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"I mean, a 12-year-old doing
Death of a Salesman — how
good could it have been? It
was so rewarding to have them
there for the New York pre-
miere of The American
John Tanasychuk Detroit Free Press
January 8th. 1999
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President."
But with rewards and recog-
nition come brickbats and
blasts from the righteous. "It
wouldn't surprise me at all that
we get letters that the Christian
right isn't happy," he says of
The West Wing pilot episode's
broadsides. "It certainly wasn't
my intention to drop a brick
house on the Christian right,
to make that kind of general-
ization.
"On the other hand," he
adds, "[I will acknowledge] this
The cast of "The West Wing" Martin Sheen,
being one of those moments
where I take a personal passion center, plays the president of the United States.
of mine in life, I get up on a
box and I let you know all
yourself up for the snicker factor and
about it. There's an organization called
the giggle factor anytime you mention
the Lambs of Christ and they do bad
the president.
things. They do violent things and
But it's not all hell to the chief.
they harass people.
"Maybe," says Sorkin, "we'll be excited
"The Lambs of God [on the show]
to look at the White House the way
is a thinly veiled, fictionalized version
we wish it was a little bit."
of that. They're the people, who, in
Of primary concern, notes Sorkin,
the pilot episode, have sent the presi-
is that the show not be too topical,
dent's granddaughter a doll with a
especially when the presidential pri-
knife stuck through its throat. And
maries pit candidates against each
we're certainly ready for the letters."
other in the next few months. "I want
His own observation of religious
to avoid ripping next week's script out
rituals wasn't letter perfect, which sad-
of yesterday's headlines," he says. "I
dens Sorkin somewhat: "I didn't have
think we'll let the actual election play
any real religious training. So when I
out as its own drama."
turned 13, I was going to be given a
Sorkin has his own sense of drama,
big party," not a bar mitzva.
reportedly saving his verbal bonfires of
"Every Saturday, I would go to a
bon mots for the last second, writing
friend's bar mitzva. It was so theatri-
his lively prose on self-induced dead-
cal. I wanted the synagogue, the the-
lines.
atrics.
At issue is whether he can tackle
"So I called the rabbi. Here I was,
Sports Night and The West Wing at the
12, calling the rabbi on my own and
same time. Sorkin acknowledges that
saying to him, 'Could you teach me
he'll probably be doing less writing on
Torah in three months?'
Sports Night this coming season.
"He dropped the phone."
And he wants to do right by his
As for not having a bar mitzva, "I
wife. "I get postcards from my wife,"
have a large regret about that now,"
he says of his hectic, away-from home
says Sorkin. But he has no regrets
schedule.
about taking a stab at a political show
"She lets me know what's going on,
that can plumb politics for pathos.
where I live. Apparently, we've redone
After all, the White House and its res-
the kitchen and I'm going to like it a
idents in recent years haven't exactly
lot.
been model citizens.
Like it or not, this heimish hotshot's
Could that be why the network
every move will be watched. Which,
delayed the scheduling of the series
of course, he hopes will extend to his
from last season? "There's no question
shows, leading to big numbers.
about it that the events of the last year
But Sorkin declares dEtente with
and a half in the Clinton White
House have been dismaying, to say the
SORKIN VS. SOFER on page 94
least," says Sorkin. "You're setting
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