♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.
WE'RE BACK WITH THE CREATOR AND CAST OF "THE WEST WING."
PEOPLE HAVE CHARACTERIZED THIS SHOW-- AND THIS IS A QUESTION
FOR AARON, BUT, REALLY, I'D LOVE TO GET EVERYBODY'S REACTION TO
THIS-- PEOPLE HAVE CHARACTERIZED THIS SHOW AS A POLITICAL LIBERAL
SOFT-CORE, YOU KNOW, POLITICAL PORN.
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE IT?
HOW DO YOU LOOK BACK ON THE SPIRIT OF THIS SHOW AND WHAT YOU
THINK IT MEANT TO THE AUDIENCE?
>> YOU KNOW, WELL, I DON'T THINK I GET TO CHARACTERIZE IT, FIRST.
I THINK THAT'S UP TO THE AUDIENCE.
BUT I'LL GO AHEAD.
>> Stephen: HOW ABOUT YOUR INTENTION?
>> YOU KNOW, YEAH, THANK YOU.
MY INTENTION WAS THAT I FEEL LIKE IN POPULAR CULTURE, BY AND
LARGE, OUR LEADERS HAVE BEEN DEPICTED AS EITHER MACHIAVELLIAN
OR DOLTS.
>> AND NOW WE HAVE BOTH.
SORRY.
>> I WANTED TO DO A SHOW SET AGAINST THIS VERY EXOTIC
BACKDROP, THE WHITE HOUSE, WHERE THERE COULD BE HIGH-STAKES
PROBLEMS.
BUT THE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE ARE EVER BIT AS COMPETENT AND
COMMITTED AS THE DOCTORS AND NURSES ON A HOSPITAL SHOW OR THE
DETECTIVES ON A SHOP SHOW OR THE LAWYERS ON A DAVID KELLY SHOW,
THAT THEY WERE GOING TO WIN AS MUCH AS THEY WERE GOING TO LOSE.
BUT THEY WERE GOING TO WAKE UP EVERY MORNING THINKING ABOUT US
AND TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING, WANTING TO DO THE RIGHT
THING.
AND, YOU KNOW, BACK WHEN WE WERE DOING THE SHOW, YOU'D GET MAIL,
ACTUAL MAIL, FROM VIEWERS.
THE LION'S SHARE OF IT WOULD ALWAYS BEGIN WITH SOMEBODY
SELF-IDENTIFYING AS A REPUBLICAN OR CONSERVATIVE OR SAYING, "YOU
KNOW, I DON'T AGREE WITH MOST OF THE OPINIONS YOUR CHARACTERS
EXPRESS, BUT I LOVE THE SHOW."
AND THE REASON THEY LIKED IT WAS BECAUSE THEY REALLY LIKED THE
SIGHT AND SOUND OF COMPETENCE AND DEDICATION.
THE SHOW WAS A VALENTINE TO PUBLIC SERVICE AND TO AMERICAN
INSTITUTIONS AND DEMOCRACY.
AND IT JUST-- IT SHOWED A BRAND OF PATRIOTISM THAT WE DIDN'T
COMMONLY SEE ON TV BACK THEN.
>> BY THE WAY, THE CRITICISM WOULD COME FROM BOTH SIDES.
I GOT A LETTER IN MY TRAILER AFTER AN EPISODE WE DID ON
SOCIAL SECURITY, WHERE TOBY SOLVES SOCIAL SECURITY.
AND I HAD TO GO TO ALL OF THE EXPERTS THAT-- THE CONSULTANTS
ON OUR SET-- LAWRENCE O'DONNELL AND PAT GOODELL AND EVERYBODY
ELSE, TO ASK THEM HOW IN FACT THIS ALL REALLY WORKS, BECAUSE I
DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.
IT'S LIKE GREEK TO ME.
AND THEY ALL HAD THEIR DIFFERENT EXPLANATIONS ABOUT HOW THIS PLAN
WILL WORK COMPLETELY DIFFERENT3 THAN THE OTHER.
SO I HAD TO DO IT AS IF I WAS SPEAKING GREEK AND JUST GET
THROUGH IT.
WEEKS LATER, I GOT A LETTER IN MY TRAIL SAYING, "THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR TACKLING THIS VERY DIFFICULT ISSUE.
HERE ARE 10 REASONS WHY WHERE YOU ARE PLAN WON'T WORK."
SIGNED, SENATOR FROM NEW YORK, HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON.
>> OH, MY GOSH.
DID YOU WRITE BACK AND TELL HER I DIDN'T WRITE THAT EPISODE, I
HAD LEFT THE SHOW ALREADY.
( LAUGHTER )
>> I DID NOT.
>> Stephen: BEFORE WE GO, OBVIOUSLY, AS I SAID, YOU ALL
LOVED SAYING AARON'S WORDS.
AND, AARON, I ASKED YOU IF YOU WOULD GIVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO
DO ONE OF YOUR MONOLOGUES.
AND YOU NICELY ENOUGH WROTE THE OUTROW TO THIS INTERVIEW.
I'M GOING TO DO IT WITH YOUR INDULGENCE.
IMAGINE THE CAMERA SLOWLY PUSHING IN ON ME AND THE
AMERICAN FLAG IN THE BACKGROUND AND MAYBE SOME STRINGS COME IN
AT A PERSON POINT.
"A WEST WING SPECIAL TO BENEFIT WHEN WE ALL VOTE" AIRS OCTOBER
15 ON HBO MAX, BECAUSE WE'RE FREER, WE'RE FAIRER, WE'RE
SMARTER, AND WE'RE BETTER WHEN WE ALL VOTE.
BECAUSE ON THIS ONE DAY, ELECTION DAY, THE MOST POWERFUL
PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ARE NOT KINGS OR PRIME MINISTERS OR
PRESIDENTS.
ON THIS ONE DAY, THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ARE
AMERICAN VOTERS.
AND AMERICAN VOTERS KNOW IN THEIR HEARTS THAT THIS IS NOT A
REUNION SHOW.
RICHARD SCHIFF, MARTIN SHEEN, AARON SORKIN, BRADLEY WHITFORD
AND ALLISON JANNEY!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
>> THANKS A LOT.
>> THANK YOU, STEPHEN.