Aaron Sorkin Gets Candid About His Directing Skills: ‘I Couldn’t Pick a Long Lens Out of a Police Lineup’

The man behind some of Hollywood's sharpest dialogue says the director's chair has humbled him in ways he never expected. He even wondered aloud whether the skills he lacks can be learned at all.

Aaron Sorkin is not one to shy away from his shortcomings. The writer-director recently opened up about his filmmaking abilities following the lackluster box office performance of his latest movie, "The Social Reckoning."

Sorkin shared his thoughts during an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast on Monday, October 26, which was recorded during the Newport Beach Film Festival.

The conversation came more than a week after "The Social Reckoning" hit theaters on October 9 to an underwhelming box office response. The film, which Sorkin both wrote and directed, has been described as a companion piece to 2010's acclaimed "The Social Network."

During the chat, Sorkin reflected on how his move into directing over the last decade has proved challenging at times. "There's a big part of me that feels like I just got into the movie business a few minutes ago, and that there's so much I don't know," he admitted.

"From time to time, I get to speak with screenwriting students, and I'll be asked, 'Is screenwriting something that can be taught?' And the answer is, 'There are parts of screenwriting — important parts — that can be taught and can be learned, but there are parts that can't be,'" he said.

He continued, "And those parts that can't be? That's usually what we mean when we use the word 'talent.' I'm very worried that the parts of directing that I'm not good at are those parts that you can't learn."

Sorkin is, first and foremost, a writer, and he has been penning award-winning movies for 35 years.

Among his best-known credits are 1992's "A Few Good Men," 1995's "The American President," 2007's "Charlie Wilson's War," the "The Social Network" — which earned him both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best screenplay — 2011's "Moneyball," and several more.

He made his directorial debut with 2017's "Molly's Game," starring Jessica Chastain. He went on to helm "The Trial of the Chicago 7," "Being the Ricardos," and now "The Social Reckoning."

Before stepping behind the camera, Sorkin had already collaborated with renowned directors such as David Fincher, the late Rob Reiner, Mike Nichols, and Danny Boyle. However, calling the shots on his own projects doesn't mean he's finished teaming up with other filmmakers.

"I'm not done wanting to work with great directors, but when you work with the lineup of directors that you just read, you'd really have to not be paying attention to not learn anything," he said.

Still, he confessed that the learning curve has been steeper than he anticipated, particularly when it comes to knowing how to use a camera artfully. "I was surprised by how little of the science of filmmaking I'd managed to absorb," he said.

"I couldn't pick a long lens out of a police lineup," he added. "The most important people around me on the set are the DP, the director of photography, and the production designer. Because, I have, in addition to having absorbed none of the science of filmmaking, I have — and this is a problem in a visual medium — I have no visual sensibility at all, it turns out."

The 65-year-old said he can relate to football coaches who, when interviewed after a defeat, maintain that their team had everything it needed to win, but the pieces just didn't fall into place.

"That's how I feel about directing. There are things that I've been doing right along the way. Just give me one more chance, and one of these days I'll be able to put it all together," he said.