Melissa Fitzgerald Talks ‘The West Wing’ and Her New Film ‘Courting Des Moines’ [Exclusive Interview]

You might recognize Melissa Fitzgerald from her role on The West Wing, where she played Carol Fitzpatrick, the Assistant to the Press Secretary CJ Cregg.

Over the years, Fitzgerald has shifted away from acting but remains engaged politically with activism regarding drug treatment courts.

I recently spoke with Fitzgerald about her new film Courting Des Moines, what it’s like to have been a part of a series that still maintains a loyal following after twenty years, and her work with the National Association for Drug Court Professionals.

Fitzgerald recently returned to the screen to star in Courting Des Moines, a movie that continues a web series entitled Chasing the Hill. Courting Des Moines follows Fitzgerald’s character, Samantha Clemens, as she goes through the Iowa caucus process and pursues a run for president.

Fitzgerald spoke a little bit about how she got involved with the film.

“I worked with Brent Roske on Chasing the Hill, which is a web series that he produced with Richard Schiff. My character Samantha Clemens ran for congress in [that series]. This was a continuation, just a film version of what happens to her after she wins the race for congress,” Fitzgerald said.

The Iowa Caucuses happen around the Presidential and mid-term elections and are considered the first major political contest of the season. 

Courting Des Moines shines a spotlight on how the caucus process works through the lens of this particular character. Fitzgerald talked a little bit about the caucus process.

“It really is old fashioned democracy in action. It’s a gathering of neighbors. They can openly talk about the candidates, which is different than primaries. Then they choose a delegate who goes and represents their area, their precinct,” Fitzgerald explained.

What I thought was interesting, and it came out in the movie, was how if an unknown puts in the time he can actually win the caucus. That happened with Jimmy Carter.”

The movie has a unique format including some cameos from politicians. Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Randell appears in the film as President Randell, a cameo that has special significance for Fitzgerald since Randell and Fitzgerald’s father worked together previously in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office when she was a baby and he has remained a close family friend.

Courting Des Moines isn’t the first time Fitzgerald has appeared in a movie or series centering around politics. She appeared in NBC’s The West Wing, which recently celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the pilot episode.

“I look back on what my life was then, and it’s a totally different life. And it does make sense that it’s twenty years, but it doesn’t feel that way, at all,” Fitzgerald said.

She also recalled her feelings when she first read the script. “I remember when I read the script for it, I said ‘that is going to be the best show that is ever on TV.’ I stand by that, and I knew as soon as I read that script that I really wanted to be a part of that show. Not only because it was going to be a great television show, but I believed, and still believe that it had important social relevance.”

The West Wing has had an enduring legacy that Fitzgerald encounters regularly in her daily life.

“One of the things I loved about it is that, and Aaron Sorkin I think has described it this way, [it is] a love letter to public service. It’s heartening. When I live in Washington D.C. now, and walking down the street young people will say, ‘I’m here because of The West Wing.”

“That is so exciting to see that young people have been motivated. Smart young people have been motivated to work in public service because of The West Wing, she added. 

With the arrival of streaming platforms since The West Wing debuted, the series has gotten some new life drawn into it. Currently, the series is available to stream on Netflix which Fitzgerald recognizes is responsible for bringing the show into a new generation.

“I think Netflix has given it a second life, especially for young people who were not old enough to watch it when it was on originally,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald has also encountered some loyal fans who regularly watch the series.

“People re-watch it,” she said. “It’s been really interesting to hear that too. A lot of people say ‘I watch it every single year. I watch the series from beginning to end.’ Someone said, ‘On my birthday, I start it, every year, and I watch it through,’” she noted. “I got a text from a congressman yesterday and he said, ‘I’m watching again The West Wing, I’m on Season 4 right now. For inspiration.’ It feels great to have been a small part of that.”

Fitzgerald believes that a large part of the success of the series was the dedication and passion that every person who worked on the show had for it. 

“I think from every single position on that show, from Aaron Sorkin, the creator, to every one of the producers and the writers, the set decorators, the prop people, everybody just had a commitment to excellence. And, obviously, the actors were incredible as well,” Fitzgerald said.

One of the things Fitzgerald remembers the most about the experience is the relationships the actors were able to forge with each other. “It was pre-texting and cell phones, so we were very present with each other. I often wonder if we would have been as good friends if we’d had cell phones then, because we really were able to be together and have those deep meaningful conversations.”

“Now I feel like half the time I’m in a conversation I am checking my emails or checking my texts, and it’s a lot more challenging to be present with the people that I’m actually with,” she added.

Fitzgerald also recalled the table readings that the cast would conduct for the writers and producers.

“That was the time that everyone was together and you’d hear the script from beginning to end, and I always felt so fortunate to be part of it. To be able to hear that particular group of actors read those particular words was a huge gift.”

Even before the table reads, Fitzgerald loved reading the scripts. “They were hard copies and they were delivered back then. And I remember they were in a sealed envelope, and closing my door, turning off my phone, and just reading the script from start to finish, because they were so beautifully written I wanted to read them all in one sitting.”

Fitzgerald doesn’t act much anymore, but she’s still involved in politics. She lives in Washington D.C. now and works as an activist as the director of the Advancing Justice Initiative, part of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals where she champions treatment courts for veterans and civilians.

Coincidentally, while The West Wing celebrates 20 years, the first treatment court is celebrating 30 years. It was launched in Miami-Dade.

“It is very exciting to be at this moment in our nation’s history, where there is real will for justice reform, and to be part of that is exciting and meaningful,” Fitzgerald said.

Her involvement in the initiative almost seemed predestined. She first came to know about treatment courts in childhood through her father, a retired judge on the State Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

“He was one of the people that launched the mental health court in Philadelphia, so I knew about treatment courts, which are alternatives to incarceration for people who come into contact with the justice system who have a substance use and, or mental health disorder.

“If they qualify, and they decide to, they can be part of a program through the court system that will provide them with treatment and wrap-around services so they can really get their lives back on track,” Fitzgerald explained.

Fitzgerald got involved with the organization in part thanks to Martin Sheen, who played President Bartlett on The West Wing, and who has always been a fan of treatment courts since the early days. Sheen invited her to speak at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals conference.

“I spoke at that conference, and I really was surprised at how large the movement was. There were thousands of justice professionals and treatment providers who were at this conference to receive cutting edge training, but also to fight for funding for these courts,” she remembered.

From there she got involved in the organization which had recently launched a program called Justice for Vets.

“I thought that that was an incredible idea because we are at a critical moment in our nation’s history where we have to decide how we are going to treat our veterans, and are we going to honor their service by providing them with programs that works for them and their families as veterans treatment courts do,” she explained.  

When an opening came up for a Senior Director of Justice for Vets, Fitzgerald jumped at the chance.

“It wasn’t part of my plan. I was in Los Angeles,” she explained. “My brother always talks about having that thirty-year mirror conversation. That in thirty-years you want to be able to look in the mirror and say that you did the right thing, and I felt like this was the right thing.”

Currently, Fitzgerald is working with the new director of Justice for Vets, as well as directors of other initiatives within the Advancing Justice Initiative to taking the lessons learned from treatment courts and apply it across the justice system.

“Our organization is the only national organization that has membership from every single entry point in the justice system from entry to reentry, so we have an opportunity to make some systemic change, and I think the moment for that is now,” Fitzgerald said.

The cast of The West Wing has been extremely supportive of Fitzgerald’s work. There was a benefit concert at the Warner Theater and her former co-stars Allison Janney and Janelle Moloney came out to help Fitzgerald emcee the event.

The entire cast also took part in a PSA for Justice for Vets. Fitzgerald is extremely grateful for the support of her West Wing family, and how they continued to support her events.

“They continue to be so supportive and come to our conferences, and our conferences have grown. That first one I went to had about 3,000 people, this year our national conference had over 6,000 people. It’s been very exciting to see how this movement is growing.”

Fitzgerald works long hours now and tends to travel a lot for her job, but she does watch a few television shows currently.  

“I just watched Killing Eve, which I thought was excellent, and I’m not quite caught up but I’ve been watching The Handmaid’s Tale, which is incredibly powerful. Sometimes I’ll watch some re-runs and the new ones of Will and Grace too, because I think it holds up,” Fitzgerald said.

“I’ve been actually watching some of The West Wing episodes, because of the West Wing Weekly podcast. I’ve been watching some of the old episodes along with the podcast and that’s been fun,” she added.

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You can find Courting Des Moines on Youtube, Amazon, iTunes, and Tubi. The West Wing which is currently streaming on Netflix. 

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