For Hollywood actors, getting cast often does depend on who you know. With Rob Lowe's Sam Seaborn exiting The West Wing on Feb. 26, the show's faux White House needed a new deputy communications director. Hence, creator Aaron Sorkin tapped Joshua Malina — an alum of his old ABC comedy, Sports Night — to play Will Bailey. Talk about connections!
For Malina, it was a neat trick getting his face in WW's opening credits. "I started out with a five episode contract," the 37-year-old tells TV Guide Online. "It was 'five and we'll see' — and finally, we saw. How did Aaron Sorkin let me know I was now a regular? I checked the phone machine one day, and he was humming the West Wing theme song. He hummed it and said, 'Welcome to the main titles.' There was much rejoicing."
Since Lowe appears headed for his own NBC legal show, this probably won't be an issue, but... What if Lowe were persuaded to stay on WW? Can there be two communications deputies? "That's a very good question," Malina laughs. "It hasn't aired yet, but there's an episode which addresses that by suggesting Sam may get a promotion. I think he would be my immediate superior. Although, having read that Rob is shooting another pilot, I don't think that's going to come to pass... Rob could be my own Charlie from Charlie's Angels, just appearing as a voice on a box, telling me what to do!"
Has there been any friction between Lowe and Malina as the baton is passed? "There was no tension whatsoever," Malina says. "Rob couldn't have been classier or more encouraging. I had met him while we were both doing A View from the Top [opening in March]. In the movie, I play a gay flight attendant named Randy. I go to flight attendant school with Gwyneth Paltrow and Christina Applegate, and we're taught by Mike Myers. There's an image for you!"
