Writer Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The Trial of the Chicago 7) recently revealed that he suffered from a medical emergency in November of last year. According to CNN, the Oscar-winning writer revealed that he had a stroke while writing his first Broadway musical, Camelot.
“Let me make this very, very clear,” Sorkin says. “I’m fine. I wouldn’t want anyone to think I can’t work. I’m fine.”
Sorkin mentioned that he feels improved now and can write in his favorite way, which is by hand, according to CNN.
“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,” said Sorkin.
The stroke occurred two months prior to the scheduled rehearsals for Camelot, according to Entertainment Weekly. Sorkin revealed that during that period, his blood pressure was so elevated that his physician warned him he should have already passed away. He experienced speech impairment, difficulty typing, and was unable to sign his name for approximately one month following the event.
“Mostly it was a loud wake-up call,” said in an interview with New York Times. “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.”
The Academy Award-winning writer mentioned that smoking multiple packs of cigarettes a day was an essential component of his writing process, similar to the way a pen was. Deadline reports that after the stroke, the 61-year-old Sorkin stated that he quit his long-standing habit of smoking and has since made improvements to his diet and exercise routines.
“I take a lot of medicine,” says Sorkin. “You can hear the pills rattling around in me.”
Initially, Sorkin only discussed his health issue with the New York Times confidentially, but later reconsidered, recognizing that by sharing his health emergency, he could potentially help someone else.
“If it’ll get one person to stop smoking,” Sorkin said, “then it’ll be helpful.”
Camelot is scheduled for opening night on April 13, 2023.