Courtesy of WarnerMedia(LOS ANGELES) — It’s Christmas in October for fans of The West Wing. The cast is reuniting for a stage version of the episode “Hartsfield’s Landing,” on HBO Max.
The reunion supports the When We All Vote initiative, and Richard Schiff, who plays Toby Ziegler the Communications Director to Martin Sheen’s President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet, tells ABC Audio the reunion has a simple goal.
“To motivate people, if they need it for some reason to overcome the obstacles that they might have in front of them to vote, because some of us have great obstacles to overcome. And that’s that’s that’s what I hope people come away with.”
Adds Schiff’s co-star Janel Maloney, “It sure seems like people have worked pretty hard to limit people’s access to to vote. And I think it’s so sinister and cynical and really heartbreaking to me and not what our country should be doing.”
Schiff says show creator Aaron Sorkin picked that particular episode for its timely message.
“This episode is an ode to what a beautiful thing it is that we in this country get to exercise, our votes and determine help determine collectively our future where that’s an exception to the rule in the world today.”
Shiff says getting back together with the old gang was “joyous and exhilarating.”
Maloney, who plays an assistant to Bradley Whitford’s Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, agrees.
“I don’t think there’s really any chance that any of us are going to find that again. So we’re all really aware of that,” she explains. “And then just to get a chance in the middle of this pandemic, when all of us have been isolated, many of us that was our first time back to a set. So it was especially sweet.”
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