Aaron Sorkin, the Oscar- and Emmy-winning screenwriter of films including “The Social Network,” “A Few Good Men” and the television series “The West Wing,” has revealed that he recently suffered a stroke.
The 61-year-old writer went public with private details about the near-fatal medical event and the recovery process that followed.
In an article published Wednesday in the New York Times, Sorkin revealed that his blood pressure spiked, causing a stroke last November. The seriousness of the incident caused his doctor to tell him that “he was supposed to be dead.”
After diagnosis, Sorkin’s symptoms included loss of taste, slurred speech, and trouble writing and typing.
“Mostly it was a strong wake-up call,” Sorkin said in the interview promoting his latest work, the Broadway revival of “Camelot” at Lincoln Center.
“I thought I was one of those people who could eat whatever I wanted, smoke as much as I wanted, and it wouldn’t affect me,” he added. “Whoops, I was wrong.”
The Manhattan native, who developed a two-pack-a-day habit during his high school years, said he quit smoking cold turkey. He now exercises twice a day and has adopted a cleaner diet, though he added that he also has to take a lot of medication: “You can hear the pills rattling inside me.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Broadway in March 2020, Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” became a critical and box office success. After the stroke, he thought his lack of muscle movement would affect his writing process, which involves his preferred method of writing by hand.
“There was a minute where I was worried that I was never going to be able to write again and I was worried in the short term that I was not going to be able to write ‘Camelot,’” he said before clarifying that he is healthy. “Let me make this very, very clear. I’m fine. I don’t want anyone to think that I can’t work. I’m fine.”
Sorkin, who was initially hesitant to talk about stroke, said he now hopes to raise awareness about it.
“If it can get a person to quit smoking, it will be helpful,” he explained.
