Martin Sheen went up and down (and up and down)

I cannot say enough about how I love Martin Sheen. He has been miscast and has made some bad films. But he is mostly on his game and often way at the top of his game. I loved Departed. I haven’t seen any of his films with his son Emilio, which I believe are worth seeing. His scenes in Wall Street with son Charlie were extraordinary. Makes me wish there were more father son scenes in film. Fairbanks and Fairbanks Jr? Tyrone Power and his father? 

Oh a joke ha.

I think it harmed his kids more, and his kids friends. When West Wing was in development Martin was supposed to visit 4-5 times a season because the story was the staff, and I am pretty sure Rob Lowe and John Spencer were the stars. In the first episode, Martin Sheen’s commanding presence tearing down the evangelical right who had kept silent while a for right group sent Bartlett’s daughter a doll with a knife through its throat to protest her pro choice essay, tore a big hole in that. The newbies, Brad Whitford, allyson JANNEY, Richard Schaffer and Janel Maloney, found their characters in the first episode and ran with it, while Sheen continued to blast through , making the most of Aaron Sorkin’s brilliant script. It was clear Sorkin was drawn to these characters , along with Spencer. Lowe was good, but he was not better that these guys. He was bent out of shape at being outplayed by a guy he had thought of as his friends dad, a man whose house he had been hanging out at since school. He finally took his hurt feelings off the series.IAM pretty sure Sheen never did anything but play his part

Oh, petrolino, it's a great show, one of the best ever!  At least the first 4 seasons, after which Aaron Sorkin, who created and wrote most of it, left.  Those seasons are incredibly smart, brilliantly written, performed, and directed.  Don't know if you have HBO Max, but it's available there.  I strongly recommend it.  I still vividly recall so many episodes, and I haven't seen it in years.