25 Mind-Blowing Facts About The West Wing
3. Josh Lyman Came Close To Being Commissioned As A Character Who Singlehandedly Saved Cuban Refugees Stranded At Sea
When a host of Cuban refugees are attempting to sail across the Caribbean in order to reach Florida during the first season of The West Wing, Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman is put in charge of dealing with them.
Although he used diplomatic and Red Cross means during the show, Sorkin was asked by network executives if Josh could instead rush out to save the stranded Cuba refugees at sea - like some sort of action hero. This never became a reality, however, with Sorkin later commenting: "I honestly didn't know if I was being messed with or not."