Sidney Poitier Was On The Shortlist To Play The West Wing's President
Over 20 years after its premiere, Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing" is still often heralded as the quintessential representation of a White House administration, and for good reason. The show's cast and crew elevate the already-magnificent scripts by Sorkin and his co-writers, who are never afraid to push the envelope. Looking back at the series, it seems everything turned out just as it was meant to. However, the show nearly had a different face at the center of it. It's true, there was nearly a world where Martin Sheen didn't play President Josiah Bartlet.
Although "The West Wing" made it a statement to cast its main stars in a very specific manner, there was a shortlist involved regarding the President. And while the show looked to cast a big-name actor in the role, Sheen was not the only name on that list. Sidney Poitier was not only near the top of that wishlist, but was offered the role straight-up. A trailblazing star in his own right, getting a deal done with Poitier proved a bit too ambitious, even for the folks behind "The West Wing." It's hard to imagine someone that isn't Sheen embodying President Bartlet the way he does, but I'd wager Poitier would've done a pretty great job, too.
'A happy accident'
Aaron Sorkin spoke to Empire in 2014 about casting the coveted role, which was originally going to be a bit more limited in nature before Martin Sheen came aboard. In fact, the show didn't have an actor officially attached to play President Bartlet until after production was well underway. The series' creatives couldn't get a deal done with Poitier in time, but it wasn't for lack of trying, Sorkin explained:
"We offered it to Sidney Poitier but we couldn't get that deal started, it was just too rich for our blood. There were a number of other actors but I don't want to make it seem like with Martin we settled for our second choice – it was just a very happy accident that we wound up with our first choice without knowing he was."
The first African-American actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, Sidney Poitier was more than qualified to star in "The West Wing." He always viewed acting as an outlet for his own inner dialogue, and would have surely brought that sensibility to the role of President Bartlet. "The West Wing" was never afraid to get to the heart of complicated issues, personal or societal. But things happen for a reason, and it's now hard to shake off Sheen's work as President Bartlet.
If you're not familiar with Poitier's work, a recent documentary called "Sidney" from Apple TV+ outlined the actor's incredible life and accomplishments. Meanwhile, all seven seasons of "The West Wing" are available to stream on HBO Max.