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August 02, 2002
"West Wing"ers Bradley Whitford and Dule Hill on Emmy highs and Rob Lowe
By Scott Huver
Hollywood.com
It was just another night in Tinseltown--if any old night includes hanging with a pair of West Wing cast members, Bradley Whitford and Dule Hill, who shared their thoughts on being nominated for Emmys and the impending departure of series co-star Rob Lowe.
A family affair
The morning of July 18 Whitford--who plays White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman--and his wife, Malcolm in the Middle star Jane Kaczmarek, awoke in the pre-dawn hours to the news that once again, not one but both actors in the family had been nominated for Emmy awards for their respective series. "It was exciting," said the actor. "It happened last year and we couldn't imagine that it would happen again."
Whitford added that after last year's Emmy bonanza (he took home the supporting actor trophy and there were five West Wing victories in the major categories) he tried not to get too excited about this year's nominations.
"I turned off all the phones and I said, 'I don't care, whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen, I just want to get some sleep,'" he said. "So of course, you wake up at six in the morning and you can't get back to sleep, and finally we turned on the television and it was over and the phone hadn't rung."
The couple wondered briefly if they hadn't been shut out, but soon found out that the news had been derailed by a special delivery of a different kind. "Our publicist hadn't called and she usually calls right away. It turned out that she had gone into false labor."
Speaking of labor, with all the good tidings the family's received recently (the couple is expecting their third child and Kaczmarek recently got a hefty salary hike) we had to wonder: Does Brad walk around all day high-fiving everybody he sees?
"I've been high-fiving everybody for so long, I think that it's obnoxious!" he said with a laugh. "Jane and I felt very lucky before we got these TV shows. It's a miracle to get an acting job, and it's a miracle for that job in television to get picked up, and it's a miracle for it to do well, and it's a miracle for it to get recognized, and it's a miracle for any one person to be recognized. To be able to go through this strangeness together is unbelievably lucky." Added the actor, "There's a lot of high-fiving--and lactation--at my home!"
King of the Hill
Of course, Whitford's was just one of a bountiful 22 nominations bestowed on The West Wing, which earned acting nods for stars Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Stockard Channing, Mary Louise Parker and Janel Moloney. One of four West Wing actors contending in the supporting actor category (with Whitford, Richard Schiff and John Spencer), is Dule Hill, who plays presidential aide Charlie Young.
While many fans of the show might've expected the nomination, Hill clearly did not. "My publicist asked the day before, 'If you get nominated do you want to talk to the press?' and I said sure, but in my mind I was like [in disbelief], 'Please.'
"So the phone rang, and my first thought was that hope there's nothing wrong back in New Jersey where my family is," Hill continued. "But I picked up the phone and she started screaming, [high-pitched], 'You got nominated for an Emmy Award!' And I said 'What? What are you talking about?' 'You got nominated for an Emmy Award!' I said, 'Get out of here!' And then the ride just started."
One might think that with kudos doled out to so many on The West Wing's team the mood on the set might be just a little bit giddy. But Hill says the cast and crew allowed themselves only a few celebratory moments before rolling up their sleeves and getting down to the business of making television. "We kind of just go to work," he said. "Everybody was happy when the nominations came out, but we've always been about that, even in the previous seasons."
Highs and Lowes
On a less celebratory note, Whitford and Hill were sorry to hear that Rob Lowe, reportedly unhappy over diminished screen time and salary concerns, decided the upcoming season will be his last as Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn and he will depart the series after 16 episodes. Both actors said they knew the move was coming well before the news broke.
"I talked to him before and my only concern was that this was a centered, considered decision that he'd made," said Whitford. "He's been a big part of a wonderful time that we've shared and I just wanted to make sure that he wasn't making an impulsive decision with huge ramifications. He convinced me that he wasn't and that he really wanted to do this. I completely support him."
Hill said Lowe's intent to leave the fictional White House staff hasn't impacted the actors' camaraderie thus far. "The mood, to me, seems to be fine," he said. "I can't speak for anybody else. Myself and Allison and a couple other people wish he didn't have to leave. He's taught me a lot. His trailer's right next to mine, we have a good time, we talk a lot. I just wish he didn't have to go, but each person has to take his own journey.
"Rob has had a long career already and been successful, so I'm pretty sure he's gonna be fine," Hill added, chuckling. "Enough people come and tell me how much they love Rob Lowe--I won't miss that! 'Rob Lowe--I had his poster on my wall!'"
Posted by MorganG at August 2, 2002 02:32 PM