The West Wing creator spoke with the late Seymour Hoffman about their experiences with drugs
Following Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death, the highly acclaimed writer and creator of The West Wing has spoken about his and the late actor’s candid conversations about drugs and alcohol.
Hoffman was found dead in his apartment on Sunday (Feb 2)
While working together on the 2007 drama Charlie Wilson's War, the Oscar-winning screenwriter and Hoffman would invariably chat about their struggles with drugs, given their shared experiences.
In a piece written for Time.com, Sorkin explains, "Phil Hoffman and I had two things in common. We were both fathers of young children, and we were both recovering drug addicts... On breaks during rehearsals, we would sometimes slip outside... and get to swapping stories."
The fallout following Seymour Hoffman’s death has involved lawsuits and drug arrests, but the acting world is still mourning the loss of someone held in high regard by anyone that met him or saw his work.
“It's not unusual to have these mini-AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings - people like us are the only ones to whom tales of insanity don't sound insane... I told him I felt lucky because I'm squeamish and can't handle needles,” added Sorkin.
"He told me to stay squeamish. And he said this: 'If one of us dies of an overdose, probably 10 people who were about to won't.' He meant that our deaths would make news and maybe scare someone clean."
Sorkin is also keen to assert that an ‘overdose’ – per say – wasn’t the cause of the actor’s death, but rather the drug itseld. "(He) did not die from an overdose of heroin - he died from heroin. We should stop implying that if he'd just taken the proper amount then everything would have been fine,” he said.
“He didn't die because he was partying too hard or because he was depressed - he died because he was an addict on a day of the week with a y in it. He'll have his well-earned legacy... his Truman Capote and his Academy Award. Let's add to that 10 people who were about to die who won't now."
Sorkin spoke candidly with Seymour Hoffman about drug abuse
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