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| Rob Lowe as | Sam (Samuel Norman) Seaborn | Deputy Communications Director |
| Moira Kelly as | Mandy (Madeline) Hampton | Public Relations Consultant |
| Dulé Hill as | Charlie (Charles) Young | Personal Aide to the President |
| Allison Janney as | C.J. (Claudia Jean) Cregg | Press Secretary |
| Richard Schiff as | Toby (Tobias Zachary) Ziegler | Communications Director |
| John Spencer as | Leo Thomas McGarry | Chief of Staff |
| Bradley Whitford as | Josh (Joshua) Lyman | Deputy Chief of Staff |
| and Martin Sheen as |
Jed (Josiah Edward) Bartlet | President of the United States |
| Guest Starring | ||
| CCH Pounder as | Debbie (Deborah) O'Leary | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development |
| Timothy Busfield as | Danny (Daniel) Concannon | (Washington Post) Reporter |
| Janel Moloney as | Donna (Donnatella) Moss | Assistant to Deputy Chief of Staff |
| Robert David Hall as | David Nessler | |
| Vaughn Armstrong as | Sgt. MacNamara | |
| Special Appearance By Edward James Olmos as |
Justice Roberto Mendoza | Supreme Court nominee |
| Co-Starring | ||
| NiCole Robinson as | Margaret | Hooper (last name) / Assistant to Chief of Staff |
| Kim Webster as | Ginger | Assistant to Communications Director |
| Melissa Fitzgerald as | Carol | Fitzpatrick (last name) Assistant to the Press Secretary |
| Devika Parikh as | Bonnie | Communications' Aide |
| Jacqueline Torres as | Reporter #1 | Sondra |
| Charles Noland as | Reporter #2 | Steve |
| Diana Morgan as | Reporter #3 | Jesse |
| Kris Narmont as | Katie | Witt (last name) / Reporter |
| Victor Love as | Mike | Reporter |
| Jason C. Morgan as | Peter | Officer |
| Bob Thompson as | Steward | Billy |
| J.P. Stevenson as | Jonathan | Reporter |
| Kelly Fialing as | Pretty College Student |
"There's a scene in a [recent] episode in which an African-American woman, the secretary of housing and urban development [played by CCH Pounder], has lost her cool in a committee meeting and accused the committee chairman of being a racist. And the way [Dee Dee] did it was by using the phrase 'If the shoe fits ...' In my script I [Aaron Sorkin] keep having people say, 'If she was going to lose her cool, couldn't she find some better way of phrasing it than "If the shoe fits?"' That kind of thing drives Dee Dee crazy because I spend the entire episode mocking her dialogue." Myers, for her part, laughs good-naturedly and admits, "I'm learning a lot about writing dialogue from Aaron."
"Meet The Prez"
by Ken Tucker
February 25, 2000
Entertainment Weekly
[This] episode involved a series of gaffes made by the staff during the president's absence, culminating in a scene in which a sleep-deprived Sheen goes into a priceless slow burn while being briefed on the problems by his hesitant, apologetic underlings."They wouldn't be that hangdog," [Mike] McCurry [former press secretary for President Clinton] observes. Obviously, the African-American "personal aide to the president" is a piece of dramatic license, one might think.
"No, there is such a job," McCurry says. "And it's a hard, hard job. They take it a little bit far. He wouldn't go right into the president's bedroom to wake him up for a meeting. But he would be the one to call him on the phone to wake him up."
"Presidential Seal"
by Roger Anderson
February 27, 2000
Scripps Howard News Service in Fresno Bee
[Melissa] Fitzgerald recalled a day on which the show was shooting a presidential "photo op.""There were tons of extras that day working," and Sheen, she said, made a point of introducing himself to each and every one.
"It was the most lovely thing. Everyone felt part of the scene," she said. "I thought, 'My God. He really looks like the president.' "
"'Wing'ed angel"
by Ellen Gray
March 15, 2000
Philadelphia Daily News
I've only seen one that I thought was so far off the mark that it was really a mistake, and that's when they had a Supreme Court nominee arrested for speeding, and two members of the White House staff went and broke him out of jail, which is an impeachable offense. And for any White House to really try that would have been stupid. First of all, everybody in the White House would have gotten fired. The president would have gotten impeached, and the Supreme Court nominee would have to be dumber than an owl to ever break the law by getting out of a speeding ticket. So that was the only one that I thought was really off the mark. - Marlin Fitzwater
"Popular Politics"
by Terence Smith
September 8, 2000
Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Apparently James Olmos heard that they were going to have the White House name a Hispanic to the Supreme Court and begged to let him play the part. "At that point the character was only to appear in that one episode, we never said "'there's more for you down the road,' and that he literally only had about 4 lines, one of which was "'Thank you, Mr. President,' but he didn't care." Then they wrote Celestial Navigation.
Posted at TheWestWing@egroups.com
by Jenn
September 26, 2000
Message 6797
Notes from the Harvard Law School Forum with Aaron Sorkin
Hail to the cheap? NBC's hit West Wing is miserly with its guest stars, says Oscar nominee Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver)
Olmos, in town last week for PBS's annual meeting, says he was asked to work for scale - about $4,500 per episode - when he did two guests shots as Supreme Court nominee Judge Roberto Mendoza in the '99-2000 season.
"West Wing complained when they had to pay me," says Olmos, who stars in the forthcoming PBS drama American Family. "They felt they had a top show, and wouldn't everybody want to do it for nothing?
"I said: 'No, I don't do anything for commercial television for nothing. You don't need the help!' I'm a little too expensive for them. You can't ask major talent to come on board without being able to support themselves."
NBC referred calls to West Wing producer Warner Bros. Television. Warner Bros. had no comment, but sources close to West Wing say Olmos received "well above scale" for his work.
Ironically, perpetually cash- strapped PBS is giving Olmos his "normal fee" for Family, originally developed for CBS by filmmaker Gregory Nava (Selena)
"PBS came in strong," says Olmos, 54, who's married to Sopranos shrink Lorraine Bracco. "Obviously, they appreciate my work and my talent, and they're paying me for it."
"PBS pays up more readily than 'West Wing' for Olmos"
by Gail Shister
June 19, 2001
Philadelphia Inquirer
On "Celestial Navigation"
"I just knew one way or another, I was putting cotton balls in Allison's mouth." That whole episode sort of evolved as a prank on her but really because he has such respect for her as a comedienne.
Posted at AaronSorkin@yahoogroups.com
by AJ
September 12, 2003
Message 31492
Notes from "A Conversation with Aaron Sorkin" at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills
"The day after I won the first Emmy was one of my favorite days professionally and psychologically. Most actors are self-deprecating. We think someone will discover 'I'm not talented.' So psychologically, having that Emmy that day was a release. And I now permanently have a title: 'Four-time Emmy winner Allison Janney.' Hopefully, when this run (on "West Wing") is over, that will get me some respect as well as my next job. There are also jokes to be had from the Emmy. When you're on the set and the director is giving you notes, you can pull it out and say, 'Excuse me?"' - Allison Janney
"Waxing About the Award's Impact"
by Lee Alan Hill
May 2, 2005
Television Week
JANNEY I've always gotten parts who are strong and the glue of the family, so I related to C.J. right away.SORKIN Allison ended up testing against CCH Pounder, who was fantastic. It was agonizing.
"PRIMARY SEASON"
May 11, 2006
Entertainment Weekly
Dee Dee Myers had such problems in the Clinton White House. Later, as a West Wing consultant, "I got to take things that happened to me and change the ending a bit."In one episode, C.J. realizes she knows less about an issue than the reporters questioning her, and confronts the president. In another, C.J. has a root canal and Josh Lyman, the deputy chief of staff, substitutes at the daily briefing. "He makes a total hash of it" and creates an economic crisis, Myers says cheerfully.
Revenge? "Absolutely," she says.
"Is 'West Wing' idealistic or realistic?"
by Jill Lawrence
May 10, 2006
USA Today