updated 01/14/01

Articles for AJ on The West Wing

West Wing-ing it  

NewsHour  

Janney stands tall in drama's talented cast  

...from the NBC Fall Preview Party

To Tell the Truth

Excerpt from:

West Wing-ing it

Recent Emmy winner Allison Janney takes our reporter on a soul-searching journey from New York to California to D.C. and back again.

by Michele Hatty

Allison Janney sees the bright side of life. This is a woman whose favorite memories include cabbing around Manhattan as a kid with her glamorous grandmother and who plays the snare drum during her family's impromptu jam sessions.

West Wing director Tommy Schlamme says Janney, who played memorable characters on the big screen in such films as The Ice Storm, American Beauty and Nurse Betty, is not typical TV. "She brings a quality more of us can relate to. She feels very real."

In addition to chatting about her height and her attitude toward life, Janney sang into the reporter's tape recorder and in a move antithetical to the recent wave of waif-thin actresses -- finished off the reporter's blueberry pancakes. Definitely real.

Q: Was it tough to be tall growing up?

Yes. I never had a date till college. Most [guys] don't like their date to be taller than they are. My boyfriend is a good 5-11. Sometimes he wishes he were taller, and sometimes I do, too. But that's only because I have a closetful of high heels I never wear. I put them on and I go, "Ugh. I can't do that."

Q: You moved from New York to Los Angeles for The West Wing. Do you feel better about that now that the show's a hit?

I still don't feel settled. I thought I would by now. My boyfriend's in New York and just got a raise and a promotion, so he doesn't really feel like leaving his job. But I like the idea of buying a house [in Los Angeles] and having a yard and getting a dog and having a family. Which I have to do very quickly [laughs].

Q: So you want to have kids?

I had my first maternal instinct about a month ago. I started realizing I was looking at my friends' babies, not because they were cute but thinking I could be with one. Usually my maternal instincts have been toward having pets. If I could stomach the awful part of being a veterinarian, which involves sticking your hand up animals' behinds, I would be a vet.

Q: You're known to have a rockin' trailer on the set. Just what goes on in there?

I like to have a good time. I have a full bar in my trailer, which I got for my birthday last year. I love to dance. I love all kinds of music, from salsa to punk, acid rock. I always have music on, and candles. My trailer is the most fun to hang out in.

Q: I hear you're a board game fanatic.

I love them. I am convinced no one likes them as much as I do. With my family, I like to play Boggle. I like Monopoly and Parcheesi and Clue. We played Twister on my birthday.

Q: You must have an advantage in Twister!

I do. I totally do.

See the original article at:

http://www.usaweekend.com/00_issues/001022/001022janney.html

The following are extended excerpts of her interview with the

NewsHour

The Emmy-winning "West Wing" actress discusses how her tough-talking press secretary, C.J., compares to her real-life White House counterparts.

TERENCE SMITH: How much research did you do to try to make your portrayal of C.J. as real as it could be?

ALLISON JANNEY: The first thing I did was panic because I knew nothing about politics, nothing. I didn't follow the political races, nothing, and I was kind of terrified to enter into this world I knew nothing about. And so Dee Dee Myers very graciously took me out for dinner, and we talked about her job. I think the most interesting thing that Dee Dee Myers told me was that a lot of what goes on in the White House, in terms of who talks to who, it's all just personality driven, as opposed to what your job is and who you're supposed to talk to. It's not about that. And so as a woman, it was just twice as hard for her to be in with the right group and know what she needed to know. She was invaluable.

And then I read Howard Kurtz's "Spin Cycle," which was pretty informative. But I am lucky enough to have Aaron [Sorkin, the show's creator] write what I have to say. So just have to go up there and just act like I know what I'm talking about, which is what they do, too, but they really know what they're talking about.

TERENCE SMITH: One of the things that your character does that people like Marlin Fitzwater and Joe Lockhart say is true to life is that the press secretary is always racing to catch up, to find out what's going on. Do you have that sense?

ALLISON JANNEY: Absolutely. Absolutely. And it is a very difficult job because you are the servant of two masters. And Joe Lockhart, once, actually let me start a press briefing in Washington, and it was strange. I felt strangely comfortable, though, going in there. But [UPI White House correspondent] Helen Thomas came up to me afterwards, and she said, "I just want to give you some advice. As the press secretary, you represent the American people. That's who you represent. You can't--" I mean, she was basically telling me that I had to tell, give up the goods to the press and to the people because that was where my duty lay, where my obligation was and not to the president. And I was like, "Well, Helen, I'll take that under consideration."

TERENCE SMITH: That's funny.

ALLISON JANNEY: It is. I don't know how they do it. But Joe Lockhart, and Dee Dee Myers, and Mike McCurry, all three of whom I've met, are all, they're great people. They're smart, and they're funny, and interesting, and I just really enjoyed meeting all three of them.

TERENCE SMITH: The people who have had this job before, the Joe Lockharts and the Marlin Fitzwaters, do have trouble envisioning an ongoing relationship, a romantic relationship, between a press secretary and a member of the press.

ALLISON JANNEY: I do too. C.J. does too. And I sort of think that that relationship is not going to be going any further. I think that Danny, Tim Busfield's character, wants it to, and that'll be interesting stuff to play, too, because I think that C.J. has definitely decided this is not good because it's already come up in her professional life, where people are asking, "Are you making that decision because of Danny or because of, you know, what's really going on?" And that's not good.

TERENCE SMITH: And is she cutting it off or deciding to end it for that reason?

ALLISON JANNEY: Yes.

TERENCE SMITH: The internal conflict.

ALLISON JANNEY: I think she would never let anyone know what her real feelings were for Danny. She probably cares about him a lot more than she lets on, but it's not going to go any further.

TERENCE SMITH: Joe Lockhart had a fun observation. He said that watching the show, he liked it that whenever C.J. was cut out of the loop, something bad happens.

ALLISON JANNEY: I love that. Anything to let people know that you can't leave the press secretary out of the loop or you're going to be in trouble.

TERENCE SMITH: How literally do you think viewers, take this show as a representation of life in the West Wing?

ALLISON JANNEY: I think it's what they hope life is like in the West Wing because these are all good people trying to do the right thing, and I think they really want it to be what it's like. And from the people that I've personally met in the West Wing, I would say that we're pretty right on track. They're pretty great, wonderful people that work in the White House in this administration. I mean, it's the only one I've met or had the opportunity to get close to, but they all seem like really wonderful people who really care about their jobs and what they're doing.

See the original article at:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/west_wing/janney.html

Janney stands tall in drama's talented cast

By Phil Kloer / Cox News Service
10-04-00

Janney stands tall in drama's talented cast

By Phil Kloer

c. 2000 Cox News Service

As press secretary C.J.(for Claudia Jean) Cregg on "The West Wing," Allison Janney towers over her co-workers. Not just because she was one of the only actors in the cast to win an Emmy when the series won nine last month, but because she's 6 feet tall.

Janney, who turns 40 next month, has a wide-ranging resume, beginning with a two-year stint on "The Guiding Light" soap in the early '90s, an acclaimed run as Katharine in "The Taming of the Shrew" in Central Park last year and movie roles as the catatonic wife of the abusive Marine neighbor in "American Beauty" and a voracious soap opera producer in "Nurse Betty."

In a recent telephone interview, we started with her own politics.

Question: Who are you voting for in the November presidential election?

Answer: Gore, absolutely. I've never gotten to meet him. I've met President Clinton and the First Lady and Chelsea, and [press secretary] Joe Lockhart has been wonderful to me.

Q: Will the show be different if Bush wins or Gore wins? Will it change if Bush wins?

A: I worry about that. The only thing that might change is that we might not have the open lines of communication between real people and their Hollywood counterparts. Most Republicans call the show "The Left Wing." But creator Aaron Sorkin] has added some Republican characters and [former aide to President George Bush] Marlin Fitzwater is going to be a consultant, so that might make it more compelling for Republicans to watch.

Q: You're the only female lead on an otherwise all-male show. Is the testosterone level a little high?

A: I grew up with [two] brothers, so I don't have a problem with it. I love men. Dee Dee Myers [former Clinton aide, now a consultant on the show] keeps telling me of course it's hard to be a woman in a man's world. That's just inherent in the situation I'm in.

Q: You said in another interview, "I think they like the idea of me towering over the guys." What did you mean?

A: That was just about me being the only woman and being forceful. It's easy to put that on me because of my stature. I just have a power of my height.

Q: Did you feel your height was an advantage when you were a girl?

A: Growing up, it was a total drawback. There was nothing good about it at all. I never had a boyfriend until college. But my parents made me take ballet and figure skating, so I had good control over my body.

Q: Do you and Martin Sheen ever have any interchanges about the differences in your height?

A: Martin's never made a comment about it. I can tell when men are threatened by my height, and they don't act like Martin does. But as C.J., when she stands near the president, she tries to look shorter. C.J. has a little problem with being taller than the president. And there are a couple of episodes where he says, "Are you taller than usual?"

Q: What have you contributed to the character Aaron created?

A: I think a sense of humor and her femininity. Certainly not her smarts. I know nothing about politics.

Q: Where is your Emmy?

A: It's on the mantle of the house I'm leasing. I don't know what I'm going to do with it.

Q: Not only did you win the Emmy, but that gold gown you wore got a lot of great comments.

A: Yeah, I didn't get creamed by Joan Rivers. That made my day.

Q: What's it like on the set now, filming the second season, and having won nine Emmys?

A: Everyone couldn't be happier and more terrified. Along with that kind of recognition comes the stress of keeping the show at that level, and worrying about the backlash. Some people are probably just waiting to tear it down. We're just trying to not get too overexposed.

See the original article at:

http://www.coxnews.com/newsservice/stories/2000/JANNEY04COX.html

5/15/2000 More interviews from the NBC Fall Preview Party

Allison Janney ­ "The West Wing"

NBCLive: What was your first job?

Allison: Selling vinyl handbags in a department store in Dayton, Ohio. My
first professional acting job was doing a play called "Citizen Tom Payne"
in Washington D.C. My first acting ever was playing the part of the
undertaker's son in "Oliver".

NBCLive: If you were to write an autobiography about yourself, what would
it be called?

Allison: Well Sanford Mysner once told me, when I studied with him,
"Donıt let anyone ever tell you are too tall to act." I think that would
be it. Iım about 6ft.

NBCLive: If all your career dreams come true, what would you have
accomplished upon your retirement?

Allison: I would love to continue to do the work Iım doing now but also
do movies. Independent film projects with people I really respect and
directors I really want to work with. To be able to choose whom I want to
work with and have great material. Iıd like to make really important
movies. Like "American Beauty". I was really proud to be a part of that
movie. Iıd love to do more movies that have that much of an impact on
people. It makes me feel like my life has been worth something. Iıd like
to play parts like Annette Bening played.

NBCLive: Who was your first celebrity crush?

Allison: Oh my gosh! Bobby Sherman. That was my first crush. I was in
love with Bobby Sherman. I wrote letters on why I should spend the day
with Bobby Sherman. Oh waitS Davey Jones. Davey Jones was a huge one for
me when I was a teenager. Since then, Paul Newman ­ George Clooney, there
are so many.

http://www.talkcity.com/events/chat/nbc/trans/5-15-2000.2.htmpl

SHOPTALK

To Tell the Truth

Participants: Joe Lockhart, Allison Janney Subject: White House press secretary

By ALEXANDRA STARR

 

Drawing by Christophe Niemann, Photographs from Reuters

efore stepping down on Oct. 1, Joe Lockhart won praise for his straightforward performance as White House press secretary. Over the same period, Allison Janney won praise -- and an Emmy -- for her artful performance as C.J. Cregg, White House press secretary on NBC's "West Wing." Here, the two talk about watching each other work and the differences between their jobs.

Q: How has viewing each other's performance changed the way you each do your job?

Lockhart: I don't think it affected the way I did my job. The benefit of the show is that it has helped people see us as real people. It's kind of odd, because you needed fake people in order to do that.

Janney: We make you look good, huh?

Lockhart: Yeah, that's something I'm never going to forget. In the season premiere I saw a little bit of myself in the absolute look of disdain on C.J.'s face when a dumb question was asked. Maybe you can't learn that; you have to have it naturally. That was a pretty good dirty look. I liked it.

Janney: I think the show helps humanize politics. It's an opportunity to give the White House a kind of face lift.

Lockhart: We appreciate the plastic surgery. We need it.

Q: Is acting an important talent for a press secretary?

Lockhart: It's funny, because I don't know the first thing about acting.

Janney: Oh, no, Joe. You didn't do anything in high school or college?

Lockhart: Nothing. I had never stood up in front of people in my life.

Janney: It's interesting, because I feel comfortable standing up before people when I've memorized Aaron Sorkin's words. And yet to stand up and talk about something -- even something that I know about -- unscripted is so hard for me.

Lockhart: Aaron Sorkin writes beautiful words. I get a lot of words from people, but I don't always have 100 percent confidence about everything that's given to me. If you're a close watcher, that's reflected in how I deliver things. Sometimes I'm not certain we know everything we need to know, and I'll be less than definitive.

Janney: Mike McCurry said he used to be ignorant on purpose, so he didn't have to feel like he was lying. Do you do that, Joe?

Lockhart: No. This is not a criticism of Mike, but he had the job during the worst of the Monica stuff, but most everything that needed to be known was known by the time I got the job. During that period he said my job is to tell the truth slowly. I think he meant it was his job to make sure he was sure about things. Reporters get to be wrong every day. They do their best on deadline, they write what they think they know; the next day, as the story moves, they move with it. That doesn't work for people who speak for the government. I would rather be in Hollywood, where you can turn to the end of the script and say, hmm, this is how it ends.

Janney: In Washington last fall, when you let me step out there at that briefing, Helen Thomas actually came up to me afterward and gave me advice as if I really were the press secretary. She was like, your job is to tell the truth to the American people / that is your only job. I was taken aback.

Lockhart: Well, there's a whole mutual-fascination process going on when the "West Wing" people show up. You know, Rob Lowe is in the Roosevelt Room and 40 people find a reason to go take a look. I'm not just talking about just young women, I'm talking about senior staffers, male and female. And it's very cool to walk around and introduce Allison as the person who plays me on TV. That never happened before; that will never happen again.

Janney: What is going to happen if Bush gets in office? We're not going to get anywhere near the White House.

Lockhart: Oh, you guys are going to get canceled. And if you don't, they are going to pull your F.C.C. license.

Janney: We both went through the same thing in our first year on the job: out in public, people recognized us but they didn't know where from. They were like, were you at my cousin's wedding last week?

Lockhart: I said, tell them you went to the cousin's wedding, and that you danced. That really gets them. They get this soft look and they think, we must have -- and I must have -- been really drunk. He must have been there, because I was drunk and I was dancing!

Janney: Now, Joe, I have to tell you, people are like: "Hey C.J.! Hey C.J.!"

Lockhart: Yeah, what can I say? You've passed me by.

Janney: But I think that won't be the same anymore because of "West Wing." Everyone is going to know who everyone is in Washington.

Lockhart: Well, that was already happening to some extent, because of the impact of television on Washington and politics. So I think that "West Wing" accelerated that. You're going to get a lot of people now, young people, who want to get back into politics.

Janney: How do you feel being retired now? You haven't gotten nostalgic yet, have you?

Lockhart: It's interesting. I watched all of the stuff from Belgrade in a hotel room, with my feet up. And there was a part of me that wanted to be in the middle of it, and there was a part of me that said, glad that this is somebody else's issue. And I can just watch like most people can. It will just take some time.

October 22, 2000

See the original article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20001022mag-shoptalk.html

Website maintained by Wendy Repass [email protected]

This site uses information gleamed from the many, many sites available on productions Ms. Janney has been involved. This site is meant to be a tribute to the actress and uses information not endorsed by the actress, NBC, The West Wing, or the creators of the material therein. We have tried to keep the references to writers of material, however, photos have merely been copied and transferred.