ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: Brad, do you think that Americans actually wish they had as good a functioning government as the one on "The West Wing"?

BRADLEY WHITFORD: You know, that's an interesting question. That's similar to a question that I often get which is, don't we think that we are idealizing the motivations of these characters? And I really have to say that now that we've been to Washington a couple of times, that I really don't think that that's true, in terms of the motivations, because the people I've met at the White House, the people I've met on both sides of the political spectrum, are by and large people who could be making a massive amount of money doing something else and are in Washington because they believe in it. I think the way problems are solved in Washington is slightly less lubricated than what happens when we deal with an issue in an hour.

ET: Those trips that you've made to Washington, what has surprised you or vexed you the most?

BRAD: Well, the biggest surprise really was I was expecting a much more cynical outlook. You know, it's interesting, I was talking to a guy who is a lobbyist who was talking about how Americans feel -- a lot of people know that everybody hates congress but tend to love their congressman. It's kind of like everybody hates the idea of divorce, but is pretty happy that his or her sister left that schmuck.

Those people were there because they believed in it. One thing that was shocking to me is the difficulty of getting any bill through congress in an election year -- the way the people attach things that have nothing to do with a particular bill in order to kill it. Also, the response to our show shocked me, truly. When you do a show on the census -- I don't know what the number is -- 13, 14 million people watch it all the way through. And somebody at the White House was saying when they want to talk about something, if they get the news cycle, it's maybe a million people, and if they bring up the census, the channel changes. So an interesting by-product of this show that I guarantee you none of us, least of all AARON (SORKIN, executive producer), expected, was the power of being able to talk about these issues in a way that people will watch.

ET: Could you talk a little bit about what it's like to play that Nick and Nora Charles-type banter with Janel Moloney? Is it really fun?

BRAD: First of all, the show is a hard show anyway because it's moving, and when you're doing a television show, you just have to turn out these pages. The bar has been set very high in terms of production value and in terms of quality of scripts, I think. You want those lines to be down so that you're making sure you're not bumping into this guy when the camera crosses over there. So there's a logistical demand that's tricky, but it's such fun stuff. I think what Aaron has written that you don't see often is two people who are just in their reptilian brain stems mad for each other but they have no idea. And that's an interesting dynamic in a relationship that you don't see very often.

ET: Was there a specific scene or a moment when you realized there was probably something a little more than just a boss-secretary-type relationship?

BRAD: The first day that she shot, I didn't know Janel at all. And we shot one take of this thing, and I went back to Aaron, on my knees -- I said, "I love her," because I just thought she was funny without knowing she's funny. Sometimes she knows. (laughter) I just loved the relationship right off the bat. Then you get these things from Aaron, like in the Christmas episode, where there's a moment where I give her a gift. Where you realize there's really something here.

ET: Talking about the show being walking and talking, can you talk a little bit about developing your own very individual style of walking?

BRAD: I had no idea that I had this obnoxious arrogant strut. And it's funny because it reminded me of the first time I was ever in a movie. I remember watching it, and you're huge. Seeing my face didn't bother me because I know what that is, but seeing myself walk away from behind, 30 feet away really upset me. But no, I can guarantee you that there was no "Hey, man, I've got to come up with a walk for this."

ET: But is there a self-consciousness now that you've seen it and you have this awareness of how you look -- the swagger?

BRAD: No different from the sort of overwhelming self-consciousness I feel anyway about everything.

ET: Brad, when you were in Washington on any of the trips, did you meet the actual Deputy Chief of Staff?

BRAD: Yes, I met Steve Ricchetti, who, again, is one of these guys who I was just tremendously impressed with, who is a very understated, unassuming guy. He has four kids who are toddlers. He's missed a lot of that. He's missed many opportunities to do things in the business world because he believes in this guy and thinks that this is an important thing to do.

ET: Did he talk to you in any detail about any of the things that have happened with Josh? And I'm thinking specifically about the pilot, where Josh really stirred the pot by making the comments that he did on television. Did he say, "that's nothing I'd ever do"?

BRAD: He didn't say that. In fact, in every different White House, communications directors, Deputy Chiefs of Staff, their responsibilities covered different areas, dependent upon their relationship with the president. So it was not at all unbelievable to them that I would be more of a front man. I do a lot of stuff in the show, legislative liaison stuff where I'll go to the Hill and just beat the crap out of people. And Steve doesn't do that, but there are guys in his position who have done it in the past.

ET: What impact you think Bush's election will have on the show? How might that affect the audience's reaction to the show?

BRAD: I feel pretty strongly that it won't. Aaron, from his earliest discussions of this said this was never clearly the Clinton administration. This is a fictional administration. And in order to serve -- in order to be legitimate -- we had to pick a side. You can't have an independent president in this day and age and be realistic. So, I know it won't affect the writing, and I don't think it will affect viewership at all.

There's a very sweet audio clip of Bradley alongside this interview; go check it out: http://www.etonline.com/television/a2189.htm