Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp are Hollywood icons, known not just for their legendary performances but also for their well-documented battles with substance abuse. However, what many people don’t realize is that another powerhouse of the industry, one who doesn’t necessarily always stay in front of the camera but has shaped some of the most acclaimed films and TV shows, has faced similar struggles. That man is Aaron Sorkin.
While actors bring characters to life on screen, Sorkin has been the mastermind behind the words that have defined a generation of cinema and television, all while fighting his own personal battles behind the scenes.
Aaron Sorkin’s struggle with substance abuse almost landed him in jail!
Aaron Sorkin, the brilliant mind behind some of Hollywood’s most critically acclaimed films and TV shows, has never hidden his past struggles with substance abuse. Two decades ago, his drug problem was no secret, it made headlines repeatedly.
The West Wing creator has time and again admitted to consuming c*caine daily while writing (which would be the year 1993) the film The American President. That same year, he entered rehab for addiction, a move that many believed marked a turning point in his life, but not him. Speaking of that particular experience in a chat with W magazine, he said,
I had no intention of rehab working. I just thought it would be good to put 28 days between me and drugs. There were fortune cookie sayings on the walls at Hazelden, and I’m not susceptible to those things. But I’ve never seen anything work as well.
Aaron Sorkin’s drug troubles hit a new level of drama in 2001 when he was busted at Burbank Airport with a cocktail of hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, and c*caine. The arrest made big headlines, and Sorkin later reflected on the incident himself. In the same W magazine chat, he said,
Again, it was a matter of opportunity: Julia [by that time his wife] was away, and I had a window where I could fly to Vegas on a Friday, get high all night, and then return to L.A. the next day. I’d do this three times a year, and it was amazing I never got caught. I was the worst criminal. I had a four-dollar pipe, and the bowl was made of metal.
He further continued,
It showed up on the monitor at Burbank airport and they asked to search my bag. I fainted, When I came to, I was in handcuffs. I was lucky—there are guys serving time in prison for doing less than I did.
He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and two felonies but swapped jail time for a drug treatment program.
Aaron Sorkin on juggling addiction and success, until he decided to change the script!
For the past 20 years, Aaron Sorkin has stayed drug-free, proving that Hollywood comebacks aren’t just for the big screen. His addiction never led to a full-blown career meltdown, he kept writing and kept working, but he knew he had to make a change. And thankfully, he did.
Looking back, at this time, he calls himself a high-functioning addict, he never lost his job or had a headline-making disaster before getting help.
But addiction doesn’t wait for rock bottom, and he knows staying clean is a daily choice. In the same W Magazine profile, he explained,
I had what they call a ‘high bottom,’ My life didn’t fall apart before I got into rehab. I didn’t lose my job or run over a kid or injure anyone when I was high. But the hardest thing I do every day is not take cocaine. You don’t get cured of addiction, you’re just in remission.
Kicking his habit paved the way for some of his greatest works. Post-rehab, Sorkin delivered hits like The Social Network, Steve Jobs, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and his To Kill a Mockingbird adaptation, and fans couldn’t be happier to see him thrive!
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