Actor Martin Sheen speaks alongside US First Lady Jill Biden and cast members at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the TV series The West Wing at the White House.
Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images
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Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images
This week, some of the stars of the political drama The West Wing They celebrated the 25th anniversary of the series and they couldn’t have found a better place.
In a small ceremony Friday in the White House Rose Garden, first lady Jill Biden welcomed the cast and creator who brought fictional President Jed Bartlet and his administration to the small screen.
The event opened with brief remarks from the first lady, who delivered a welcome message from President Biden, who is hosting a diplomatic summit at his home in Wilmington.
“Even though Joe is traveling to Delaware to welcome the leaders of Australia, India and Japan, he wanted to make sure President Bartlet and his team had a chance to see the Oval Office again,” she said.
“I am so grateful to everyone on stage for taking the time to be here, because your work has inspired so many to step up and serve our country.”
The First Lady was followed by President Bartlet himself, or rather by the actor who played him, Martin Sheen, who passionately recited a poem by the poet Rabindranath Tagore, which conveyed patriotic themes:
“Where the heart is without fear,
And the head is high
where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been divided into fragments by narrow domestic walls
Where words arise from the depths of truth
And the tireless effort stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not been lost in the gloomy sands of the desert of dead habits
Where the mind is led by you to ever broader thought and action in this paradise of freedom
Dear Father
“Let our country wake up.”
In addition to Sheen, actors Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, Emily Procter, Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack were in attendance, as well as director and executive producer Thomas Schlamme, according to the White House.
West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin also said his show about a fictional, principled American president was “idealistic, aspirational and romantic.”
“I’ve noticed over the years that in times of extreme political tension, pundits warn us of a West Wing moment,” Sorkin said. “They don’t want to expect a selfless act from a statesman. They don’t want to expect someone to put their country first. They don’t want to expect someone to fight for the fences or reach for the stars.”
However, Sorkin went on to say that “West Wing moments” do happen sometimes.
“We saw proof of that on the morning of July 21,” Sorkin said, referring to the day President Biden announced his decision not to run for a second term.
“That’s the kind of thing you tell stories about.”
