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September 06, 2002
Sorkin: 'Door Is Always Open' for Lowe on 'West Wing'
by Rick Porter
Zap2it, TV News
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The staff of "The West Wing" will be saying goodbye to Sam Seaborn next spring, but at least they won't be attending his funeral.
Series creator Aaron Sorkin will not be killing off Lowe's character on the NBC drama. Lowe announced his exit from the Emmy award-winning series in August.
"I love Rob, and everybody wants him to keep doing the show," Sorkin says. "Sam Seaborn is not going to die, so the door is always open."
Lowe's character was less involved in primary plotlines last season. A rumored salary dispute and the fact that Lowe was overlooked for an Emmy nomination this year may also have factored into his decision to leave.
"It's a difficult situation," Sorkin says. "There's no villain in this case and it will be regrettable if it is portrayed that way. It's a negotiation and it's a tough one."
Sorkin says he's "out of the loop" when it comes to contract negotiations, but he doesn't agree with the idea that Lowe's role has been reduced. And if it has, he blames himself.
"This wouldn't happen if [like some other writers] at the beginning of the season I sat down and made a plan for the season," he says. "That way I could look at it from a distance and say 'Sam doesn't have the ball as much.' "
Since Sorkin writes as he goes, however, he often doesn't look deep into the future. For instance, he's about to start writing this season's fifth episode -- which was due a week ago.
"If a story pops into my head and I can use it in episode five, then I have to write it," he says. "It's possible that a character can fall victim to my poor writing habits."
Sorkin and other cast members, most recently Martin Sheen, who plays President Bartlet, have expressed their desire to keep Lowe from leaving the series.
Posted by MorganG at September 6, 2002 11:53 AM