Charlie Sheen's former Two and a Half Men co-star Holland Taylor blamed the former's erratic behavior on his "madhouse" childhood.

Taylor, who played Sheen's mother on the sitcom, jumped to the defense of Sheen in an interview with Parade magazine on Wednesday. She said Sheen is all around is a nice guy, but explained that it was likely very difficult to be in the spotlight at such an early age. 

"Anybody who's spent time with Charlie likes him. He's as smart a person as you'll ever find," she said. "He grew up with a movie star father [Martin Sheen] who was gallivanting around the world. Back in the day, Martin was a young, crazy, brilliant talent -- always gone, always traveling, sometimes bringing his kids along. It was just a madhouse way to grow up."

When the magazine asked why actors and actresses that start in the business at a young age - like Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Robert Downey, Jr. - have gone off the rails, the 70-year-old had a quick answer.

"Why wouldn't they?" she asked. "If you grow up in [Hollywood], you're going to be affected by the atmosphere. And if you go into acting a young age, watch out."

Taylor has had difficulties in her own life in dealing with depression. The actress admitted that she suffered from depression from her early 40s into her mid-50s.

"[It was] bad enough for me to entertain the idea of going into a hospital," she revealed.

When asked if she would advise any young person to go into acting, she said that she most definitely wouldn't, unless they were "brilliantly talented."

Sheen will be starring this year in Machete Kills, a campy action flick featuring such stars as Lady Gaga, Sofia Vergara and Mel Gibson. In the film's trailer, he is credited as "Carlos Estevez", which was his birth name.

Sheen said that he was "not ashamed" of his heritage nor was he running away from it. Enstars previously reported that he changed his name to avoid confusion between his uncle Carlos and himself.

Machete Kills will be released in theaters on Sept. 13, 2013.

Watch the trailer here:

Tags: Charlie Sheen Holland Taylor