♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.

WE'RE BACK WITH THE CREATOR AND CAST OF "THE WEST WING," ALLISON

JANNEY, RICHARD SCHIFF, MARTIN SHEEN, AARON SORKIN AND

BRADLEY WHITFORD.

HOW MUCH DID THE ACTORS THEMSELVES INFLUENCE THE

CHARACTERS?

YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND, RICHARD, YOU MADE SOME CHOICES.

I UNDERSTAND RICHARD MADE SOME CHOICES THAT WOULD SOMETIMES BOX

YOU IN A CORNER.

>> YEAH.

IT WAS WHILE WE WERE SHOOTING THE PILOT, MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE

DAYS IN.

I NOTICED HE WAS WEARING A WEDDING RING.

AND I WENT TO HIM BETWEEN TAKES AND SAID, ," YOU KNOW, I JUST

HADN'T THOUGHT THAT TOBY WAS MARRIED."

AND RICHARD SAID, "YEAH, ME NEITHER."

I SAID, "YOU'RE WEARING A WEDDING RING."

HE SAID, "YEAH, I WAS GOING TO LET YOU FIGURE THAT OUT."

>> OKAY, I HAVE TO TELL MY VERSION OF THE STORY BECAUSE

IT'S FASCINATING HOW WE REMEMBER THINGS.

>> Stephen: OKAY.

>> BECAUSE-- BECAUSE AARON CAME UP TO ME, KIND OF DESPERATE,

ACTUALLY, AND A LITTLE FRANTIC.

"YOU'RE WEARING A WEDDING RING."

AND I WENT, "YEAH."

AND HE GOES, "ARE YOU MARRIED?" AND I WENT, "NO."

WHAT I SAID WAS, "TONE IS A-- I DECIDED THAT HE WAS A WIDOWER,

WHICH IS WHY HE'S SO MUCH-- SO INTENSE AND SO FOCUSED AND MAYBE

A LITTLE BIT SAD AND GAVE HIM SOME DEPTH, THAT HE LOST SOMEONE

VERY CLOSE TO HIM."

YOU REMEMBER IT AS "YOU FIGURE IT OUT" BECAUSE YOU WERE

THINKING, "DAMN, I HAVE TO FIGURE THIS OUT NOW," BECAUSE

YOU HAD WRITTEN MY EX-WIFE.

>> RIGHT, RIGHT, I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT.

BUT MORE TO THE POINT, YES, OF COURSE THE ACTORS INFLUENCED THE

CHARACTERS AS WE WENT.

THAT'S-- IT'S ONE OF THE REALLY NICE THINGS ABOUT DOING SERIES

TELEVISION, ABOUT STAYING WITH SOMETHING.

YOU KNOW, I STAYED WITH IT FOR FOUR YEARS, THAT YOU'RE KIND OF

ON YOUR OWN WITH THE PILOT, AND THEN WITH THIS GROUP, STARTING

WITH EPISODE TWO, YOU KNOW, YOU START TO GET TO KNOW THEM A

LITTLE BIT, AND THEY'RE REALLY FILLING OUT THESE CHARACTERS,

AND IT JUST STARTS TO WORK.

I MEAN, I THINK THAT WE HAD SOME VERY GOOD EPISODES IN THE FIRST

SEASON, BUT I FEEL LIKE IT TOOK US THE FIRST YEAR TO LEARN HOW

TO DO THE SHOW.

SHOW.

>> Stephen: ALLISON, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE EPISODE?

.>> OH, GOSH -- >> Stephen: YOU GET THE TOUGH

QUESTIONS ON "THE LATE SHOW"."

>> IT'S HARD FOR ME TO PICK BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY

MOMENTS OUT THAT I LOVE.

ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING FOR ME AND JUST EMOTIONALLY-- AS AN

ACTOR WAS WOMEN OF KUMAR, WHICH WAS-- I BELIEVE, AARON, LET ME

SEE.

SEASON THREE, EPISODE NINE.

>> OKAY.

>> WAS I RIGHT?

OKAY, I DON'T KNOW.

I THINK IT WAS THAT.

BUT I LOVED IT BECAUSE IT WAS C.J., YOU KNOW, HER PERSONAL

BELIEFS AND CONVICTIONS COMING UP-- COMING IN CONFLICT WITH

WHAT THE BARTLETT ADMINISTRATION WAS PUTTING OUT, BECAUSE THEY

WERE SELLING ARMS TO THE FICTIONAL COUNTRY OF KUMAR, THAT

WAS ABUSIVE TO WOMEN.

AND IT WAS VERY-- C.J.-- IT COST HER SOMETHING EMOTIONALLY.

SO THAT WAS A GREAT STORYLINE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HER CONFLICTED

AND SHOWING-- THAT WAS AN AMAZING EPISODE TO BE A PART OF.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, CONVERSELY, I LOOK THE SILLY THINGS I GOT TO

DO.

MAKING BARTLETT PARDON TWO TURKEYS ON THANKSGIVING, OR

WORKING WITH OTHER BARNIARD ANIMALS I GOT TO WORK WITH.

I ALWAYS LOVED DOING THE SILLY COMEDY THINGS.

BUT THEN AN EPISODE LIKE "THE WOMEN OF KUMAR" FULFILLED ME AS

AN ACTRESS.

SO IT'S HARD TO ANSWER THAT SUCCINCTLY.

>> Stephen: WELL, YOU NAILED IT.

YOU NAILED IT.

MARTIN, BARTLETT WAS THE SECOND CATHOLIC PRESIDENT THE YUT EVER

HAD.

AND I THINK IT'S KNOWN THAT YOU WANTED JOSIAH BARTLETT TO BE A

CATHOLIC.

WHY WAS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU AS A PERFORMER?

>> YOU KNOW, WELL, I'M A PRACTICING CATHOLIC.

I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT RIGHT, SO I CONTINUE TO PRACTICE.

I WANTED BARTLETT TO HAVE A PERSONAL REFERENCE OF MORALITY

SO THAT IT WENT BEYOND THE NORMAL COURSE OF POLITICS OR

PUBLIC LIFE, THAT HE TOOK IT PERSONAL.

THERE WAS REWARD AND PUNISHMENT.

BUT I ALSO WANTED HIM TO HAVE A NOTRE DAME DEGREE, FOR OBVIOUS

REASONS.

I DIDN'T HAVE ONE.

SO I'M GRATEFUL THAT AARON GAVE ME BOTH.

>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TACK A QUICK BREAK BUT STICK AROUND

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE OF "THE WEST WING."