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To mark 25 years since “The West Wing” debuted, President Jed Barrett’s Martin Sheen, creator Aaron Sorkin and First Lady Jill Biden are bringing “Extra” to the White House for a special celebration!
Martin revealed to our Mona Kosar Abdi that he wasn’t initially hired as a full-time cast member.
“I was only asked to do four or five episodes,” Sheen says, “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. A round guy.”
Martin continued, “They came back to me and said, ‘Will you be fully supportive?’ And I said, ‘Sure, we just ask that the president be Catholic and a Notre Dame graduate.'”
Looking back, the actor recalled, “A political show had never been made before. We didn’t expect it to be a success, but it just took off. Bill Clinton was in the White House at the time and was very interested in the show. Then President Bush came into office. He was from a different administration and party, but he was just as interested.”
Also in attendance at the DC celebration were Martin’s West Wing co-stars Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, Emily Procter and Tommy Schram.
Not to mention, Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack co-wrote 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 White House’ is a love letter to service, and we say ‘What’s Next?’ is a love letter to ‘The White House.'”
Mona told them, “Sure, Martin raved about the book, but he also said you guys were too soft on him.”
Mary replied, “Yes, we had to hide the book from him because he is a very humble man, and we knew that if we showed it to him too soon, he would try to take away all the good things from him.”
Warner Bros. Television chairman Channing Dungey said the show served as inspiration.
“We have many members of the White House audience who have gone on to work in these professions because they were inspired by the show,” she said. “The show’s legacy continues to inspire and motivate so many young people, and we want to bring that energy to politics now more than ever.”
“The West Wing” is available to stream on Max.