PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST NY 2016: MADAM SECRETARY {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's PaleyFest New York 2016. This evening celebrates "Madam Secretary," the drama series about the challenges faced by Elizabeth McCord, the newly-appointed United States Secretary of State. Host Diane Lewis (executive vice-president of programming, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and introduces the episode "The Linchpin," which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 127919.)
After the screening, Norah O'Donnell (co-host, "CBS This Morning") moderates the following panelists: executive producer/creator Barbara Hall; executive producer Lori McCreary; and cast members Téa Leoni (Elizabeth "Bess" McCord), Tim Daly (Henry McCord), Bebe Neuwirth (Nadine Tolliver), Keith Carradine (President Conrad Dalton), and Željko Ivanek (Russell Jackson).
The panelists touch on such topics as: the show's timely depiction of a "parallel election" and their ability to use political shorthand now that the audience is more savvy; Leoni's enjoyable conversations with, and advice from, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; Daly's amusing encounters with Hillary and Bill Clinton, both fans of the show, at the Democratic National Convention; the show's examination of the moral responsibilities of great power; Neuwirth's admiration for her character's "elegance" and quiet strength; Carradine's concerns that fans will "write him in" for President on a real ballot; the hectic production schedule, with comparisons to a feature film set; Leoni's inspiration from her own "diplomatic" father; the strength of the McCord marriage and Daly's praise for Henry as a role model who is not "intimidated" by his wife's success; Neuwirth's dismay at the "disgusting and horrifying" current state of the real presidential election; and the actors' extensive experience in New York theater and their past projects with one another, including Neuwirth's role on Daly's show "Wings."
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: Leoni's involvement with UNICEF and hopes to include the association in the show; Ivanek's enjoyment of his character's occasional humor, contrasted with his many other villainous roles; Daly's new appreciation of his many family members' roles in public service; Leoni's sense of personal similarity to Elizabeth's "pushy" nature; the decision to incorporate Albright's famous quote about "mediocre men and women" in a script; their interest in portraying Elizabeth in "full context," showing both her professional life and personal life at home; Daly's realization that Albright "has a personal life" after she revealed her interest in his previous show "Private Practice"; the show's solid ratings and their hopes to be noticed by new viewers "by being a little different"; the advantages of the decision to avoid saying "Democrat" or "Republican" on the show in order to emphasize an issue on its own; the characters' struggles to make moral decisions, rather than partisan ones; and Leoni's description of the laugh-filled set as "a joy."
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999 6:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: N/A
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 127904
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Diane Lewis … Host
- Norah O'Donnell … Moderator
- Keith Carradine … Panelist
- Bebe Neuwirth … Panelist
- Željko Ivanek … Panelist
- Tim Daly … Panelist
- Téa Leoni … Panelist
- Barbara Hall … Panelist
- Lori McCreary … Panelist
- Madeleine Albright
- Bill Clinton
- Hillary Rodham Clinton