Dev Patel On 'The Newsroom,' Wikipedia And More

Though he's known recently for his portrayal of the intelligent blogger Neal Sampat on "The Newsroom," 22-year-old Dev Patel wasn't always an expert when it came to the news.

"I'm not intelligent enough for this show," Patel joked in an interview with the LA Times. Not only had the UK-born actor never blogged or tweeted before landing his role on the HBO series, but he had to turn to Google and Wikipedia to get a grasp on American politics.

"That's how I learned about American politics," Patel said with a laugh. "Wikipedia. Every night."

But Patel wasn't the only one who had brushing up to do. At the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, "Newsroom" creator Aaron Sorkin admitted he wasn't exactly an expert in the political department.

"I want to make a clear distinction between me and the characters that are in the show. I -- most of the time -- write about things I don't know much about," he said in response to the backlash that series has seen. "The political opinions that I have are at the level of sophistication of a person who has a BFA in musical theater."

"The Newsroom" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.