According To Rob Lowe, The West Wing Was Absolutely Toxic For Him

Highlights

  • Rob Lowe auditioned for the role of Sam Seaborn on The West Wing, despite already being an established actor.
  • Lowe's go out from the show after season 4 was amicable, and his personality Sam was written out with plans to run for office in his house district.
  • Lowe has spoken out in opposition to The West Wing, describing his time on the display as toxic and feeling undervalued, but he has expressed hobby in reprising his position in a possible reboot.

Years after starring alongside Tom Cruise in The Outsiders and getting caught in a sex tape scandal, Rob Lowe was taking a look to revive his career with more than a few tasks in movie and tv. While he did project into comedy (together with a memorable hosting stint on Saturday Night Live the place he was joined by Brendan Fraser), the Virginia local also explored political drama as he found himself joining the forged of Aaron Sorkin’s political drama The West Wing.

The sequence went on to receive a couple of Emmy nods and wins, however Lowe would later reveal that his time on The West Wing was toxic in the back of the scenes.

Rob Lowe Starred In The West Wing As Sam Seaborn

When Lowe first learned of The West Wing, he additionally knew that he sought after to play Deputy White House Communications Director Sam Seaborn. But despite his years in the industry, he had to audition for the position.

However, Sorkin were “made up our minds no longer to forged him” at that time. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter for the show’s oral historical past, the hit showrunner defined that having a film big name take the position would simply “throw the steadiness of the solid out of whack.”

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Just the same, Lowe got here in, ready to carry out three scenes for Sorkin. In the finish, the actor best had to do one as Sorkin revealed that he landed the role “a web page into the first.” Lowe’s Sam would figure heavily on the display up till season 4.

He Supposedly Exited The Show Amicably

With The West Wing being a success, the last item that fans can have expected midway through its run have been forged departures. But that’s precisely what came about. Following season 4, Lowe’s exit from the display was showed, with the superstar issuing a observation pronouncing that he was “thankful” for his time on the display.

Warner Brothers Television and John Wells Productions (who produced the series) additionally released a commentary claiming that Lowe’s exit was achieved “amicably.”

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As for Lowe’s Sam, the personality was written out with the expose that Sam had plans to run for place of job in his home district of Orange County. That mentioned, Lowe later returned to the collection, appearing in two episodes all over its ultimate season.

Of reprising his position yet one more time, the actor mentioned that it was a “really easy choice” to come again and that he had always “sought after Sam to be there for the finish.” When Sam reappeared, he had been employed as the deputy chief of group of workers to President Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits).

While Lowe had sufficient display time all through his brief return, it was never made transparent whether or not he in the past gained the election in Orange County.

Rob Lowe Has Since Spoken Out Against The West Wing

And while Lowe did go back to The West Wing a couple of times earlier than the display ultimately ended, the actor has additionally since admitted that exiting the NBC drama early on were “the best possible factor I ever did.”

During an interview on the podcast Podcrushed, Lowe also explained that while he “attempted to make it paintings” with the show, it nonetheless resulted in a “tremendous bad courting” where he ended up feeling “very undervalued.”

For years, there have been studies that Lowe’s determination to go away the show had one thing to do with wage and display screen time. It was alleged that the actor wanted a pay raise, but that was reportedly by no means granted.

While Lowe by no means showed this, he did in the past statement that his eventual exit from the display was the results of him making a call to both “keep static” or “spend money on your self.” The famous person additionally later reflected that staying on “would’ve been the worst thing” after Sorkin departed from the series (the showrunner additionally exited after season 4).

Meanwhile, Lowe later reunited with The West Wing forged all over again for A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote where they carried out the stage version of the season Three episode Hartsfield's Landing. The TV particular also featured special appearances from President Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Elisabeth Moss, and Samuel L. Jackson.

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Aside from collaborating in the TV special, Lowe has additionally spoken overtly about reprising his position once more must The West Wing reboot occur. Over the years, Sorkin has mentioned that he was open to doing it, however he’s now not but sure about what that would seem like.

As it turns out, Lowe has an offer, which is in response to a scene by which Martin Sheen’s President Josiah Bartlet tells Sam that he will become the U.S. president in the future. During an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live in 2019, the actor teased that the mentioned plot may also be the storyline that kicks off the reboot. “Aaron Sorkin, hello, you wrote it. You got here up with it. Already, let’s go,” Lowe even quipped.

Asked whether or not it would be ordinary to do a reboot now, taking into account the whole lot that’s been going down in politics recently, Lowe did admit the show would possibly “play out like science fiction these days.” Although, that may well be “just what the doctor ordered.” For now, there is nonetheless no confirmation on rebooting The West Wing.

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