The West Wing - 'We Needed the Eight Best Actors There Were'

At PaleyFest LA on March 7, 2000, Aaron Sorkin, creator of "The West Wing," describes the casting process for the series and what led to choosing "the right actor" for each role.

[dck]

Without the entire interview posted I don't know if this was asked, but my first follow-up question would have been: Was the role of CJ Cregg intended to be played by a woman, or did Alison Janney just knock the audition out of the ballpark? That is the only character whose moniker is gender neutral.