The universe works in mysterious ways and for me it worked out perfectly. With all respect to everybody else, Aaron Sorkin is and was The West Wing, full stop. There’s no West Wing without him.
If somebody else is achieving more than I am, that means I can do it, too. Everybody has the ability to raise themselves up, and my life has been marked by that.
The really good thing about my career is that I never went through a phase where I played characters who had names like “Partygoer,” “Waiter,” or “Guy #1.”
Actually, if I had to do it over [leaving the show the West Wing], I’d do the same thing, because lost in the shuffle of it is that Aaron [Sorkin] left the same year I did. And I would not have wanted to be on The West Wing with somebody else writing it.
Your interests change. I used to feel that if I spent evenings reading, or watching a film, or just doing nothing up here at the house, I would probably be missing something that was a lot more fun. I don’t have that sense anymore.
It’s the media that take an isolated incident and make it a deciding factor in a presidential campaign, as opposed to the real issues, like abortion, the homeless, the deficit. The same is true with actors and their lifestyles.
[The Specials ]was always going to be an underground, underdog kind of movie. But I love when people bring that up, because it’s very early, vintage James Gunn.
The script was given to me by one of my agents and they didn’t tell me anything about it. My first reaction was, “The West Wing? Is it about a squadron of fighter jets?” Then I turned the page and saw, ‘by Aaron Sorkin’ and I knew it was going to be something good.
I think [The Outsiders] really forged who I am as an actor, and it’s one of the reasons why I keep being drawn to big ensembles where I’m surrounded by strong, successful actors or personalities. Because that was my initial foray into movie making.
![Rob Lowe Quote - [“John F. Kennedy” movie] was just really clever storytelling.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/john-f-kennedy-movie-was-just-really-clever-storyt-683x1024.jpg)
![Rob Lowe Quote - Actually, if I had to do it over [leaving the show the West Wing], I’d do the same thing, because lost in the shuffle of it is that Aaron [Sorkin] left the same year I did. And I would not have wanted to be on The West Wing with somebody else writing it.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/actually-if-i-had-to-do-it-over-leaving-the-show-t-683x1024.jpg)
![Rob Lowe Quote - [The Specials ]was always going to be an underground, underdog kind of movie. But I love when people bring that up, because it’s very early, vintage James Gunn.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/the-specials-was-always-going-to-be-an-underground-683x1024.jpg)
![Rob Lowe Quote - I think [The Outsiders] really forged who I am as an actor, and it’s one of the reasons why I keep being drawn to big ensembles where I’m surrounded by strong, successful actors or personalities. Because that was my initial foray into movie making.](https://minimalistquotes.com/images/i-think-the-outsiders-really-forged-who-i-am-as-an.jpg)