Bartlet4America News Archive

Bush in a cameo role? No thanks, ‘West Wing’ producers say

by GAIL SHISTER
Philadelphia Inquirer

PASADENA, Calif. - Mushrooms or pepperoni?

Before he became president-elect, George W. Bush pitched a cameo as "a pizza delivery guy" on NBC's The West Wing, says creator-exec producer Aaron Sorkin.

More than a year ago, "somebody in the Bush campaign" called West Wing's production offices and asked whether Bush, not the official Republican candidate at the time, "could do a cameo as a pizza delivery guy or something," according to Sorkin.

"It was a real call, absolutely," Sorkin said in an interview Wednesday night at an NBC bash during the TV critics' press tour.

"I don't think it was anybody very high up in the campaign. I'm sure whoever called wasn't totally in tune with the policy of West Wing. We don't do that kind of thing."

Still, Sorkin was "very tickled" by the Bush request. "My first reaction was, 'God, somebody is watching our show!' We would have done it but for the fact it's wrong for West Wing." A spokesman for the Bush transition team could not be reached for comment yesterday. Bob Dole, the '96 GOP nominee, offered his acting services, too, Sorkin says, and was turned down. "If somebody like Bob Dole has even heard of the show, I can't tell you how flattering it is to me. I wish I could use him."

Though Sorkin says he receives ideas for story lines from real-life politicians pushing a particular issue, he tries to avoid using recognizable personalities on West Wing because it would upset the credibility of Democratic President Josiah Bartlett's (Martin Sheen's) White House. Sorkin says he still "feels uncomfortable" about an episode last season in which Bartlett and his staff fly to Hollywood for a fund-raiser. Tonight host Jay Leno, among other celebs, appeared in a party scene around a swimming pool.

"Where there is a Jay Leno, Bill Clinton is President of the United States, and we immediately know that," Sorkin says. "Moreover, for Leno to do a scene with [press secretary] C. J. Cregg [Allison Janney] a week after Allison was on Tonight is a strange line that's a little difficult to pinpoint, but you want to be able to.

"It started to feel like a Larry Sanders Show, trying to get mileage out of tossing around a contemporary name."

For that reason, in Wednesday's episode, the name of Maureen Dowd was changed to a fictional handle in a story line involving "a powerful New York Times columnist." Back to Clinton, now that he'll have some time on his hands, would Sorkin change his policy against using real people in the show?

"God, he would upstage all of us. He's going to be a charismatic force out there. There's something really funny that he's sticking around Washington. It's got to be driving some people crazy. He's going to be a real movie star in that town."