Almost six decades after its publication, PBS just anointed Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird asAmericas Best-Loved Novel.
Now Sorkin returns almost 30 years later with one of the most daunting projects of his career.
It had to be a new play based on an American classic.
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And I couldnt pretend I was writing it in 1960.
Ask him about his first draft and he laughs.
And I showed that first draft to Scott, and he gave me two notes.
One was that we need to get to the trial [of Tom Robinson] sooner.
And the other was, Atticus cant be Atticus from the beginning of the play to the end.
And just hearing that note, I understood what one fundamental difference was going to be.
There was never a conversation about who would play Atticus, says the playwright.
The call ended with Scott saying, And by the way, how do you feel about Jeff?
And right in that moment we cast Jeff Daniels.
The early knowledge only helped Sorkin develop Atticus authoritative but deeply feeling voice bespoke to his frequent collaborator.
So Jeff has been fearless from the beginning.
Obviously hes heard of Gregory Peck, but hes shrugged that off.
Hes making the character his own.
It just works, and it really wouldnt have with kids.
And its not without precedent.
You dont see a 13 or 14-year-old girl playing Juliet inRomeo and Juliet.
Peter Pan is always played by an adult woman.
Its going to take four seconds for the audience to adjust.
That first workshop seemed to prove even more informative than expected.
And I thought, Alright.
If I havent ruined Hey, Boo, then Im at least facing in the right direction.
