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June 17, 2002
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.
Posted by MorganG at June 17, 2002 01:22 PM