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September 10, 2005
'West Wing' actor speaks up on behalf of Israel
By Shari Rudavsky
Indianapolis Star
A Q & A with a person of noteWill Bailey, the character Joshua Malina plays on "The West Wing," exudes an unflappable calm. Even in a crisis, he peppers his speech with humorous zingers to defuse tension.
Off-screen, Malina shares Bailey's interest in politics, especially the Middle East. He's been traveling the country, speaking to Jewish communities about the importance of Israel. Malina will be in Indianapolis Sunday to speak at a fundraiser for the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis.
He spoke with The Star in a telephone interview earlier this week.
Question: How did you start down this path?
Answer: The whole thing came out of a rally that the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles put together in 2001 in support of Israel. The mission statement of the rally was that Israel has a right to exist, that's it. I thought it's pretty easy to get behind this. But the celebrity turnout was virtually nonexistent. I thought it was disgraceful that in a town with so many prominent Jewish people, you couldn't get people to show up for a rally saying Israel has a right to exist.
When I was in a "Few Good Men" off-Broadway, playing a Marine, the first Gulf War broke out. The press waiting at stage door, wanting to know our opinion. It seemed so silly. I always declined to comment.
Now, I've realized it is silly, but if I'm going to have an opportunity to say something positive about Israel, a country I care very much about, I'm going to take advantage of that opportunity.
Q: Have you visited Israel?
A: I've been there three times, most recently in June with my dad. My wife and friends were nervous about my going. I kept saying, "Believe me; it's not what you're picturing." There was less military presence than I recalled the last time I was there, 11 years ago. I felt completely safe the entire time.
Apparently, "Beit Halavan" -- the "White House" -- is popular there. A lot of people came up to me.
Q: Your character Will Bailey is not Jewish, right?
A: When Aaron Sorkin, a very good old friend of mine, first got together with me to discuss this role, he described the whole character arc.
Then he got really serious and in hushed tones, he said, "There is one thing I have to tell you." I thought he was going to tell me I wasn't going to get paid.
He said, "The character's not going to be Jewish."
I said, "Aaron, I'm an actor. You think I only play Jewish characters?" It made me laugh that Aaron would think that might be a serious drawback.
Even though Will Bailey's not Jewish, he is fervently pro-Israel. One day I was speaking to John Wells [a producer of the show] and mentioned that I was going to speak at a Jewish Federation. When I got the new script, Will Bailey, the Zionist, was born.
Q: Have you ever had trouble reconciling your faith with your work?
A: I've had several instances where I've been asked to work on days that I'm not willing to work but I have always been accommodated. Still, it's disappointing because in almost all of these projects, Jewish people were involved. You'd think, Gee, they would have thought about it, looked at a calendar. It's not anti-Semitism, just insensitivity.
I went to an open-call audition during Passover [when observant Jews do not eat leavened bread]. I stood on this line for about two hours and then, to my horror, discovered that you had to eat pizza for this audition. I attempted to eat air pizza and told them I was an actor. They said, "Oh, if you can't eat pizza, you can't do this."
Q: Have your travels changed how you see the Jewish community in America?
A: I'm usually in and out so I don't get to see these communities in their context. Wherever I go, at least I'm meeting people who are incredibly committed to leading substantive Jewish lives and being part of tikkun olam, repatriation of world. It's very heartening to see there are thriving, Jewish communities around, even when they're small.
Posted by Jo at September 10, 2005 01:11 PM