‘The West Wing’ was my inspiration. 25 years on I got to meet President Bartlet

The dispatch of the Air Force is often a reckless element for reporters traveling with the president. Load your luggage on the plane, prepare for yourself, and create a report in a pool that is basically reinforced what the president told or not before landing.

A large blue and white aircraft like Boeing 747 suddenly flies into the sky and exceeds the effect of mobile communication. And these wireless people often, like me, often load and share the president's remarks and audio files between the windows without this mobile phone.

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However, every time I traveled with President Biden in a snowy white house, I tried to give a quiet time after this riot. I put on the headphones, I was convinced that no other reporter had looked at my mobile phone screen, and included ... the theme of the TV series "Western Wing".

The wing composition focused on a specific theme.

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Why? That's because, like almost all the other millennials living in Washington, the tragedy of NBC from the late 1990s to the beginning of the century was my starting point in the universe of politicians and the government. She was the main point that driven me before the light of the politicians, what my own life, what to plan, and what to plan. And every time, in a space in one corner of the real world of the TV series, it was worth the understanding of what my life was.

Melissa Fitzgeralard played the role of Carol Fitz Patrick in the television series Western Wing. Mhari Shaw/for NPR HIDE CAPTION

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So far, I remember the first episode (Season 2!Someone falls in an emergency, someone goes to Kutsuka) I checked the channel on the clunky Bolshoi 2001 television, found this TV in the middle of the series, and immediately remembered that I was hooked on fragmentary and cheerful conversations-idealism, a state should be. A huge idea about the appearance and politicians should be.

I was absorbed in it and survived for a long time. And when I entered the laboratory, this series was a small excuse for conversation. This cycle was repeated when I graduated from the research institute and started my first job in a brand new big city. "I like western wings? I also look at it!" As a result, I got married to the first partner who had a damaged conversation under the influence of "Western wing").

Actors of the TV series "Western Wing". Getty Images/Hulton Archive Hide Caption

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Twenty-five years after the first season, the series can sometimes seem obvious and outdated. Real politicians are more cynical and committed. Tribal and existential morality. The Trump era forces the series to experience itself as a supporter of another era.

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But I also keep returning to the comfort of The West Wing. And yet, my DVD-player sits in a black corner of the basement gathering dust, and I know that my wife and I will never separate our overlapping collections of all the soap operas of the TV series. (She had all the seasons of a certain one; I bought the blue portfolio of artificial origins the same week. When we got together, we immediately made a tacit understanding that, in fact, both collections will remain.)

So when NPR proposed an interview with President Jed Bartlett, namely artist Martin Shin and the cast of Melissa Fitzgerald's important role in the TV series Legacy, I rushed down the editing hallway with the record and energy exhibited by my own cult TV series hero created by Aaron Somin."A walk and a conversation."

A chance? ANew bookFitzgerald has written about the cast of Mary McCormack with a colleague, entitled "What Is Furter: A Backstage Pass to the West Wing, its cast and crew, and the enduring legacy of service."

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Interview highlights

Martin Shin says that when he actually hears the theme song of the TV series The West Wing, he is transported to that moment. Mhari Shaw/for NPR hide caption

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Scott Detroit: There's a generation that got into politics and public service because they watched this show when they were in grade school or they were starting their careers. And they said, "I want to move to Washington." And they did. In many ways, this is because of the series. Melissa, when did you first watch the show?

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Melissa Fitzgerald: It's so good to hear so many young voices. We were in a sandwich shop yesterday evening, and a 20-year-old guy came up to me and said, "I came here because I was inspired by the Western Wing series." I think it was a similarly uplifting, directed series. And you can really see that this generation, a generation, has come into national service and has come into existence. And when you go through Washington, when Martin [Tyre] gets to the big city, everything is exactly the same as it was with Elvis.

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Detrow: Now, 25 years after the first film?

Fitzgerald: Maybe. Maybe not as much as when it was on the air, but now, as you're noticing, a lot of young people.

Martin Shin: Now, a lot of young people are discovering the series, and a lot of them are telling me that this happened to them during the pandemic. They were stuck at home and they started looking for things to inspire them and entertain them. They found "The West Wing," and in many ways, they found their true "selves."

A walk and talk from "The West Wing."

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Detrow: One of the interesting things in the book -- Martin, this might be a little confusing, so I'll give you both -- is that Melissa and Mary write a lot of quotes from the cast about how you intentionally set the tone on set.

Fitzgerald: I remember when I came on set on my first day of work and I saw Martin, and he shook hands with all the artists from Second Plan and introduced himself and said hello. He seemed to welcome everyone into the family. And this is something that is not often seen on a normal set. Martin is just himself. He is the most open and friendly person who treats everyone with dignity and respect. And we all benefit from this.

Shin: Thank you. But the only criticism I have said to Lemon Balm and Mary is that I should just look for people who I don't like, and they don't study enough.

New book "What's Next?" series "Western Wing" reflects on its legacy. Mhari Shaw/for NPR hide caption

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Detrow: I've never heard of this in all my years of listening to various podcasts and DVDs. Did you plan a trip to Las Vegas every year?

Shin: Yes, I saved up bus fare from bingo. [It was a Christmas present for everyone who is not usually in the frame. They're called nationalists. I hate that word, so I wanted to pay tribute every Christmas. We started out with one bus, then in the second season we had two, and when we got to Vegas we played bingo on the bus. It was so much fun.

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Detruh: In the spirit of the book, I'd like to ask each of you about your favorite things. Melissa, I'll start with you. Which episode is your favorite?

Fitzgerald: There are so many, it's hard to say, but I love "In excelsis deo."In excelsis deoI think this is a wonderful episode. And the content is, for example, we feel the benefits of those who have made great contributions to the country. And this is an episode of a veteran and Toby, for example, as a result of perfectly made, everyone understands this episode.

SHIN: I especially like the song "In Excelsis DEO", but my brother Mike was an infantry of the Marine Corps in Korea, but when I played this song, I had no chance to remember him. It is not easy to talk about this in this era.

Access Western Wing Episode "In Excelsis DEO".

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Detroe: My beloved episode is probably17 peopleWhen Toby (Seagrler) plays Richard Schiff, when he learns that the president is actually hiding a huge secret. A while ago, I reviewed the episode that was all clear:Tsuyoshi CathedralPresident Bartlet decides whether he should run for the next term. In fact, almost all scenes of this episode can be basically used to point out how President Biden and Vice President Harris should accept the conclusions of whether to run in the next presidential election. can.

SHIN: This conclusion is the brave conclusion that I myself recorded in my life with politicians.

Why?

Scott Detrou (center), Martin Singh, and Melissa Fitzgerald. Mhari Shaw/for NPR HIDE CAPTION

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Shin: As a result, he borrowed the most powerful post in the world and arranged it as a human. And he raised it higher than his own ambitions or his heritage.

When the eyes of the "wings on the west" become heavier after a quarter century, what is the "wings on the western side" for you?

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Shin: Contents. I can't even hear or think about this topic. And you can see all unusual young faces. And he is full of gratitude and praise. I can't believe that I was part of this part.

Fitzgerald: I witnessed the people and families made by this show. It was the best presentation in my life. If Western Wing is a message of love for national services, "What's next?" And we believe that Western Wing has been inspired by the love of the wing and in fact.

Interview with Martin Singh and Melissa Fitzgerald was prepared by Karen Cocola and edited by William Troe.