'I've never seen that before': Martin Sheen gets emotional watching scene from 'The West Wing'

>>> OKAY, THE STORY GOES LIKE THIS . THE HISTORICALLY SUCCESSFUL BUT AGING DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT PREPARES TO STEP ASIDE AND THROWS HIS -- DIVERSE AND INSPIRING SUCCESSOR TO CARRY HIS MANTLE FORWARD. AND NO, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS. >> OUR PRESIDENT, THE LEADER OF OUR DEMOCRATIC PARTY, PRESIDENT JOSIAH BARTLETT. >> ♪ ♪ >> THANK YOU. IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE YOU FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS. >> FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! >> BUT NOW IT GIVES ME A GREAT PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE LEADERS OF OUR PARTY IN THE NEXT PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT OF THESE UNITED STATES, -- AND LEO THOMAS! >> ♪ ♪ >> JOINING US NOW IS ACTOR MARTIN SHEEN, ALSO KNOWN AS PRESIDENT JOE BORLIK, AND >>>, ALSO KNOWN AS KATE HARPER, AND THE CO-AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, I HAVE IT HERE, WHAT'S NEXT: A BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE WEST WING. IT'S CAST AND CREW AND ITS ENDURING LEGACY. IT'S COMING OUT AT SUCH A PERFECT TIME. EVERYONE NEEDS HOPE AND A REMINDER. WE WERE ALL WATCHING THAT AND GETTING A LITTLE EMOTIONAL. >> I'VE NEVER SEEN IT. >> YOU'VE NEVER SEEN THAT CLIP? >> I HAVE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE AND PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME ABOUT IT AND JOHN SPENCER STILL LIVES HERE IN OUR FAMILY AND I THINK THAT WAS HIS LAST SEEN, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. THE LAST TIME HE APPEARED ON CAMERA AND I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT SCENE, EVER, UNTIL JUST THIS MOMENT. IT WAS JUST OVERWHELMING. WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT HIM LAST NIGHT. WE WERE EQUALLY SAD AND HAPPY AND JOYFUL TO HAVE WORKED WITH HIM, TO HAVE KNOWN HIM AND THEN SEEN HIM THERE. I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT THING BEFORE AND I'M JUST OVERWHELMED. FORGIVE ME. I JUST DIDN'T EXPECT IT. >> UNITER -- YOU NEVER NEED TO BE FORGIVEN. I'M GETTING EMOTIONAL FROM THAT. HOW SPECIAL THAT SHOW IS, HOW IT BROUGHT ABOUT SO MUCH LOVE AND PATRIOTISM AND COMMITMENT AND CONNECTION TO PUBLIC SERVICE. >> IT STILL DOES. >> IT STILL DOES. >> A LETTER TO PUBLIC SERVICE, AND IT IS. IT'S OKAY TO FEEL ASPIRATIONAL ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENT. IT'S, AND IT'S NICE TO FEEL IT AGAIN, FRANKLY. >> NO QUESTION ABOUT IT AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT. IT'S A REMINDER TO PEOPLE, AND IT WILL TELL YOU, I'M WATCHING THE WEST WING, OUR WHOLE TEAM IS RE-WATCHING THE WEST WING. IT'S A REMARKABLE SHOW. I WATCH THAT I WAS THINKING ALSO OF JOE BIDEN. AND I WATCHED IT A LITTLE EARLIER AND I GOT A LITTLE EMOTIONAL WATCHING EARLIER BECAUSE I'M THINKING OF THE SPEECH HE'S ABOUT TO GIVE TOMORROW NIGHT AND IT IS SUCH A PROPHETIC MOMENT BECAUSE HE IS ALSO HANDING OVER THE TORCH. I KNOW YOU BOTH WERE AT THE WHITE HOUSE THIS WEEK, RIGHT? >> YES. >> YOU SPOKE WITH HIM, HOW WAS IT? >> I GOT TONGUE-TIED. I JUST ADORE HIM AND I HAVE AN INFINITE MEASURE OF GRATITUDE AND PRAISE AND I JUST, I GOT TONGUE-TIED. I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT I SAID. HE SAID A FEW THINGS, MR. PRESIDENT, THANKS FOR HELPING OUT AND SO FORTH. AND I JUST GOT TONGUE-TIED. WHAT MADE ME LAUGH IN THAT PICTURE YOU ARE SHOWING EARLIER IS HE CAME BACK, WE SALUTED EACH OTHER, AND HE CAME BACK TO ME AND WHAT HE IS SAYING RIGHT THERE IS DO YOU WANT TO TALK TO THE -- >> OH, THAT'S THE BEST PART. >> I SAID NO, NO. I'M PLAYING A PRESIDENT ON TELEVISION. THIS IS NOT WHAT I BUILT FOR. >> YOU CAN SAY NO. PRESIDENT BARTLET WAS PROBABLY CRITICIZED IN SOME EPISODES. THAT'S ANOTHER STORY LINE. I KNOW YOU ARE ALSO THERE WATCHING MARINE ONE TAKE OFF. IT NEVER GETS OLD. IT'S NEVER GETTING OLD. >> I'M JUST A GIRL FROM NEW JERSEY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING THERE. THAT WAS CRAZY! IT WAS SUCH AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO SAY THANK YOU TO HIM. YOU KNOW? FOR EVERYTHING HE DID, FOR SAVING US, FOR SAVING DEMOCRACY. FOR SAVING THE COUNTRY, FOR HIS DECENCY AND KINDNESS. >> ONE OF HIS STAFF SAID, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF JIMMY CARTER, MADE SUCH A PERSONAL SACRIFICE OF TRUE PATRIOTISM AND LOVE OF THE COUNTRY. >> THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT AND I EXPERIENCE THAT FROM WORKING FOR HIM, TOO. THIS BOOK, IT IS, AS I WAS TELLING YOU, AS I WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER BEFORE, I ACTUALLY LEFT POLITICS, I LEFT THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, I WAS A CONSULTANT. I WATCHED THE ENTIRE SEVEN SEASONS AND THEN I WENT BACK TO POLITICS AND WORKED ON HIS CAMPAIGN. AS YOU WERE SAYING EARLIER, THERE IS THIS REAL CONNECTION BETWEEN PUBLIC SERVANTS WHO WERE INSPIRED BY IT, BUT ALSO THE SHOW WAS INSPIRED BY PUBLIC SERVICE. TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT HOW IT'S CAPTURED -- >> FITZGERALD, WHO WROTE THE BOOK WITH ME, SHE PLAYED CAROL AND SHE WAS APPROACHED TO WRITE A BACKSTAGE PASS AND IS NOT REALLY MY BOOK TO WRITE. AND I SAID IT'S NOT REALLY MY BOOK TO WRITE BECAUSE I CAME LATE TO THE PARTY AND WE BOTH TALKED AND DECIDED THAT THE BOOK WE COULD WRITE IS ONE THAT SHINED A LIGHT ON SERVICE. IF WE DID IT THROUGH A LENS OF SERVICE AND BOTH THE SHOWS LEGACY AND ALSO OUR FRIENDSHIPS, WE ARE ALL VERY CLOSE, WE ARE ALL IN A TEXT CHAIN. >> THERE IS A WEST WING TEXT CHAIN? >> AND IT'S HALF MAKING -- >> OH MY GOSH. ALL DAY LONG. WE MAKE FUN OF JOSH MOLINA AND THEN WE ALSO ASK EACH OTHER TO SHOW UP FOR EVENTS AND WE ALWAYS DO. >> DO YOU PLAN THE REBOOT, WE WILL WANT TO HAPPEN? >> THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS LAST NIGHT. THE REBOOT FOR US IS WE ARE A LITTLE TOO OLD FOR THE, THAT KIND OF A SHOW. BUT HE SAID, WHERE WE ARE, IF WE STARTED IN A SMALL TOWN WHERE ONE OF US WOULD BE THE KEY, WORKING FOR A MAN OR A WOMAN WHO'S TRYING TO GET IN OFFICE. -- AND THAT'S THE START OF IT. IT'S AT THE STATE LEVEL, THE COUNTY LEVEL. THAT'S JUST, POLITICS IS LOCAL. THAT IS WHERE WE CAN SERVE. AND MISSISSIPPI AND -- NO ONE'S EVER HEARD OF AND SUDDENLY, THEY HAVE -- AND THAT'S WHAT WE CAN DO WHATEVER. ARE YOU LISTENING? >> THE WHOLE CAST IS ALWAYS INVITED. WE WILL DO THE WHOLE THING HERE. LET ME ASK YOU. THE SHOW WAS INSPIRING BECAUSE IT BROUGHT JOY BACK INTO POLITICS. ARE YOU WATCHING HARRIS AND WALZ? >> SEEING IT, KNOWING THAT, REAGAN HAD AN AD THAT PRIMARILY, A NEW DAWN. IT'S HAPPENED AGAIN. IT'S A NEW DAY, AMERICA IS THE SHINING CITY ON THE HILL, THERE IS A NEW FRESH AIR. THERE'S A NEW ENERGY, IT'S YOUNG AND VITAL AND IT'S A JOY FILLED AND IT CAN FINALLY BREATHE. >> I THINK THEY WATCH IT AS A TONIC, ALSO. THAT'S WHAT FEELS LIKE'S HAPPENING NOW, WITH WALZ AND HARRIS. IF YOU LIKE A TONIC AND THEY ARE WHAT'S NEXT. >> THEY ARE NOT AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT POLITICS ON A DEEPLY PERSONAL LEVEL. YES, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE ANOTHER, WHETHER WE ACCEPT THAT RESPONSIBILITY OR NOT AND WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WORLD BECAUSE CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY, WE HAVE MADE IT WHAT IT IS AND WE DON'T CONTROL THE RULES THAT GOVERN THE UNIVERSE, WE DO CONTROL ALL THE RULES THAT GOVERN OUR OWN LIVES AND THAT IS WHERE WE ARE GIVEN A CHANCE TO FINALLY EXPRESS. >> IT'S A UNIQUE -- NOW WE HAVE SEEN YOU OUT THERE A LITTLE BIT. ARE YOU GOING TO BE OUT THERE ON THE TRAIL FOR HARRIS AND WALZ? >> I HOPE THAT WHATEVER WE CAN DO, WHATEVER -- >> WE WILL SHOW UP IN WHATEVER