The West Wing Cast Reunites at White House for 25th Anniversary

Welcome back to the Bartlet administration.

West Wing Reunion at the White House

The cast and crew of The West Wing reunited to celebrate the show’s 25th anniversary at the White House, where First Lady Jill Biden paid tribute to the acclaimed political drama. “We just came from the Oval,” Dr. Biden said. “But even though Joe [Biden] is away hosting leaders of Australia and India and Japan in Delaware, he wanted to make sure that President Bartlet and his staff had a chance to see the Oval Office again.”

The Cast in Attendance

Among those in attendance were Martin Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet and gave a brief, fiery speech after Dr. Biden’s; Richard Schiff, who portrayed communications director Toby Ziegler; Dulé Hill, who acted as Bartlet’s body man, Charlie Young; Janel Moloney, who played senior assistant Donna Moss; Alyssa Fitzgerald, the actor behind Carol Fitzpatrick; Mary McCormack, who played Kate Harper; Emily Procter, who played Ainsley Hayes; the show’s executive producer, Tommy Schlamme; and series creator Aaron Sorkin.

Awards and Acknowledgements

The showrunner, who later won an Oscar for penning The Social Network, praised President Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race in a speech.

“Over the years, I’ve noticed that during times of peak political tension, pundits will warn us not to expect a West Wing moment,” Sorkin said. “They mean not to expect a selfless act of statesmanship. Not to expect anyone to put country first. Don’t expect anyone to swing for the fences or reach for the stars. But the fact is, West Wing moments do happen. And Dr. Biden, we saw proof of that on the morning of July 21.”

Reflecting on the Series

Elsewhere in his speech, Sorkin discussed his aims for the series when it premiered. “We had no political agenda,” he said. “We were trying to do a good show every week. But the greatest delivery system ever invented for an idea is a story and, once in a while, we’ll hear from someone who was inspired to go into public service because of our show. And that’s something that 25 years ago this week none of us could have foreseen or even dared to hope for.”

Potential Revival and Future Plans

After the event, Sorkin told Variety that he’s now considering a revival of the series. “If I had an idea, sure,” he said. “I didn’t think about it seriously, frankly, until today… We’ll see what happens when I wake up tomorrow. But if you’re asking me now, this is how I feel.”

The showrunner did admit that he felt inspired during the event. “I just got a couple of ideas for episodes just walking around the White House,” Sorkin told the outlet. “Like, ‘Why didn’t we ever do this? Why didn’t we ever do that?'”

Challenges and Concerns

However, the screenwriter fears making new episodes that would seem too connected with real-world contemporary politics. “The worry would be that everything we did on the show would be seen as a rebuttal to the world of Donald Trump.”

Sorkin also told Variety that he was reluctant to create a West Wing revival because he thought audiences might resist a different onscreen president. “I suspect that a new president would have a hard time living up to people’s memories of Martin,” he said. “But maybe enough time has gone by and it’s a whole new generation. A generation which, by the way, thanks to streaming, thinks we’re making the show today!”

FAQs

Q: Will there be a revival of The West Wing?

A: Aaron Sorkin is considering a revival of the series but has expressed concerns about the challenges of creating new episodes.

Q: Who attended the 25th-anniversary celebration at the White House?

A: The event was attended by the cast and crew of The West Wing, including Martin Sheen, Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, and more.

Q: What did Aaron Sorkin discuss in his speech at the event?

A: Sorkin reflected on the impact of the series and the unexpected influence it had on inspiring individuals to pursue public service.

Credit: ew.com