“The West Wing” creator and “The Social Network” writer Aaron Sorkin has offered something you don’t get a lot of in Hollywood – humility.
In the wake of “The Social Reckoning” bombing both critically and commercially, Sorkin has been surprisingly upfront about his own self-doubt about his talents as a director.
Some filmmakers are truly great directors but not so great screenwriters, Sorkin is the opposite. The man has penned some legendary films from “A Few Good Men” and “Moneyball,” to “The American President,” “Malice” and “Steve Jobs” as well as creating shows like “The Newsroom,” “Sports Night” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”,
In 2017 he took his first foray into directing with the Jessica Chastain-led “Molly’s Game,” followed by 2020’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and “Being the Ricardos”. All three received praise for the script and performances, but the direction was seen as something not at the same standard.
Speaking with THR at the Newport Beach Film Festival, he says working alongside genuine directing auteurs like David Fincher and Danny Boyle didn’t rub off:
“I was surprised by how little of the science of filmmaking I’d managed to absorb. I have no visual sensibility, it turns out… There’s a big part of me that feels like I just got into the movie business a few minutes ago, and that there’s so much I don’t know.
From time to time, I get to speak with screenwriting students, and I’ll be asked, ‘Is screenwriting something that can be taught?’ And the answer is, ‘There are parts of screenwriting — important parts — that can be taught and can be learned, but there are parts that can’t be.
And those parts that can’t be? That’s usually what we mean when we use the word ‘talent.’ I’m very worried that the parts of directing that I’m not good at are those parts that you can’t learn.”
He adds he would have “rather David Fincher directed it.. but David has an exclusive deal at Netflix, and this was owned by Sony.” So he ended up helming the film which cost $40 million to make and has grossed just $15 million worldwide so far.
