Martin Sheen & Melissa Fitzgerald on Amanpour and Company - 8.21.24

now much has been made of how this DNC has been trying to recapture the hope of Obama's 2008 run but if you want real political Fantasia you have to look a little further back in time to 1999 when Aaron s in series The West Wing hit the airwaves with its famous walk and talks its Dynamic fast space scripts and soaring political optimism here's just one clip to remind us when actor Martin Sheen was President there's a promise that I ask everyone who works here to make never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world you know why it's the only thing that ever has seems like a long time ago but a new book is going behind the scenes called what's next a backstage pass to The West Wing it's cast and crew and it's enduring Legacy of service and I'm joined Now by one of its authors the westwing Alam Melissa Fitzgerald as well as president Bartlett himself the multi-award-winning actor Martin Sheen welcome both of you to the program it really does seem appropriate to be able to talk about this and your legacy the program's Legacy right in the middle of this convention um because as Michelle Obama said it does seem that hope has been rekindled at least for this week Martin Sheen how do you see what's going on now in real life and sort of as a as a postcript to what you all hoped and predicted uh back when West wi was on the air well clearly there is a ground swell and it has captured the imagination of the whole nation and no one could possibly have anticipated it and uh least of all the Republicans and uh with all due respects I would offer just a few words of advice to uh Mr Trump Donald you're going to need a bigger boat that's what's happening there is a tidal wave sweeping across the country and it's lifting everybody up with this optimism and joy and hope something that we could not possibly have imagined uh until very recently and so uh we're all frankly just happy as Larry that finally the dam is broken and it's okay to to to join the uh join the wave so of course you speak from a particular perspective and one that you all created and showed the world during The West Wing um some call it a liberal fantasy Melissa Melissa F Joel what I want to ask you is about the book that you've written about it uh what's next and it has a long sub subtitle what did you hear all these years later from the cast from the crew from the others who took part in this incredible series well I think we are at a moment of great hope of joy as Martin said of optimism and we all felt so fortunate to have been part of a show that envisioned a government that was filled by smart committed people who went to work every day trying to do the most good for the most people and we have heard from the fans and people have bought the book because it's been out for about a week now and we've gotten such a flood of positive response from people saying that this book is meeting the moment that we are in now and that has been thrilling and exciting that we are in this moment of great optimism joy and hope which was really what the westwing was about and why I believe it caught such fire so look I'm going to play a little clip and uh you know it talks about what's next the origin of that phrase or that question which is also the title of your book um here we go let's flashback for a moment Sam if we win in Illinois do we have a shot at California in New York if we win in Illinois we're going to run the T well that's it then we've saved people the trouble of voting what's next our our point is that it's I understood the point we're going to South Carolina to setup Illinois when I ask what's next it means I'm ready to move on to other things so what's next we're done fantastic I mean it it sums up so much Martin Sheen that was the late John Spencer also uh obviously in that in that clip tell me about what's next I mean you sort of explained it there but how did that become the sort of the the the iconic phrase well he never wanted to to look behind him he was always looking forward so he when he said what what's next he's saying to his staff and to anyone with an earshot that we've we've I got what you're kind of telling me what you're telling me and I'm looking forward and I'm carrying what you told me with me so what's next so he got it in in other words didn't have to have endless endless long meetings yeah yeah look I want to ask you both I I I'll start with you Melissa so as we've established the West Wing was an incredibly it's like Comfort viewing it it gave people a sense of hope a sense of can do a sense that politics was there to make people's lives better and things that came later were very cynical whether it's the House of Cards whether it's the English one in the thick of it uh deep even funny but quite cynical um how do you account for the success of the hopeful version Melissa when you look back you know 25 years later I believe I am a hopeful person at at my core and I think most people are we want that we want to know that our government is there for us we do own it it is ours and we we have to build it we have to fight for it and I know that people have that hope in them and we need that and I think that was part of the success of the show [Music] [Music]