‘West Wing’ Cast Reunites on ‘Today’
The cast of The West Wing reunited at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, and Today was there to chat with the show’s big stars. Well, not Martin Sheen. Or Allison Janney. Or Rob Lowe. But that’s OK. Cast members Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney, Dulé Hill, Melissa Fitzgerald, Joshua Malina, and the show’s creator, Aaron Sorkin, were. Sorkin said he had lower expectations for the show when it first premiered in 1999.
“For me, a home run would’ve been positive critical reaction and just enough people watching so that we could stay on the air for a little bit,” Sorkin said. Seven seasons and many, many awards later, the show has remained immensely popular and is regarded as one of the best network television dramas of all time.
The West Wing inspired many people. Lin-Manuel Miranda told the cast their show was a muse when he wrote Hamilton, the musical you’ll never get tickets to. It inspired another guy to do something less amazing, according to Whitford, who starred as Josh Lyman. “I was in D.C., and this guy was obviously a staffer on the Hill, and he goes, ‘Hey, I just want to tell you, man, your show — that’s the reason I went into politics.’ I was like, ‘Oh, thanks. That really means a lot to me,’” Whitford recounted. “He said, ‘I’m exhausted, I’m broke and I don’t think I’m ever going to kiss Mary-Louise Parker.’”
We’re now in an age in which shows are getting new seasons long after they’ve left the air. Sorkin and the cast kept the door open for new West Wing episodes one day. “If there was a way to bring it back without harming its legacy, I would,” Sorkin said, sparking the hopes of thousands of people.
Oh, and yes, they were asked about the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president, Donald Trump. When asked who The West Wing’s president, Jed Bartlet, would endorse, Sorkin replied, “Of course Bartlet would endorse Hillary Clinton if he were a real person.”
Stephen Colbert slams the Senate for failing to pass gun control bills:
Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.
