Allison Janney’s portrayal of C.J. Cregg in The West Wing is firmly regarded as one of the greatest acting performances in the history of television. Those of you stupid enough to try and insist otherwise just have to look at her four Emmy wins as proof of just how wrong you are.
For the first six seasons of “The West Wing” C.J. was the White House Press Secretary to Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen). So, when I had the opportunity to talk to Janney about her titanic performance in “I, Tonya” last week, I couldn’t help but ask the actress what C.J. Cregg would think of the heavily maligned Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who have worked under Donald Trump in the same role.
“Not very kindly. I think she would have a lot to say about this administration,” Janney responded. “And I wish Aaron Sorkin would write something so I could say it as CJ because I know that he would say it so much better than I would.”
After suggesting “The West Wing” reunion that every fan of the show has been dreaming of since it came to an end in 2006, Janney then went into more detail about how C.J. would react to Trump’s administration, particularly Spicer and Sanders. And while Janney believes C.J. would have some “empathy” for them, those feelings would ultimately subside because of what Trump stands for.
“I think she would have some empathy for the job and what it entails, and having to be a servant to two masters. To the president and also to the press core, and having to ride that fine line. In this administration I think that job is the worst job to have in the history of press secretaries. I have a great deal of empathy for them. But at a certain point you just have to call a spade a spade.”
While we continue to wait with bated breath for news of Aaron Sorkin writing a scene for Allison Janney to perform as C.J. Cregg, you can instead look ahead to “I, Tonya.” Especially because it features yet another scintillating Janney performance, which has already seen her touted as a Best Supporting Actress Oscar contender.
“I, Tonya” will open in New York and Los Angeles on December 8, 2017, before expanding to a wide U.S. release on January 19, 2018.
