In honor of ‘The West Wing’s’ 25th anniversary, Elisabeth Moss reflects on what she learned from the show

Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the NBC political drama The West Wing, and actress Elisabeth Moss, who was only 17 when she debuted on the series as Martin Sheen’s daughter Zoey Bartlet, tells ABC Audio she learned a lot during her time on the program.

“The actors that I worked with were incredibly formative for not only what acting is supposed to be like, but how you’re supposed to act on set and your off-camera behavior,” she shares, calling Sheen “one of the kindest people alive.”

She adds, “The way that he would treat the crew was the template for how I thought, ‘OK, that’s how you’re supposed to act with everyone.’”

In addition to Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet, the series starred Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, John Spencer and Richard Schiff, and Moss says the experience working with them was like a “master class.”

“They were also all really nice,” she says, noting it taught her that to succeed “you have to be talented and kind.” 

The West Wing is currently tied for the most Emmy wins for Outstanding Drama Series with four; when fans think of the show, many point to the writing as being a highlight. Moss says getting to say those words spoiled her for future projects.

She notes, “To be able to, at that age, have that caliber of material to speak really set the tone for me of what I was going to be looking for in my career.”