Jeff Daniels Revelation: Here’s How The Newsroom Opening Monologue Saved Actor’s Career

It is not easy being an actor in Hollywood. Like all jobs, sometimes, the tough can get tougher. The world of acting is very competitive, with a rise to prominence there is also a possibility of going down and losing your touch. Jeff Daniels, who we probably all have seen in the movie Dumb and Dumber, recently talked about how his opening monologue in HBO’s political drama The Newsroom saved his career.

Daniels rose to fame after his first stint in the movie Ragtime in 1981. In the mid-90s, the actor was enjoying his career. He was cast in several movies that have become cult-favorites, such as Speed, Dumb and Dumber, and many more.

However, after enjoying the glitz and glamor, the actor saw his career slowly going down. The chance to play a more serious role has given Jeff Daniels the platform he needed. After being cast as the anchor Will McAvoy in The Newsroom, Daniels immediately became a household name.

James Daniels Success With The Newsroom

In an interview with GQ, Jeff Daniel admits that his career was not lifting off and that The Newsroom’s opening monologue saved his career entirely. He said it was not an easy feat to memorize the monologue, he had to learn it by heart in just 2 weeks. The monologue was penned by show creator and writer Aaron Sorkin.

Daniels explained the importance of the monologue and how it saved his acting career during the interview. He said:

"You have to hit a home run with it. It was shot on day three of an 18-day shoot for the pilot. There was no guarantee we had a series. People bigger than Aaron Sorkin had gotten turned down by HBO... It was all one me. I worked my ass off on it. First take, I hit it out of the park. I know that because Aaron walked over to me after take one and he goes, ‘OK, you’re pitching a no-hitter. I’m not going to talk to you.’ And he walked away. That was great. Then I knew I had a role, I pretty much — with Aaron’s help — saved my career and that everyone had a job."

For starters, Aaron Sorkin is an American TV screenwriter, producer and is best known to dabble with his skills in a political drama. He is best known to have worked on The West Wing.

Jeff Daniels’ Career After The Newsroom

HBO’s The Newsroom lasted for three seasons, but this was enough to put Jeff Daniels on the radar. He enjoyed a massive rise in his career post-Newsroom, including Looper, The Martian, The Divergent Series: Allegiant, and the current drama, American Rust.

Over his career Jeff Daniels has also been nominated for several awards, including 5 Golden Globes, 3 Tony Award nominations and he has won 2 Primetime Emmy Awards.

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