Melissa Fitzgerald & Mary McCormack on Good Day DC - Fox5 - 8.16.24

right now we've been teasing our next guests all morning long thr to welcome actors activists and authors Mary McCormack and Melissa Fitzgerald to good day they have a new book out it's called what's next a backstage pass to The West Wing it's casting crew and it's enduring Legacy of service offering a never-before seen look at Aon sorin's groundbreaking series of course 95 Emmy nominations 26 wins during its Seven Seasons set right here in DC and believe it or not one more number 25 years since its debut still resonates today Mary Melissa great to have you guys with us so good to see you great congratulations on the book obviously we have the picture behind us but I I wanted to show it off because of this part right here 600 Pages worth a good stories in here and a strong door stop right we got we got to read it first before we put it to other uses Right congratulations on this this is great I want to hear a little bit about the process um you know not just the idea behind it but to to work through this and revisit all these memories from 25 years ago yeah it was it was a big undertaking we interviewed we did over a hundred interviews cast and crew um other and Wing nuts people who've been affected by the show and care about it we just uh it was during Co so we did uh we we sat on our computers on zoom and talked and talked and talked and talked and it was so wonderful because we got to reconnect with everybody I mean we're on a text chain with sort of our Core group of people with the cast and we started with them but then we interviewed crew and people that we hadn't talked to in a couple of years and it was so wonderful couple yeah well a couple but couple 25 um but um it was so wonderful that everybody felt really the way we did that it was the most wonderful experience professionally and personally and it was really a family yeah and like you guys said I mean really like everything else this all started with an idea with a conversation a suggestion you guys took the bait and ran with it we sure did yeah we were at Alice and janny's birthday party and um having some cake and uh some drinks and we talked about doing this and we said yes Mary's like yes I'll write that book with you and Mary's husband was standing behind us going don't do it it's going to be so much work a lot of and we're like oh no we'll do it this is the fun part now we get to share it with every this is great but you guys have a lot of pictures in here as well you know this is great because these were actual photos that you guys were taking while you're filming the yeah there were no cell phones then too so these are there's not a ton but I mean we have a ton because we got to go to all the actor houses and through their phot dra these aren't like available every there are personal photos yeah some shouldn't shouldn't really be seen so I I think that and I mean trust me you're going to you're going to have a few nights of bedtime reading to get through all the great stories here um you guys going to be doing a Q&A with our good friend Kevin Walling yes we are that's going to be here in DC um it's going to be available virtually as well right yeah correct it's sold out the live one but the virtual tickets are still Mar Sheen is also doing that with us and Sh yes they're in town just heads up if you're around keep an eye out um you know the biggest thing I think that people in DC are always curious about when we have a DC set show is how true to life is this and you know we have the benefit here we can talk to people that work at the White House and be like was it legit or not for the for you guys as actors and Mary you know I'll ask you first um how much did you know about it ahead of time how much guidance did you get to work into that role um yeah some I mean we did some we have we had great Consultants on The West Wing which was helpful um but I probably needed to know a little bit more about National Security than I actually knew I mean for me I sounded a lot smarter than I am you know every script I'd open I was like oh I speak Chinese oh I shouldn't curse sorry Morning America we'll save that for the for the event tomorrow night sorry the um when you do that though you're absolutely right like as an actor you could easily go in you could do your lines pull off an awesome scene and then and then check out um but politically I mean did this inspire you in any way 100% I think I think we were all engaged prior to the westwing too pretty deeply in service and politically but we were given so many opportunities to be part of great causes issues campaigns because of being part of the westwing and we took advantage of that and you know we talk about this a lot um you know Brad Whitford always says like you know when you're on a show you are given this great capital and you can either spend it on yourself or you can spend it on somebody else and I think we had the opportunity to spend it on a lot of different things and we are grateful for that I want to talk real quick a little behind the scenes because one of the things you have in here you have a full list of of casting potentials for the President right so Martin Sheen obviously you would think that that would just be like this is a great person let's build the show around it but there were a lot of people on that list what was it that made this cast special like why are you all still in touch 25 years later I think it's a combination of things don't you think Mary I mean I think it's the group of people of course the fact that we got to work on something so great that was so wonderful and also it was a family and that started at the top and I I you know we credit everybody at the top but Martin Sheen really was our Mentor our guide and someone we still look up to and we also I think you know we get together a lot for service for um you know one of us we're on a text chain like I said and one of us will send out a bat signal and say like I need a co-host for an event or I need you guys to post this a lot or I need someone to show up and and we all sort of support each other in those different causes so I think that's a it's an opportunity to stay in touch and keep supporting each other we're glad you're staying in touch we're glad you're here I know you're in DC for a couple of days you had a chance to go back to the White House yesterday um which you said you guys actually did film things there so it wasn't like we just had a backdrop you were actually filming things there when you went back yesterday did you feel right at home I mean you just walk in like I own this place no it does not feel like that but it was such an honor to be there it was really exciting it does not feel like home it we loved it and Mary got to meet her counterpart so that was exciting too Jake svin I got to meet mine too it was very exciting and we got to meet the president yes also very exciting and we got to walk him out to the helicopter I mean you guys are just living the dream we are we're so exciting it was fun when you meet your counterpart on a show like that like do you have equal amounts of questions for each other is the real life role versus acting role I don't think he had any questions for me come on I'm pretty sure Jake Sullivan a he's got a few things uh Mary what should I do in this situation who does your hair col there you go no I don't think so great to have you guys both here they're playing the music that means we have to stop talking but you're going to continue talking this week with our good friend and colleague Kevin Walling uh enjoy it go online if you want we put the information up if you want to check out the conversation virtually as well we wish you guys the best thank you thank you