Watch The West Wing cast bond over on-set prankster Joshua Malina
'The West Wing' Panel - The Cast on Working with Josh Malina
Aaron Sorkin, Bradley Whitford, Janel Moloney, Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff, Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Mary McCormack, Marlee Matlin and Thomas Schlamme joke about their time on set with Josh Malina.
Something's a little fishy. During Entertainment Weekly's recent virtual roundtable with the cast of The West Wing, cast member Joshua Malina was nowhere to be found.
The actor wasn't part of that starry Zoom call — though he still joined in on the reunion, don't worry! — but that absence allowed his West Wing cohorts to share stories about the ways Malina pranked all of them during their time on set.
Malina joined The West Wing in season 4 as Will Bailey. According to his costars, his reputation as a prankster began early in his tenure. "In Josh’s second episode, there’s a scene when they’re on Air Force One," series creator Aaron Sorkin told EW editor-in-chief JD Heyman. "There’s a moment when C.J. [Cregg, played by Allison Janney] has to pick up an intercom phone and say hello or something into it. This is Malina’s second episode on the show. He is the new kid, okay? He put Vaseline on the phone so that when Allison brought it to her ear..." he trailed off, mimicking putting a Vaseline-lathered phone up to his ear.
"He also put a fish in my trailer," Janney added. "Put it in one of the many drawers. Finally, it started stinking."
Sorkin and his West Wing cast reunited for the cover of EW's 30th anniversary issue cover story, giving the stars a chance to reminisce about their time in the Oval Office. The reunion, and a forthcoming HBO Max special coming this fall, are part of the cast's efforts to encourage Americans to vote in the upcoming election.
Speaking about the importance of voting, Malina told EW, "We are a part of a Republic and our chance to really have our voices heard — in addition to expressing our opinions with other people and writing to our representatives — is by voting for our representatives. It's just such a special privilege and right that we have, to not use it is a terrible shame. We know there are places in the world where people do not have a voice. And so I think if you have one, you must use it."
To register for the upcoming election and find other voting resources, visit When We All Vote, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to ensuring everyone is registered to vote.
For more on The West Wing cast reunion and EW's 30th anniversary, order the September issue of Entertainment Weekly now. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.
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