‘West Wing’ Cast Celebrates 25 Years With White House Visit : NPR

This week some stars of political drama West Wing Celebrating the show’s 25th anniversary, they couldn’t have had a better place.

At a small ceremony in the White House Rose Garden on Friday, first lady Jill Biden welcomed the cast and creative team that brought the fictional President Jed Bartlet and his administration to the small screen.

The event began with a brief remark from the first lady, who delivered a welcome message from President Biden, who is hosting a diplomatic summit at his home in Wilmington.

“Although Joe is hosting the leaders of Australia, India and Japan in Delaware, he wanted to make sure that President Bartlet and his staff had a chance to see the Oval Office again,” she said.

“I am so grateful to everyone on stage for taking the time to be here because your work has inspired so many to step up and serve our country.”

The First Lady was followed by President Bartlet himself, or rather the actor who played him, Martin Sheen, who enthusiastically recited a poem by the poet Rabindranath Tagore, which conveyed patriotic themes:

Where the heart is without fear,
Head held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world is not divided into parts by narrow internal walls
Where words come from the depths of truth
And the persistent pursuit extends its arms towards perfection.
Where the pure stream of reason has not lost its way into the gloomy desert sands of dead customs.
Where the mind leads you forward towards thought and action expanding to the sky of freedom.
Dear father
“Let our country wake up.”

In addition to Sheen, actors Richard Schiff, Dule Hill, Janel Moloney, Emily Proctor, Melissa Fitzgerald, and Mary McCormack, along with director and executive producer Thomas Schlamm, were in attendance, according to the White House.

West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin closed the ceremony, saying his show about a fictional, principled American president was “idealistic, aspirational and romantic.”

“I’ve noticed over the years that during times of heightened political tension, experts warn us not to expect a ‘West Wing moment,’” Sorkin says. “What they mean is don’t expect selfless statesmanship. Don’t expect anyone to put country first. Don’t expect anyone to wave the fences or reach for the stars.”

However, Sorkin continued, saying that “West Wing moments” do happen sometimes.

“We saw evidence of that on the morning of July 21,” Sorkin said, referring to the day President Biden announced his decision not to seek a second term.

“This was the kind of thing we tell stories about.”