Bradley Whitford is back on Broadway in "A Few Good Men," the play that launched his friendship with Aaron Sorkin nearly four decades ago. The Lincoln Center Theater production opens Oct. 8.
The timing is tight. Whitford receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Sept. 30, about a week before previews begin. "West Wing" co-stars Martin Sheen and Dulé Hill are set to speak at the ceremony.
Whitford was in the original 1989 Broadway cast of "A Few Good Men." That production is where he met Sorkin, and the two became friends. Their collaboration later produced "The West Wing," the NBC drama that ran for seven seasons and won 26 Emmy Awards.
"It was an extraordinary thing, and it's where I met Aaron," Whitford told Variety by phone from New York, where he is in rehearsals. "'The West Wing' never would have happened if that hadn't happened. It's where we became friends."
He described the return as feeling like "a time machine."
Whitford played Josh Lyman on "The West Wing" from 1999 to 2006. The role earned him two Emmy nominations and made him a familiar face in American living rooms. Before that, he built a steady career in film and television, including roles in "The Client" and "Billy Madison."
Sorkin wrote "A Few Good Men" as a courtroom drama about military justice. The 1992 film adaptation, starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, became a cultural touchstone. Its "You can't handle the truth" line remains one of the most quoted in movie history.
Whitford's Walk of Fame star lands in the television category, honoring a career that spans more than 40 years. The ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 30 in Hollywood.
For Whitford, the two events landing in the same week tie together the two cities and two phases of his career. The play that started it all is now the one bringing him back to the stage.
"A Few Good Men" begins performances at Lincoln Center Theater in October. Whitford leads the cast in a production that reunites him with the writer who shaped much of his career.
