An Artist’s Job Is To Captivate… If

Well, I Must Tell You I Write The Scripts Very Close To The Bone. So I'm Writing Episode Seven Now And Couldn't Tell You What Happens In Episode Eight.

I'd Been Concerned All Along That The Character Of The President In The West Wing Pilot Would Throw The Ensemble Out Of Whack, That That Character Would Simply Take Up All The Oxygen In A Room. I Wanted To Hold Off Bringing This Character In Until The Last Possible Moment.

I Think It's Up To Writers To Write Stuff That Is Compelling Enough That People Want To Watch.

Larry David Called Me And Said, "you Can Never Watch The West Wing Again. Either The Show Is Going To Be Great Without You And You're Going To Be Miserable, Or The Show Is Going To Be Less Than Great Without You And You're Going To Be Miserable." So I Had Them Send A Tape Of The First Episode That I Didn't Do. I Put It In The Vcr And I Don't Think I Got 15 Seconds In Before I Leapt Up And Slammed It Off! It Felt Like I Was Watching Somebody Make Out With My Girlfriend. I've Never Seen A West Wing Episode In Seasons Five, Six Or Seven.

The Guy Who Wins The Oscar For Best Actor Has A Much Higher Bar To Clear Than The Woman Who Wins Best Actress.