According To Rob Lowe, The West Wing Was Absolutely Toxic For Him
Highlights
- Rob Lowe auditioned for the role of Sam Seaborn on The West Wing, despite already being an established actor.
- Lowe's exit from the show after season 4 was amicable, and his character Sam was written out with plans to run for office in his home district.
- Lowe has spoken out against The West Wing, describing his time on the show as toxic and feeling undervalued, but he has expressed interest in reprising his role in a potential reboot.
Years after starring alongside Tom Cruise in The Outsiders and getting caught in a sex tape scandal, Rob Lowe was looking to revive his career with various projects in film and television. While he did venture into comedy (including a memorable hosting stint on Saturday Night Live where he was joined by Brendan Fraser), the Virginia native also explored political drama as he found himself joining the cast of Aaron Sorkin’s political drama The West Wing.
The series went on to receive multiple Emmy nods and wins, but Lowe would later reveal that his time on The West Wing was toxic behind the scenes.
Rob Lowe Starred In The West Wing As Sam Seaborn
When Lowe first learned of The West Wing, he also knew that he wanted to play Deputy White House Communications Director Sam Seaborn. But despite his years in the business, he had to audition for the role.
However, Sorkin had been “determined not to cast him” at that time. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter for the show’s oral history, the hit showrunner explained that having a movie star take the role would just “throw the balance of the cast out of whack.”
Just the same, Lowe came in, prepared to perform three scenes for Sorkin. In the end, the actor only had to do one as Sorkin revealed that he landed the role “a page into the first.” Lowe’s Sam would figure heavily on the show up until season 4.
He Supposedly Exited The Show Amicably
With The West Wing being a hit, the last thing that fans may have expected midway through its run were cast departures. But that’s exactly what happened. Following season 4, Lowe’s exit from the show was confirmed, with the star issuing a statement saying that he was “grateful” for his time on the show.
Warner Brothers Television and John Wells Productions (who produced the series) also released a statement claiming that Lowe’s exit was done “amicably.”
As for Lowe’s Sam, the character was written out with the reveal that Sam had plans to run for office in his home district of Orange County. That said, Lowe later returned to the series, appearing in two episodes during its final season.
Of reprising his role one more time, the actor said that it was a “very easy decision” to come back and that he had always “wanted Sam to be there for the end.” When Sam reappeared, he had been hired as the deputy chief of staff to President Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits).
While Lowe had sufficient screen time during his brief return, it was never made clear whether he previously won the election in Orange County.
Rob Lowe Has Since Spoken Out Against The West Wing
And while Lowe did return to The West Wing a couple of times before the show eventually ended, the actor has also since admitted that exiting the NBC drama early on had been “the best thing I ever did.”
During an interview on the podcast Podcrushed, Lowe also explained that while he “tried to make it work” with the show, it still resulted in a “super unhealthy relationship” where he ended up feeling “very undervalued.”
For years, there had been reports that Lowe’s decision to leave the show had something to do with salary and screen time. It was alleged that the actor wanted a pay raise, but that was reportedly never granted.
While Lowe never confirmed this, he did previously remark that his eventual exit from the show was the result of him making a choice to either “stay static” or “invest in yourself.” The star also later reflected that staying on “would’ve been the worst thing” after Sorkin departed from the series (the showrunner also exited after season 4).
Meanwhile, Lowe later reunited with The West Wing cast once more for A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote where they performed the stage version of the season 3 episode Hartsfield's Landing. The TV special also featured special appearances from President Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Elisabeth Moss, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Aside from taking part in the TV special, Lowe has also spoken openly about reprising his role again should The West Wing reboot happen. Over the years, Sorkin has said that he was open to doing it, but he’s not yet sure about what that would look like.
As it turns out, Lowe has a suggestion, which is based on a scene in which Martin Sheen’s President Josiah Bartlet tells Sam that he will become the U.S. president one day. During an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live in 2019, the actor teased that the said plot can be the storyline that kicks off the reboot. “Aaron Sorkin, hello, you wrote it. You came up with it. Already, let’s go,” Lowe even quipped.
Asked whether it would be strange to do a reboot now, considering everything that’s been happening in politics recently, Lowe did admit the show might “play out like science fiction today.” Although, that might be “just what the doctor ordered.” For now, there is still no confirmation on rebooting The West Wing.
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