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February 10, 2006
No Good-Bye Blues for West Wing - Yet
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
The National Ledger
Feb 10, 2006
"The West Wing" may be shooting its last few episodes, but the creators and cast aren't suffering the goodbye blues -- yet. They're too busy readying for the final charge of the revered seven-year-old series.
That, at least, is the word we're getting from members of the team. "It's hard to believe it's ending, because we have so much to do," notes Janel Maloney. And writer-producer Lawrence O'Donnell adds, "I don't think we're going to feel like it's ending until we're actually shooting the final episode." That won't happen 'til the end of next month.
In the meantime, O'Donnell says, he and the rest of the creative team are finding "Everything is different. A lot of things can happen in a series that's ending that can't happen when it's ongoing." That means a lot of artistic freedom, and "a lot of chances. It forces characters to look at each other in ways they haven't before once you're bringing things to conclusions."
It's like the presidential candidates currently being played by Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits, says O'Donnell. "You know their campaigns are going to conclude. They're going to wake up one morning and the campaign will be over and that huge intense vibration in their daily lives stops, and then what?"
Posted by Jo at February 10, 2006 06:01 PM