network pressure on sheen from top because of anti-war views

[steve philion]

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Actor Martin Sheen said NBC executives fear
his opposition to a U.S.-led war against Iraq will hurt his popular
television show "The West Wing."

Sheen, who plays fictional U.S. President Josiah Bartlet on the NBC series,
told the Los Angeles Times for a story Sunday that the show's staff has been
"100 percent supportive" but top network executives have "let it be known
they're very uncomfortable with where I'm at" on the war.

The 62-year-old actor helped lead a "Virtual March on Washington" last week
that flooded the White House with thousands of anti-war e-mails and has
spoken out against the potential war in public.

But NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks told The Associated Press on Sunday that
she knows of "no concern among top management at NBC regarding Mr. Sheen's
stand against the war or fear that it could impact the show."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/03/sheen.antiwar.ap/index.html