Martin Sheen Goes Full President Bartlet In Rousing Speech At National Day Of Solidarity Rally In LA As Kerry Washington & Ron Perlman Blast Studios
22.08.2023 - 19:51
/ deadline.com
This is Day 113 of the WGA strike and Day 40 of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Martin Sheen led a reunion of the cast and crew of The West Wing and embodied his character President Bartlet at a major rally in LA.
Sheen was joined by stars such as Kerry Washington and Ron Perlman at the National Day of Solidarity Rally, organized by SAG-AFTRA, the WGA and the AFL-CIO outside of Disney in Burbank.
Sheen told the large crowd that he has been a member of the actors union since 1961, the same year that he got married, so he’s pretty fond of unions.
“I was affectionately known in some quarters as the acting president of the United States. When the show ended its run in 2006, I became known in some quarters as the former acting president of the United States and I’m proud to have been part of that extraordinary company,” he opened.
Sheen was joined by The West Wing stars including Allison Janney, Dulé Hill, Bradley Whitford, Josh Malina, Richard Schiff, Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack as well as creator Aaron Sorkin.
His character on that NBC show, Jed Barlet was known for his rousing oratory skills, and fond of a religious story or two.
“The Irish tell a story of a man who arrives at the gates of heaven and asks to be let in and St Peter says ‘Of course, just show us your scars’. The man says ‘I have no scars’. St Peter says ‘What a pity, was there nothing worth fighting for’. Clearly this union has found something worth fighting for and it is very costly. If this were not so, we would be left to question its value. Now we are called to support the union and stand together for the long haul and stick to it like a stamp,” he said.
“Let us continue to dream things that never were and say ‘Why not?’. There’s so much going on in