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

SORKIN, BRADLEY WHITFORD, ALISON JANNEY, RICHARD SCHIFF

AND MARTIN SHEEN.

EVERYBODY WAS HEARTBROKEN BY THE LOSS OF JOHN SPENCER IN 2005,

AND HIS CHARACTER, LEO, SUCH AN IMPORTANT CHARACTER, HE--

MARTIN, YOUR CHARACTER, JOSIAH BARTLETT, WERE THE MOM AND DAD

OF THAT SHOW.

WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE "A," WHEN YOU WERE BACK PERFORMING WITH

JOHN SPENCER?

DID YOU GUYS-- WAS THAT THE VIBE FOR YOU AS PERFORMERS, LIKE YOUR

INLUENCE ON THE REST OF THE CAST?

>> YOU KNOW, WELL I-- YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T PROJECT IT INFLUENCE

PER SE, BUT WE JUST TRIED TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WHO

WE WERE IN REAL LIFE.

HE AND I WERE THE OLDEST GUYS.

WE ADORED EACH OTHER.

WE HAD A SIMILAR BACKGROUND IN THEATER OVER IN NEW YORK.

AND I REMEMBER-- MY FAVORITE STORY-- PERSONALLY, I ADORED HIM

AND I STILL MISS HIM, FRANKLY.

AND IT WAS HARD TO GET THROUGH THIS RECENT PERFORMANCE WITHOUT

HIM.

BECAUSE HIS PRESENCE WAS SO POWERFUL.

>> Stephen: HOW DID YOU-- HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THAT.

>> I REMEMBER -- >> Stephen: I'M SORRY, FINISH

YOUR STORY.

>> ... ALLISON JANNEY REVEALED SOME YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE

STILL DOING THE SHOW, SHE WAS DOING AN INTERVIEW WITH A

REPORTER WHO SAID, WELL, 'THE WEST WING' IS ALL WELL AND GOOD

BUT THERE'S NO LOVE INTEREST."

AND ALLISON SAID, "OF COURSE THERE IS."

AND HE SAID, "BETWEEN WHO?

AND SHE SAID, "BETWEEN JOHN AND MARTIN, OF COURSE."

>> Stephen: I LOVE IT.

I LOVE IT.

I TOTALLY AGREE.

LEO IS IN THIS EPISODE.

AARON, HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH THE LOSS OF JOHN SPENCER?

>> FIRST, I JUST WANT TO DISAGREE WITH MARTIN WHEN HE

SAYS NEITHER HE NOR JOHN HAD ANY INFLUENCE OVER THE REST OF THE

CAST.

OF COURSE THEY DID.

THE REST OF THE CAST-- YOU KNOW, JOHN AND MARTIN SET THE BAR.

THE REST OF THE CAST ABSOLUTELY DIDN'T WANT TO DISAPPOINT THEM,

AND THEY WERE VERY HAPPY TO BE WORKING WITH THESE TWO GIANTS.

WE NEEDED AN ACTOR TO PLAY LEO.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED IT TO BE SOMEBODY THAT WE KNEW, THAT

JOHN WOULD ADMIRE.

AND SO WE GOT STERLING KAY BROWN.

>> Stephen: OH, WOW.

WOW.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: I-- I IMAGINE THAT WAS-- THAT WAS A CHALLENGE FOR

HIM TO STEP INTO.

GOOD FOR HIM.

>> OH, HE DID IT BEAUTIFULLY, THOUGH.

HE ROSE TO THE CHALLENGE, AND IT WAS JUST BRILLIANT.

AND I-- IT WAS MY FIRST TIME WORKING WITH HIM, AND I ADORED

HIM.

I THINK HE WAS A GREAT-- I THINK JOHN WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD OF

WHAT STERLING DID.

>> I DID A LITTLE ZOOM REHEARSAL WITH HIM, AND I JUST-- I

COULDN'T GET THROUGH IT.

I-- I-- I STARTED TO CRY BECAUSE-- BECAUSE IT WAS LEO AND

IT WAS AN ACTOR WHO-- WHO LIVED UP TO THE STATURE OF JOHN.

SO I THINK-- IT WAS-- IT WAS GREAT TO WORK WITH STERLING.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: THIS EPISODE IS ACTUALLY ABOUT REELECTION,

BASICALLY HOW IS PRESIDENT BARTLETT GOING TO RUN THIS TIME?

RICHARD, WHAT IS THAT EPISODE MEAN TODAY?

YOU KNOW, 18 YEARS LATER, HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE THAT STORY IN THE

LIGHT OF OUR PRESENT CAMPAIGN?

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST

READ THIS YEARS AGO, I'VE NEVER-- I HAD NEVER SEEN THE

EPISODE AFTER WE SHOT IT.

WHEN I FIRST READ THE EPISODE YEARS AGO, I THOUGHT, WELL, THIS

IS AN ODE TO DEMOCRACY, YOU KNOW, THAT EVERY LITTLE VOTE IN

EVERY SMALL TOWN MATTERS.

AND-- AND HOW LOVELY IT IS THAT YOU ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BE AT

THEIR VERY BEST AND TO BE THEMSELVES.

WHEN I-- WHEN I READ IT NOW, 20-- 15 YEARS LATER-- WHENEVER

IT IS-- IT BROUGHT ME TO TEARS.

I WAS ALMOST DEVASTATED BY IT, BECAUSE GIVEN THE STATE OF OUR

DEMOCRACY AND THE THREAT TO-- AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO IT,

READING THIS BEAUTIFUL ODE TO VOTING AND TO BEING THE BEST

PERSON YOU COULD BE WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING FOR THAT OFFICE WAS SO

TOUCHING TO ME.

I DIDN'T THINK THAT I'D BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH IT.

IT'S JUST SO MUCH MORE POIGNANT TODAY WITH THIS THREAT HANGING

OVER US THAN IT WAS JUST A BEAUTIFUL EPISODE 15 OR 17 YEARS

AGO.

>> Stephen: DID ANY OF YOU WATCH THE SHOW?

>> YOU KNOW, I WOULD WATCH THE SHOW WHEN IT AIRED, WEDNESDAY

NIGHTS AT 9:00.

AND THEN I WOULDN'T WATCH IT AGAIN.

I DIDN'T-- I LOOKED AT "HARTSFIELD LANDING" AGAIN A

MONTH OR SO AGO WHEN WE WERE PUTTING THIS TOGETHER, AND I

NEEDED TO CHOOSE AN EPISODE.

BUT I DON'T LIKE TO WATCH THEM AGAIN FOR FEAR THAT IT'S NOT

GOING TO LIVE UP TO MY MEMORY, THAT IT WASN'T AS GOOD AS I

THOUGHT IT WAS.

AND I HAVE TO SAY, WATCHING "HARTSFIELD LANDING," THESE GUYS

WERE ALWAYS GOOD, BUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, THEY JUST ALL THE

BAT ON THE BALL, AND EVERYTHING WORKED IN THAT EPISODE.

AND LIKE I SAID, IN THIS NEW ITERATION, AS A PLAY, WHICH IS--

WHICH IS WHAT TOMMY DREAMED UP, A PLAY WHICH IS THEN FILMED-- IT

STILL WORKS.

NO PROBLEM 20 YEARS LATER.

WE COULD HAVE AIRED THE EPISODE LAST WEEK.

>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.

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

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