Bartlet4America News Archive

John Spencer chatted about life as Leo McGarry

Channel 4

Chat Ed : Good evening everyone and welcome to our live chat with JOHN SPENCER, LEO McGARRY in THE WEST WING.

John Spencer : Hello everyone, I'm so happy to be communicating.

iuhg : Hey there
TomT : Hi John
open sizzameee 2k2 : hello john spencer
TomT : I love the West Wing, how did you get the part and would you arther have been the President :)

John Spencer : No. I have absolutely no desire to be the President. Actually on many occasions Martin Sheen has turned to me and said that I should play the President and he should play Leo.

Before I read the The West Wing I had decided that I didn't want to do hour drama again, you put other parts of your life on hold because the hours are so challenging. After I read it though it I said this is too good, I've got to do it. They asked me to audition, which made me furious because I had just been working with the same Producer! So it was rage that motivated me. I learnt 8 scenes to memory and decided I was going to go to California, pay for my own trip out there and blow them away! Happily it worked. After me they auditioned no more Leos and when I got home the offer was on my answer machine. So it all had a happy ending.

Patrick Hutchinson : did you get the chance to do any research in the white house?

John Spencer : After I got the role and played it for a while on our first trip to Washington to shoot exteriors we were invited to the White House. I met the real Chief of Staff and hung out in the West Wing, which was really cool.

laura : Hi John! I think the best relationship on The West Wing is between Leo and Josh. How do you see their relationship and what is Brad Whitford like to work with?

John Spencer : I see the relationship as sort of a mentoring one. I think Leo sees Josh as a younger version of himself, ie a workaholic, a person devoted to government service.

Brad is wonderful to work with. I first worked with him in 1989 on Presumed Innocent. We were definitely bonding right from the beginning. He's a terrific guy and a wonderful actor.

Charles Lockett : Have you ever met the real life Chief of Staff or even President Bush? Is he a fan!

John Spencer : I've met President Clinton, Carter and Bush. Bush professes to be a fan. I have also met several Chiefs of Staff.

SamFan : Both Martin Sheen and Rob Lowe have been known to dabble in Politics before, would you ever consider getting into the real political situation?

John Spencer : Absolutely no interest at all.

kmckenna : if you could pick out an episode that was special to you for any reason, which would it be and why?

John Spencer : It would be the Christmas episode in Season 4 which is 2 seasons ahead of you guys. It concentrates a little bit more on Leo - the man behind the job, so it gives an insight into a bit of his personal life. I enjoyed that.

Nigel : John, congratulations of your fine performances in the best drama in TV history. It seems to me that the difference between the best drama and the rest is that the best arises from the vison of a gifted writer, such as Aaron. How much difference do you think the writer makes here?

John Spencer : The writer is all important. First comes the word. As an actor the better material you start with the better your performance. Thank you Nigel for your kind words.

Michael : I thought the 9/11 special was really good, but why did you not use the events on the show but instead use the idea of terrorism as a plot?

John Spencer : Aaron Sorkin (the Producer) did not want to bring the real incident into our reality. He's very careful to keep the real political world and the political world of the West Wing as separate entities, so therefore he dealt with the concept of terrorism philosophically rather than as a specific event.

Tk : Hey John! Q: Who makes the most bloopers on set and what's the worst one you've made?

John Spencer chuckles
John Spencer : It's Martin unfortunately. It comes when he has to speak a foreign language or when he has to remember someone's name. Once he called Toby, Toble. When he can't remember CJ's name he calls her the 'tall girl'. Unfortunately Leo is so serious that he has frightened John into making no mistakes!

Kevin MacIsaac : You're a huge inspiration to those of us trying to break into the business. Could you offer any advice from your own experience of how to best get involved with a show like west wing?

John Spencer : Kevin do you want to be an actor?

Kevin MacIsaac : i'm studying at drama school in scotland right now...

John Spencer : It's such an ephemeral craft and such a difficult business that unfortunately unless it is your dream I would advise you to do anything else in life. However, if you can't live without it, like doing without food anyway, anything that you can do and anytime anyone says come act, no matter the project, no matter the salary - you jump at the chance. Hopefully, someday, it adds up.

Titan : How long does it take to film one episode?

John Spencer : 8 work days, 10 calendar days and we never finish on time.

laura : You are a gret dramatic actor, but I think your comic ability is underused. Some of the most hilarious scenes in the show involve Leo and Margaret.

John Spencer : Ah! I love playing comedy. But, I believe that one approaches comedy in the same way you would approach drama, the best is the most truthful.

Charles Lockett : how realistic is the your set compared to the real West Wing?
Potus : Do you have a studio which is totally identical to the actual White House?

John Spencer : Our entire West Wing set is built in one studio. Unlike most sets it contains 4 walls to every room and a ceiling. The Oval office was identical down to the paintings on the wall and upholstery on the furniture of President Clinton's Oval office.

Tracy : I love all the characrters on the show - they are all amazingly well written and acted. Who's your favourite?

John Spencer : Like the good father that Leo tends to be, he would never favour one child over another. My favourite character is the President who I serve at the pleasure of.

cchallis : Will the president illness come back to haunt him in the future, and how will the series deal with it?

John Spencer : Yes it will and I won't tell!

Patrick Hutchinson : Wouid you not like the power that Leo has just for one day and if you did what would be the first thing you would try to have changed?

John Spencer : That power would intimidate me. I am content to leave the problems of the world at the gates of Warner Bros.

Kaile : I speak to a bunch of people online, and we've made this list called 'You know your a WingNut when....'. does that kind of stuff freak you out, or do you laugh when you see it?

John Spencer : I appreciate it. I laugh. And I'm very complimented and touched.

Li : Do you think that the writers dumb down the female characters, and why is it that C.J. is always left out big discussions?
WWFan : Donna is not dumb, long live Donna!

John Spencer : No I don't. I do think the world of the West Wing at times is a Boys Club and CJ is only left out when we think she can't emotionally handle something and be objective. I sincerely believe that Leo is rougher on CJ than he is on the boys.

Michael : The show seems very pro-democrat, has a more conservative America affected the show in any way? (PS Love the show!)

John Spencer : Thank you Michael. It is a Democratic Liberal administration, the real administration does not affect our fictional presidency.

Big_Fan_16 : the shwo is brilliant, it must be great to be a part of it

John Spencer : It's thrilling to be a part of something that has such quality. I feel blessed to have this writing.

Potus : John, will we get to see you back in our cinemas soon?

John Spencer : I find it difficult to fit many other jobs into this schedule. I'm hoping to do a play in London next summer.

Chat Ed : We've come to the end of our time with John now, sadly, so here's the last question. A real poser it is too...

Dasiy : What are you going to do with the Richard and Judy life sized posters?

John Spencer : I'm going to sneak them into the Oval and try to take a picture.

Chat Ed : Excellent! Thanks so much John for being with us we really enjoyed it.
Big_Fan_16 : byeee, keep up the good work
kmckenna : nice talking to u John. GREAT SHOW!
Nigel : Thanks John, good luck in the future!
iuhg : Bye John! Thanks for talking to us.
Kevin MacIsaac : good advice too-thanks

John Spencer : It's thrilling to get such positive feedback and I greatly appreciate it. It was great talking one-on-one.

Paddy : We appreciate you. You deserve it
Tracy : Leo rocks!
Charles Lockett : absolutely brilliant
Kaile : that was the coolest thing I have ever done!

John Spencer leaves the room

Janel Moloney on The View

Star Jones: Janel Moloney is the sarcastic and sassy Donnatella Moss--I love that name--the aide to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on The West wing. And there is so much sexual tension between them, something's got to give next season. So let's see what we can get out of her today. Please welcome, for the first time, Janel Moloney.

Janel Moloney: Thank you.

SJ: Big West Wing fans around here.

JM: I heard.

SJ: Barbara and I spend our Thursdays reviewing what has happened on Wednesday night.

JM: On the phone with each other.

SJ: That's the way we do it. So cut to the chase here: What is up with Donna and Josh? Are you finally going to get with it or not?

JM: Well, we honestly don't know what's going to happen.

SJ: I hate this answer.

JM: I'm sorry. I wish--

Joy Behar: They all give the same answer.

JM: You know what? Here's--if I can kiss Brad and it's allowable because we're on television, then I say, "Yes, let's get them together." But in terms of the characters, I think, you know, waiting as long as you can is better.

SJ: Oh, come on.

JM: I think it is; I think it is.

Meredith Viera: Well, Brad may not want this whole relationship to go on and be consummated, but I understand that there were real sparks between the two of you when you first auditioned together, and he actually talked about it on our show.

JM: Oh, he did?

MV: Yeah, let's hear what he said about you.

[Clip of interview with Bradley Whitford, May 16, 2001:]
BW: And we shot the first scene, and I had never met her before, and she walked in the room and I had a difficult reaction, and I walked out to the monitors and said, "I love her. I just love her."
[End of clip.]

JM: Isn't he cute?

MV: Did you feel the same way about him? He adored--he couldn't even talk.

JM: Well, you know, when I first started on the show, I had kind of, you know, a smaller part and my part grew and then I became a regular member of the cast. So when I was first there, my interest was doing a good job, so I couldn't be bothered with Brad, you know? But then, I just think all of a sudden, maybe the third or fourth day, I turned around and I said, "My god, he's cute!" And it's just grown since then. He's a really wonderful guy.

Lisa Ling: Janel, you are stunningly beautiful. You're a tall blonde; you've got everything. But I have this interesting quote from you in Allure magazine that said that you used to dream that you wanted to wake up short, dark and tan.

JM: Yeah.

LL: Why?

JM: And with curly hair. That's also very important. I had to have curly hair. Well, I grew up in the Valley where--it was in the '80s--it was all about being tan. And you just weren't--you couldn't hang out with the other girls, you couldn't go to the beach. So I thought my life would be better if I was tan. So I've given up on that though. Now I know--

LL: Cause now they all want to look like you.

JM: My life didn't turn out so bad.

LL: And the curly hair? Just out of curiosity?

JM: Well, don't you want what you don't have?

SJ: You figured out a way to meet some guys, I understand, of all shapes and sizes. The dance lessons?

JM: Yeah, I really got interested in tango. I used to be a dancer, so I really wanted to do something that was different, and I started doing tango. And it's so good because it really makes you appreciate men in general because you'll dance with a 60-year-old 5'2' man and he's an amazing dancer and he's so sexy and fabulous, and you'll dance with some really handsome, you know, 30-year-old man, and it just doesn't really matter what they look like. It's really a wonderful thing to do.

JB: It's a sexy dance.

JM: It is sexy, yeah.

JB: You know, you don't come from a showbiz family, except your grandma, I heard, was in show business, right?

JM: Sort of. Well, they were--my grandparents were in burlesque. So my grandmother, I guess you'd say basically stripped, yeah. She was pretty much a stripper.

JB: Grandma was a stripper?

MV: With the pasties and the whole thing?

JM: The pasties. I have quite a few pictures of her with, you know, the big ball sort of covering everything that needed to be covered and the balloons.

JB: And what did Gramps do while she was stripping?

JM: Well, I have a picture of him with--he used to run the shows--he had like forty beautiful women in those gorgeous '40s, you know, negligees. And there's my grandfather in the middle with this huge grin on his face, so I think he enjoyed himself was what he did.

JB: No joke.

LL: Yeah. I'm sure. All right. We've talked about your character's relationship. But in real life you're not dating anyone, but I understand you've been fixed up on a few blind dates. How have they been?

JM: Well, you know, it's weird because they're blind for one of us. Which is--I'm the one that's going on the blind date, right?

LL: They see you on TV.

JM: Well, they can if they want. They might not watch the show.

SJ: That's cheating.

JM: But they can, and so I feel like I get the points for being the brave one.

MV: Absolutely.

JM: But they're, you know, they're good. I'm open. Listen, when you're single, you have to--

MV: What's your type? You like them short, tan and curly-haired or what?

SJ: And good tango dancer.

JM: Good tango. Not short, tan and curly. no, maybe tall, not so tan and curly-haired. I don't care. I'm really open; I'm open about looks.

JB: You know, I was reading--everybody has done something before they got into show business. I was reading that you used to be a waitress, but you used to cry a lot. What was that about? That you broke down and cried?

JM: I was--I just was so miserable being a waitress. I was a terrible waitress.

JB: Why were you so bad?

JM: I didn't like people telling me what to do. So if they ordered something and if they ordered it in the wrong way, I'd say, "Oh, you mean you'd like more iced tea; is that what you're trying to tell me?" And they'd be like "Well, I just want more--I just want more iced tea, you know." And I'd sort of cry. I was just terrible and unhappy.

SJ: Like Donna does on the show sometimes. She gets a little frazzled.

JM: Yeah, a little frazzled. She gets a little--she can get mad. She's got a little bit of a temper.

SJ: I like Donna though.

JM: I do too.

JB: I bet your family's really proud of you, aren't they? With the success that you've had?

JM: They're thrilled.

JB: Are they?

JM: They're thrilled, yeah. My dad--

JB: Did they encourage you to go into showbiz?

JM: You know, my parents actually encouraged me not to give up my dream and not to give up what I wanted to do, so I really thank them for that.

JB: That's nice. You could always be a typist or a waitress, I guess.

JM: That's true.

SJ: It's always nice when people come over and be as nice in person as we hope they are from their character.

JM: Oh, thank you.

SJ: So, welcome.

JM: Thank you very much.

SJ: She's now a part of the fabric of The View. So thanks to Janel Moloney. We'll be right back.

JM: Thank you.

Richard Schiff on The View

Barbara Walters: Well, now you know why I love that show. It's about the only thing I hate about this summer is that I have to wait months for a brand-new episode of one of my favorite shows. It's also Star's. Star and I come in and say, "What do you think? What did he say?" The show is called The West Wing. So today I'm going to see if I can get any secrets of the next season out of Richard Schiff. He plays the loyal, trustworthy, strong, communications director Toby Ziegler. I think he really is. Please welcome Richard Schiff. Richard, you've been with us before.

Richard Schiff: Every trip to New York, it seems like I come and say hello. It's one of my regular stops.

BW: We've been talking about starving, you know. Look at all the weight you've lost since you've been on with us. How much have you lost?

RS: About twenty pounds.

Joy Behar: Why? How?

Star Jones: She's excited now.

RS: I eat as many pork chops as I can.

SJ: And nothing else.

RS: No, I just don't eat.

BW: You're going to live forever.

RS: I hope not, actually. I hope I come back.

BW: Do they mind on the show? Do they mind that you've lost all this weight and you look different?

RS: Well, it provided a little competition for Mark Harmon, and I think he got a little upset because--

BW: I want to talk about that.

RS: All of a sudden I became a babe and Mark Harmon--

Lisa Ling: You've always been a babe.

RS: Exactly. Who said that?

LL: I did.

RS: Thank you. I appreciate that.

LL: You're welcome.

RS: Move closer.

BW: So listen. So here we go. It's the last show of the season. Mark Harmon plays a Secret Service agent. He finally has a romance with CJ. In case you don't watch, she's the press secretary. You knock him off; you kill him.

RS: Yes, I did.

SJ: That was a waste of time. It was bad.

BW: Do you know in advance that these things are going to happen, that there's going to be--

RS: Well, we get--You know, Aaron comes down. Aaron Sorkin, who's the writer of the set, will come down every now and then out of his writing, you know, cell and start spitting out possible ideas for stories, you know. "I'm thinking of having you fall in love with a poet." Or "I'm thinking of CJ having a love interest--"

JB: "And I'll kill him."

RS: You kind of hear--you know, Mark Harmon is going to be busy, so it's a clue that he's not going to be there forever. I didn't know they'd knock him off. But I would have if they'd--

BW: You would have done it.

RS: Well, cause Toby is going to end up with CJ, we all know that's going to happen.

BW: Is Toby going to end up with CJ?

RS: He'd better. Otherwise, I'm--

BW: Is that what's going to happen next year?

SJ: Well, they fight. They do have this little tension going on.

RS: We have a thing. There's a reason why Aaron kept Toby out of the story line cause he would have had a jealous rage or two, and I don't know if that was appropriate.

BW: Toby's going to end up with CJ.

SJ: You're so full of it.

BW: You know, the Emmy nominations are coming up. And two years ago, you won an Emmy and you did not thank your wife, so--

RS: Thank you for bringing that up.

BW: I just thought--was it an oversight?

RS: You know what happens when you're--Somebody told me just a minute or two just before my category that a billion people were watching. And that made me just a little bit nervous. So I got up, and you become a--I mean, some of us become children again when we get all this attention, and you don't know what you're going to say. And my brain just kind of rolled out of control. And the person most important to me in my life, of course, I forgot to thank.

Meredith Viera: Did she notice?

RS: No, she was great about it. No, she did not. She did not.

BW: If you win this year, you better remember.

RS: I'm going to say it first, second, last, and that's all I'm going to say.

SJ: There you go.

LL: You mentioned the most important person in your life, Sheila, but she, I understand, has this very unusual job called "Stripping For the Everyday Woman." Do you care to elaborate on that?

JB: Yeah, what's that about?

RS: She actually doesn't strip--she doesn't strip for the everyday woman; she stripped for me. She actually--she produced a movie called Dancing at the Blue Iguana that she starred in as well. That was about strippers. She's been fascinated with it for a long time. And when we moved into our new house, I put--you know, I have a gym/office in the back, and she put a pole in there because during the movie she had gotten in great shape and she wanted to continue that. Then some friends asked her for some lessons, and it turned into--it just gradually turned into this amazing phenomenon where now she has--she teaches eight classes a week and has a waiting list of seventy women.

SJ: In your house? You lucky dog, you.

RS: In my house. You ask me why I lose weight? Because I'm always in my office working out.

BW: Ask her if she'll come on and show us.

RS: She would do that in a second.

BW: Okay, that would be fun.

RS: But she's also got--

BW: Lisa would love to do it.

LL: No, Barbara, you would like to demonstrate it.

RS: Actually, you all should actually do it. What's happening is that women from all shapes and sizes and ages are--something very empowering is happening to them and the men in their lives as well, you know.

JB: Empowering from stripping?

RS: Yeah.

SJ: What?

JB: Why? How?

RS: Oh, you know what I'm talking about.

JB: No, she doesn't.

RS: There's a--there's a--

LL: I'd like to see the men empower themselves, put a pole in their bedroom and--

RS: Well, it wouldn't be a pole, but I wouldn't mind that either. What it is is that it's this very sexually empowering kind of movement, and it's all about women kind of finding their own way of moving again, you know. And if you look around society, which my wife points out to me all the time, on every magazine article, every commercial, it's all stripper moves, it's all stripper poses. It's pervasive in this society, you know.

JB: No wonder we can't be anchors.

BW: Exactly.

RS: You can be. You just should be curvaceous about it.

BW: Oh, sure, that'll work. Why didn't I try that? Yeah.

RS (to MV): I remember when you first became a local anchor here at CBS.

MV: That's right.

RS: I mean, I remember that, and I paid attention. I thought it was cool that this beautiful woman was suddenly anchoring the news and it was not that common back then.

MV: Would you have loved me better if I'd been stripping?

RS: Yes.

JB: What if she wasn't beautiful? Would you have watched it anyway?

RS: Yes.

JB: So there's the point.

BW: We're getting in a little trouble here. Join the hot topics.

MV: But she should come and talk about it cause it is interesting. It's a hot topic.

RS: Actually, it makes more sense when it's coming out of her mouth cause when she starts talking about how it's changed women's lives it's more believable than when I say it. Cause for me it's just about the stripping.

BW: We'll have her on with us.

SJ: That's actually a very good idea.

RS: Absolutely. She's got a book and a video coming out about the whole thing.

MV: Well, you met her when you were a director, right? When she came to audition for you?

RS: She did. Yeah, she was really young and there was a play--

MV: What was your impression of her?

RS: I thought--you know, we had a mutual friend actually, that showed pictures--who was a photographer and was obsessed with her. Her name is Sheila Kelly. She's great. Some of you know her from LA Law and from Singles and from other movies and stuff. But she's stunningly beautiful, and this photographer was obsessed with her and kept showing me pictures, "you have to meet her" and "she's really talented and audition with her," and so--So I auditioned her in a play--

JB: Did you hit on her?

RS: She insists that I hit on her, yeah. She says that; I refute that. I may have tried, but I still refute that I did. But she's stunningly beautiful, and I happened not to cast her. She was a little young at that time. Angela Bassett ended up doing the play, actually.

JB: How much older than her were you?

RS: I think forty or fifty years.

BW: But since you've lost weight, you're looking good. No, you always look good. Listen, I have two questions to ask you. One, does President Bartlet win again?

RS: We don't know.

BW: You don't know.

RS: We have to go through a whole election.

BW: We have to go through a whole season. But you're going to end up having a hot romance with CJ?

RS: Aaron's going to kill me now.

BW: Well, see what you learn on this show? Thank you, Richard Schiff.

RS: It's my pleasure.

BW: Come on with us any time. And do tell your wife to come on.

RS: She would love to do it.

BW: Well, we learned a lot today, and we'll be learning more when Sheila comes on. Right?

RS: Absolutely.

BW: Okay, thank you, Richard Schiff, and we'll be right back.