Twenty-five years after “The West Wing” debuted, Martin Sheen aka President Jed Barlett, creator Aaron Sorkin, and First Lady Jill Biden are taking “Extra” to the White House for an anniversary celebration!
Martin revealed to our Mona Kosar Abdi that he wasn’t initially hired as a full-time cast member.
“I was only hired for four or five episodes,” Sheen said. “The show was going to focus on the staff and that was it. But after they saw the pilot, they wanted to know who worked in the office. The round one.”
Martin added, “They came back to me and said, ‘Would you become a full participant?’ I said, ‘Of course, I only ask that the president be a Catholic and he be a graduate of Notre Dame.’”
Looking back, the actor recalled, “A political show had never been done. And we were not anticipating any success and then it just took off… Bill Clinton was in the White House and he got very interested in the show. Then President Bush came in. Different administration, different party, but he was equally as interested.”
The D.C. celebration also included Martin’s “West Wing” co-stars Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, Emily Procter and Tommy Schlamme.
Not to mention, Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, who co-authored the ultimate insider’s guide to the series: “What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing.”
Melissa told Mona, “Aaron always said, the ‘West Wing’ was a love letter to service and we say ‘What’s Next?’ is a love letter to ‘The West Wing.’”
Mona told them, “Martin was raving about the book, I will say. But I also want to say he said you went easy on him.”
Mary replied, “Yeah, we had to hide the book from him because he’s so humble because we knew if we showed it to him too early, he would make us take out all the good stuff about him.”
Warner Bros. Television Chairman Channing Dungy said the show became an inspiration.
“There’s so many people here that are in the audience that are in the White House now who are in these careers because they were inspired by the show,” she said. “The legacy of the show continues to inspire and motivate so many young people and now more than ever we want that kind of energy coming into politics.”
“The West Wing” is available to stream on Max.
Memphis jurors took several hours to reach a verdict Thursday, ultimately delivering a guilty verdict… Read More
“I've always wanted to work in fashion because I watched my mom work in fashion… Read More
Beverley Mitchell, David Gallagher and Mackenzie Rosman addressed Collins' sexual abuse of minors before kicking… Read More
September 26, 2024 OUTFIT ONE // Jacket: Nasty Gal (also love this one) // Skirt:… Read More
Cardi B's divorce from Offset is getting uglier with fresh accusations of infidelity and fights… Read More