Donna Moss

Last updated

Donna Moss
The West Wing character
Donna Moss.jpg
Janel Moloney as Donna Moss
First appearance"Pilot"
Last appearance"Tomorrow"
Created by Aaron Sorkin
Portrayed by Janel Moloney
In-universe information
Full nameDonnatella Moss
GenderFemale
TitleChief of Staff to the First Lady
OccupationSenior Assistant to the White House Deputy Chief of Staff (seasons 1-6)
Russell Campaign Senior Aide (season 6)
Santos Campaign Spokeswoman (season 7)
Chief of Staff to the First Lady (end of season 7)
FamilyUnnamed mother, unnamed father.
Spouse Josh Lyman (boyfriend)
Religion Protestant, denomination unspecified
NationalityAmerican/Canadian [1]

Donnatella "Donna" Moss [2] is a fictional character played by Janel Moloney on the television serial drama The West Wing. During most of the series, Donna works as the senior assistant to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (or, as she jokingly calls herself in one episode, the "deputy deputy chief of staff"), until she quits her job to work for the presidential campaign of Bob Russell in season 6. Although all the senior staffs' assistants are continuing characters with personal backgrounds, Donna is the best defined and most often featured staff member on the assistant level, and her difficult, semi-romantic relationship with Josh is a recurring plotline throughout the show. She later works for Bob Russell's campaign for President as a spokeswoman, taking the same job for Matt Santos's campaign after Russell loses the primary.

Contents

Creation and development

Donna was initially scripted as a minor character, having only two lines in the pilot episode. However, as Aaron Sorkin remarked, "Janel turned a recurring character who has a couple of lines every once in a while into what became a weekly set piece: the Josh-Donna Scene." [3] By the third episode, Donna's onscreen chemistry with Josh Lyman had convinced the producers to make the opening scene feature her character engaging in back-and-forth dialogue with Josh about a message from C.J. [4] Janel Moloney quipped in the same interview that "I think I maybe quit my job after that", meaning that she would be staying with the show after that scene. [4] Donna was still credited as a recurring character during the first season due to the uncertainty, but she appears in every episode of that season, and Janel Moloney was credited as a full cast member from the second season onward. [4]

During the first four seasons, Donna's relationship with Josh Lyman remains in stasis, with neither daring to make any real romantic move on the other. Aaron Sorkin admits that he was more inclined to move the relationship forward, but, every time he discussed the possibility, fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme would shout, "No! Wait another year!" "Besides", adds Sorkin, "Sexual and romantic tension is, to me, much more fun than taking the tension away by having the sex and romance". [3]

Character role

A script of the pilot episode provided by Warner Bros. to an interviewer introduces Donna as "Josh’s assistant... devoted to Josh and hates admitting it." [2] As Josh's assistant, Donna's role in the show consisted primarily of interactions with Josh for the first five seasons, until she quits her job to work for Bob Russell's campaign for President on the show. Donna's relationship with Josh was one of the ways the show could explore both sides of an issue on the show; often featuring Donna asking questions to Josh so that he can provide information to both Donna and the audience. [5] [6] During her time as Josh's assistant, her flirtatious onscreen chemistry with Josh garnered attention, with The Associated Press describing Donna's role in the show as "Josh's pokerfaced foil" and "mother hen." [3] Other characters within the show occasionally speculate on the pair's relationship; When Donna encourages Josh to ask Joey Lucas on a date, Joey guesses that Donna is attempting to cover her own feelings for Josh through misdirection. [7]

Reaction and influence

Entertainment Weekly described Donna as "undoubtedly one of The West Wing's most indelible characters." [4]

The Atlantic ranked Donna as 39th on their list of every character in The West Wing, describing her as "Easily the most controversial of the core cast members not named 'Mandy.'" [8]

The Washington Post focuses on Donna's romantic tension with Josh Lyman, writing that while Josh and Donna's relationship was perceived as positively romantic in the time it was released, viewing the show after the Me Too movement soured the story. They named it "The Donna Problem"–that society and culture have moved on from what was acceptable a short while ago, and that well-written shows can still be relics of that older time. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>The West Wing</i> American political drama television series (1999-2006)

The West Wing is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 1999 to May 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where the Oval Office and offices of presidential senior staff are located, during the fictitious Democratic administration of Josiah Bartlet.

Josiah Bartlet Fictional character

Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character from the American television serial drama The West Wing, portrayed by Martin Sheen. The role earned Sheen a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2001, as well as two SAG Awards.

Leo McGarry

Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by American actor John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2002. The character of McGarry, a former Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White House Chief of Staff. He is President Josiah Bartlet's best friend and a father figure to the senior staff, particularly White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman.

Sam Seaborn

Samuel Norman Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration throughout the first four seasons of the series.

Josh Lyman Fictional character

Joshua Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. The role earned Whitford the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2001. For the majority of the series, he is White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Political Advisor in the Josiah Bartlet administration.

C. J. Cregg

Claudia Jean Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the television political drama The West Wing. The role proved to be Janney's breakthrough role and earned her unanimous acclaim. For her performance, she received four Primetime Emmy Awards; twice for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series each, as well as four Screen Actors Guild Awards and four nominations for the Golden Globe Award. From the beginning of the series until the sixth season, she is White House Press Secretary in the administration of President Josiah Bartlet. After that, she is Bartlet's chief of staff. The character is inspired by Clinton's press secretary Dee Dee Myers, who served as a consultant to the show. Characterized by manifest integrity, quick witticisms, a fierce intellect, and compassionate stoicism, C.J. is widely acclaimed by critics and political commentators alike as the "most popular White House Press Secretary in recent memory".

Mandy Hampton

Madeline "Mandy" Hampton, Ph.D. is a fictional character from the American serial drama The West Wing, portrayed by Moira Kelly. She was White House media consultant during the first season of the show, and the former girlfriend of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, with whom she often clashed. A savvy political strategist and no-nonsense negotiator, the character is said to have been based on Mandy Grunwald, a real-life Democratic political consultant and media adviser who worked on the presidential campaigns for both Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. Moira Kelly said of her character, "She's a fighter in a difficult business and has a lot of strength."

Charlie Young

Charles Young is a fictional character played by Dulé Hill on the television serial drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he is the Personal Aide to President Josiah Bartlet.

Joshua Malina American film and stage actor (born 1966)

Joshua Charles Malina is an American film and stage actor known for playing Will Bailey on the NBC drama The West Wing, Jeremy Goodwin on Sports Night, David Rosen on Scandal, and President Siebert on The Big Bang Theory.

Janel Moloney American actress

Janel Wallace Moloney is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Donna Moss on the television series The West Wing, a role for which she received nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2002 and 2004. From 2014 to 2017, she starred on the acclaimed HBO drama The Leftovers.

On the Day Before 4th episode of the third season of The West Wing

"On the Day Before" is the forty-eighth The West Wing episode and fourth of the third season. It originally aired on NBC October 31, 2001. The episode deals with a suicide bomber in Jerusalem, as well as continued negotiations over the estate tax. Written by Aaron Sorkin, Paul Redford, and Nanda Chitre, and directed by Christopher Misiano, the episode contains the first appearances by H. Richard Greene as Congressman Robert Royce and Thomas Kopache as Assistant Secretary of State Bob "Bobby" Slatterly. There are also guest appearances by Kevin Tighe, Cliff DeYoung and Mary Mara. Janel Moloney was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in this episode.

Walk and talk is a storytelling technique used in filmmaking and television production in which a number of characters have a conversation while walking somewhere. Walk and talk often involves a walking character who is then joined by another character. On their way to their destinations, the two talk. Variations include interruptions from other characters and walk and talk relay races, in which new characters join the group and one of the original characters leaves the conversation, while the remaining characters continue the walking and talking.

<i>The West Wing</i> (season 7) Season of television series

The seventh and final season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from September 25, 2005 to May 14, 2006 and consisted of 22 episodes. The series changed time slots from Wednesdays at 9:00 pm to Sundays at 8:00 pm, and the series struggled in its new time slot against ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and CBS's Cold Case.

<i>The West Wing</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 17, 2000 and consisted of 22 episodes.

<i>The West Wing</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from October 4, 2000 to May 16, 2001 and consisted of 22 episodes.

<i>The West Wing</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from October 3, 2001 to May 22, 2002 and consisted of 21 episodes and 2 special episodes.

<i>The West Wing</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from September 25, 2002 to May 14, 2003 and consisted of 23 episodes.

<i>The West Wing</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from September 24, 2003, to May 19, 2004, and consisted of 22 episodes. This was the first season with executive producer John Wells as showrunner after series creator Aaron Sorkin departed the series at the end of the previous season.

<i>The West Wing Weekly</i>

The West Wing Weekly is an American podcast hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina. In each episode, the hosts discuss one episode of the television program The West Wing, which originally aired on NBC from 1999 to 2006. The podcast has featured various cast and crew members including series creator Aaron Sorkin, director Tommy Schlamme, series actors Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Marlee Matlin, and Dulé Hill, longtime series writer-producers Eli Attie and Lawrence O'Donnell, and many former government officials, academics, and pundits, among others.

References

  1. ↑ Writer: Aaron Sorkin & Paul Redford Director: Alex Graves (March 6, 2002). "Dead Irish Writers". The West Wing. Season 3. Episode 15.
  2. 1 2 "Interview with Aaron Sorkin" (PDF). On Writing Magazine, Issue 18. The Writers Guild of America, East, Inc. February 2003. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 Moore, Frazier (February 12, 2001). West Wing Lovers Are in Limbo Archived May 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine . Associated Press . Retrieved on December 15, 2007.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "How 'The West Wing' star Janel Moloney built her character Donna Moss 'from scratch'". EW.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  5. ↑ Miller, Matthew (March 1, 2000). "The Real White House". Brill's Content. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
  6. ↑ Rosenberg, Alyssa. "The personal politics of 'The West Wing'". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  7. ↑ The West Wing, Episode 2.14: The War at Home. Original airdate: February 14, 2001.
  8. ↑ O'Keeffe, Kevin; Sims, David; Reid, Joe (September 12, 2014). "A Definitive Ranking of Every Character on 'The West Wing'". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  9. ↑ Hesse, Monica (February 27, 2018). "Perspective | Love-struck hero or creepy harasser? Suddenly we're seeing our favorite rom-coms in a new light". Washington Post. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.