I'm like a writer on a movie set.
I have to waffle for a bit because I want to explain this before people are all, "OMG HOW COULD YOU DO REPLACE ANY OF THEM!?" When I first saw the third challenge for picspammy, to cast or recast any book, movie or tv show, I thought, "If you love something enough to want to picspam it, how could you possibly want to change the cast, who must surely be an integral part of the reason why you like it?" I was confused. I still feel that way when it comes to films and tv shows, but I have loved seeing people cast books. Anyway, one day, for some reason, I was thinking about the cast of The West Wing, and how it nearly wasn't the cast that we know today. So I put together this "What if?" picspam not to recast the show (because there isn't one of them that I could even imagine consider replacing) but to think about how different the cast could have been. The road not taken, if you will. And to declare my complete and unconditional love for them all.
Jason Robards was apparently also considered, but I hadn't heard of him so... he didn't make it on. According to my trusty sources (i.e. Wikipedia and IMDB) Sidney Poitier was the first choice, but his fee was too high (what, they'll make an exception for Rob Lowe, but not Sidney effing Poitier?!) so they went with Martin Sheen. THANK. GOD. It makes you wonder who could have ended up as Vinnick had Alan Alda been cast. Actually, don't wonder that. It's kind of too scary.
Not really that much I can say about this. So I'll just copy what's in the pilot script introduction.
For Leo McGarry, the Chief of Staff, I wanted someone like John Spencer. Casting asked me, "What about John Spencer." I said, "We'll never get John Spencer." So we got John Spencer.
HUZZAH. The only person I could ever imagine playing Leo would be Ron Rifkin, but I think that has something to do with the stubble. I don't know. I thought of someone else, I forget who now, but you need to have a gentleness to play Leo, and OH! It was Tom Skerrit. Yeah, I didn't think he had that. Ron Rifkin does, I think.
EUGENE LEVY?! JIM'S DAD!? Oh wow, I genuinely don't think I'll ever be able to think of Toby in the same way after knowing that he could have been played by Jim's Dad from American Pie. And don't worry Judd Hirsch, you'll get your turn in Studio 60. Sorry they didn't keep you around longer. I liked you. More than Jordan, anyway. But that's a thing for a whole other day.
Well who knows that the hell went on here. Noone. Noone knows. Legend has it that Aaron Sorkin wrote the part of Josh with Brad in mind, but he was then cast as Sam, before calling Sorkin and begging to play Josh, which he then did. Following? Me neither. I seem to have it my head that Rob Lowe was considered as Josh, but I can't find evidence of that anywhere so I think that there's an excellent chance that I've imagined that.
See above. Who the hell knows what went on here. In the same, "Fuck knows, I'm going for coffee," way, apparently when Sorkin heard Rob Lowe read for Sam (the scene when he announces to Mallory that he slept with a prostitute, in case you're wondering) he knew that he'd found his Sam. My brain hurts and I'm going for a coffee. The other four were all considered as replacements for Rob Lowe when he threw his toys out of the pram and left. Macaulay Culkin was apparently considered as well, but it distressed me too much to actually put him in there. Personally my pick would have been Dermot Mulroney, because I'm incredibly shallow and.. *licks*. Not really. Joshua Malina all the way.
Once again, I'm just going to copy exactly what's written in the introduction to the pilot script, because we have all seen that I have the tendancy to waffle.
"For the Press Secretary there was a problem. We'd all fallen in love with Allison Janney. Married men were ready to leave their wives. (And a few women their husbands, I'm sure.) The problem was that Allison's caucasian and so was the rest of the cast so far. This was making us nervous. The network too. It also wasn't right. There was a wonderfully talented Jamaican actress who was reading very well for it.(CCH Pounder according to every other source ever.) Still, when we closed our eyes at night we wanted Allison.
So we cast Allison."
Janel has also said that, having worked with Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme on Sports Night, they asked her to come in and read for C.J. But as Janel said, "Can you imagine anyone doing this other than Allison Janney? No."
This, just to warn you, is the part where I gush about how much I adore Janel. K? Ok. Most people will already know this, but the role of Donna was only meant to be a bit part, who would appear in only a couple of episodes. But then Janel came along and basically made everyone fall in love with her, because, hai, who wouldn't, and Brad went to Sorkin and begged him to write her in more often, and Aaron Sorkin said,
"Janel so knocked our socks off in the pilot that I just kept writing Donna in every episode. By the second season we officially made Janel what she already unnofficially was in the first season: a series regular.
Had anyone else been cast as Donna, I truly find it incredibly unlikely that she would have become such a prolific character. It goes to show that they were so impressed by her, and the chemistry between Brad and Janel, that when they had to insert a short scene to make up the full time that the episode needed to be, it was the "All the girls think you look hot in this shirt" scene between Josh and Donna. One of those little facts that I love spewing out: Janel was dropped by her agent after the pilot of The West Wing. As she said, "That's foresight, right?"
I haven't been able to find anything written anywhere that says that anybody else was considered for Charlie. Thank God.
So if I could have the pick of absolutely anyone for the cast? Who would I choose?
I'm sure that there are incredibly talented actresses and actors out there who would have done just as good a job as the people that were cast, but would it be in any way the same? NO. We might all be running around shipping Sam and C.J. Although I'm not surprised if people already do. Just sayin'. And because it's one of my favourite quotes ever, and one of those things that I read over and over again whenever I get in the, "I just love them all so much mood," here's what Aaron Sorkin said about them all.
I urge you to remember the power that Martin Sheen and John Spencer bring to a scene, the dignity of Dulé Hill, the intensity of Richard Schiff and the passion of Brad Whitford, the humour of Rob Lowe and the ungodly elegance of Allison Janney and Janel Moloney.
Jason Robards was apparently also considered, but I hadn't heard of him so... he didn't make it on. According to my trusty sources (i.e. Wikipedia and IMDB) Sidney Poitier was the first choice, but his fee was too high (what, they'll make an exception for Rob Lowe, but not Sidney effing Poitier?!) so they went with Martin Sheen. THANK. GOD. It makes you wonder who could have ended up as Vinnick had Alan Alda been cast. Actually, don't wonder that. It's kind of too scary.
Not really that much I can say about this. So I'll just copy what's in the pilot script introduction.
For Leo McGarry, the Chief of Staff, I wanted someone like John Spencer. Casting asked me, "What about John Spencer." I said, "We'll never get John Spencer." So we got John Spencer.
HUZZAH. The only person I could ever imagine playing Leo would be Ron Rifkin, but I think that has something to do with the stubble. I don't know. I thought of someone else, I forget who now, but you need to have a gentleness to play Leo, and OH! It was Tom Skerrit. Yeah, I didn't think he had that. Ron Rifkin does, I think.
EUGENE LEVY?! JIM'S DAD!? Oh wow, I genuinely don't think I'll ever be able to think of Toby in the same way after knowing that he could have been played by Jim's Dad from American Pie. And don't worry Judd Hirsch, you'll get your turn in Studio 60. Sorry they didn't keep you around longer. I liked you. More than Jordan, anyway. But that's a thing for a whole other day.
Well who knows that the hell went on here. Noone. Noone knows. Legend has it that Aaron Sorkin wrote the part of Josh with Brad in mind, but he was then cast as Sam, before calling Sorkin and begging to play Josh, which he then did. Following? Me neither. I seem to have it my head that Rob Lowe was considered as Josh, but I can't find evidence of that anywhere so I think that there's an excellent chance that I've imagined that.
See above. Who the hell knows what went on here. In the same, "Fuck knows, I'm going for coffee," way, apparently when Sorkin heard Rob Lowe read for Sam (the scene when he announces to Mallory that he slept with a prostitute, in case you're wondering) he knew that he'd found his Sam. My brain hurts and I'm going for a coffee. The other four were all considered as replacements for Rob Lowe when he threw his toys out of the pram and left. Macaulay Culkin was apparently considered as well, but it distressed me too much to actually put him in there. Personally my pick would have been Dermot Mulroney, because I'm incredibly shallow and.. *licks*. Not really. Joshua Malina all the way.
Once again, I'm just going to copy exactly what's written in the introduction to the pilot script, because we have all seen that I have the tendancy to waffle.
"For the Press Secretary there was a problem. We'd all fallen in love with Allison Janney. Married men were ready to leave their wives. (And a few women their husbands, I'm sure.) The problem was that Allison's caucasian and so was the rest of the cast so far. This was making us nervous. The network too. It also wasn't right. There was a wonderfully talented Jamaican actress who was reading very well for it.(CCH Pounder according to every other source ever.) Still, when we closed our eyes at night we wanted Allison.
So we cast Allison."
Janel has also said that, having worked with Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme on Sports Night, they asked her to come in and read for C.J. But as Janel said, "Can you imagine anyone doing this other than Allison Janney? No."
This, just to warn you, is the part where I gush about how much I adore Janel. K? Ok. Most people will already know this, but the role of Donna was only meant to be a bit part, who would appear in only a couple of episodes. But then Janel came along and basically made everyone fall in love with her, because, hai, who wouldn't, and Brad went to Sorkin and begged him to write her in more often, and Aaron Sorkin said,
"Janel so knocked our socks off in the pilot that I just kept writing Donna in every episode. By the second season we officially made Janel what she already unnofficially was in the first season: a series regular.
Had anyone else been cast as Donna, I truly find it incredibly unlikely that she would have become such a prolific character. It goes to show that they were so impressed by her, and the chemistry between Brad and Janel, that when they had to insert a short scene to make up the full time that the episode needed to be, it was the "All the girls think you look hot in this shirt" scene between Josh and Donna. One of those little facts that I love spewing out: Janel was dropped by her agent after the pilot of The West Wing. As she said, "That's foresight, right?"
I haven't been able to find anything written anywhere that says that anybody else was considered for Charlie. Thank God.
So if I could have the pick of absolutely anyone for the cast? Who would I choose?
I'm sure that there are incredibly talented actresses and actors out there who would have done just as good a job as the people that were cast, but would it be in any way the same? NO. We might all be running around shipping Sam and C.J. Although I'm not surprised if people already do. Just sayin'. And because it's one of my favourite quotes ever, and one of those things that I read over and over again whenever I get in the, "I just love them all so much mood," here's what Aaron Sorkin said about them all.
I urge you to remember the power that Martin Sheen and John Spencer bring to a scene, the dignity of Dulé Hill, the intensity of Richard Schiff and the passion of Brad Whitford, the humour of Rob Lowe and the ungodly elegance of Allison Janney and Janel Moloney.