Aaron Sorkin Reveals He Had a Stroke That Left Him ‘Concerned’ He’d Never ‘Write Again’
22.03.2023 - 20:17
/ usmagazine.com
A close call. Aaron Sorkin revealed that he suffered a stroke last year, prompting him to reexamine his habits.
The Social Network screenwriter, 61, recalled the experience during an interview with the New York Times published on Wednesday, March 22. Sorkin told the outlet that during a November 2022 visit to the doctor, he learned that he’d suffered a stroke and had blood pressure so high, he was “supposed to be dead.”
At the time, the Oscar winner was working on the book for the latest revival of the Broadway musical Camelot and feared that the health scare would affect his ability to move forward with the project.
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“There was a minute when I was concerned that I was never going to be able to write again and I was concerned in the short-term that I wasn’t going to be able to continue writing Camelot,” he shared.
Sorkin had difficulties with speech and typing for about a month after the medical event. Although his lingering symptoms have subsided, he describes the experience as a “loud wake-up call.”
The New York native continued: “I thought I was one of those people who could eat whatever he wanted, smoke as much as he wanted and it’s not going to affect me. Boy, was I wrong.”
After his stroke, the West Wing creator quit smoking, started exercising regularly and changed his diet. “I take a lot of medicine. You can hear the pills rattling around in me,” he quipped.
While the Molly’s Game director first told the outlet about the medical event off the record, he decided that sharing his story was worthwhile.
“If it’ll get one person to stop smoking, then it’ll be helpful,” he said, emphasizing that he has made a full recovery. “Let me make this very, very clear, I’m fine. I