Press Secretary for President Clinton, Dee Dee Myers was the first woman ever to hold the position and part-inspiration for the character of C.J. Cregg. Joining The West Wing as the show's main Political Consultant, Myers acted as Sorkin's sounding board, providing the inside scoop on every level of White House politics.
How much of you is there in C.J.?
You'd have to ask Aaron that question [Laughs]. I was at that point the only woman who had ever served as White House press secretary. She went to Berkeley and so did I – although it turns out she's from Ohio and I'm from California. Of course when I started working with the writers, I certainly spent more time on storylines for that character because I knew it and stuff that happened to me ended up happening to C.J..
"I think the big thing the show gets right – and this is really important, because no one else has ever done it – is that people who work in politics are motivated by big ideas and hopeful aspiration, regardless of what side of the aisle you come from."
How much of Clinton would you say is in President Bartlet?
What made Clinton so interesting to work for was not only is he highly intelligent, he's interested in everything. He's endlessly curious. Sometimes that led him to go off on a disquisition about cold fusion when you wanted him to talk about healthcare, but it made him very engaged and deeply interested in the interconnectivity of all these issues. He was just an interesting person to be around because he could talk about NCAA basketball, the latest movies, the latest spy novel, oh and by the way, relations with Russia and what was happening with Israel's internal domestic politics and, you know, the latest thinking on what were the best sources of new ideas around climate change. Whatever it was, he knew something about it and was interested in it and was up for a conversation. That was his idea of a good time, "Let's play cards and talk policy!" That's Bartlet! Martin would go off on some tangent all the time. The tone is a little different but the inclination to know and to share is very much Clintonian.
The Vice President is quite a demonised character on the show, was that a dramatic choice or an accurate representation?
The role of the VP has evolved a lot through the course of history, but it was more of a storytelling device. There were certainly conflicts between Clinton and Gore and obviously that administration shaped the culture of the show more than anything else. There's a little bit of Gore, who's ambitious, trapped behind a President who's maybe more skilled at the arts of politics.
How did the set measure up to the real thing?
It was surreal because you'd walk out of one room and you'd be in completely the wrong place. The Oval Office was very accurate and the briefing room was pretty accurate but the internal offices weren't at all like what they are in the real White House. The Oval Office set was built for The American President. Rob Reiner and Aaron came in and measured and photographed, which I guess hadn't really been done in that way before, and then recreated it. It was a very Clinton Oval Office – the Obama Oval Office looks a lot different.
"It's a very optimistic show, unlike anything else about politics that has ever been on TV."
How realistic is the show compared to the real day-to-day of The White House?
I think the big thing the show gets right – and this is really important, because no one else has ever done it – is that people who work in politics are motivated by big ideas and hopeful aspiration, regardless of what side of the aisle you come from. The other thing Aaron gets right, and insisted on, is that if you're talking about healthcare or climate change or whatever, then the argument on the other side has to be real. These issues are complex and it's okay to show that. Presidents never make 80/20 decisions, they make 51/49 decisions; that's why the decision gets to them, because they're hard. The easy ones get made by everybody else! Aaron created a show where the characters wrestled with complex issues in thoughtful ways and he did that with the overlay of hopefulness. It's a very optimistic show, unlike anything else about politics that has ever been on TV.
What does he get wrong?
In the real world there are way more people involved in the process of making policy, making decisions and playing the political game. But you have to narrow it down to have a group of recurring characters that you care about and who are, you know, running the world. On the show it's the same five people that make every decision!
It's more true to life than, say, House Of Cards though.
Yes, and you know what? I can assure you... maybe I didn't see everything, but there was no murder while I was at the White House! There were a few times when there were people we probably wanted to kill, but nobody got offed in my experience or that of anyone else I know.