Bob Shaye, who claimed the actor priced himself out of the role by demanding $3,000 a week; Sheen insists he simply failed to grasp Craven's vision. The role instead went to Johnny Depp, launching his career, while A Nightmare on Elm Street went on to gross $57.1 million against a budget of roughly $1 million, spawning numerous sequels and cementing Freddy Krueger as one of cinema's most enduring horror villains.