Over the course of The West Wing - the American political drama that ran for 7 seasons - Donna Moss spent nearly six years as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman’s assistant on the show. Played by Janel Moloney, Donna was an interesting character with a voice and impact that outshone her status as White House assistant.
From behind-the-scenes stories about Janel Moloney and Bradley Whitford to background on Donna that you might have missed the first time around, these are 10 things you never knew about America's most adored White House assistant.
Janel Moloney was about to quit acting before getting cast
Janel Moloney states that she was "This close," to give up acting for good until she got the call from Aaron Sorkin that she would be playing the part of Donna Moss.
Even after getting the part as Donna, and even after the show's pilot had aired on television, Janel Moloney recalls not being too confident about her part in the least. At the time of getting cast, she was still working as a waitress and even continued to keep her job during the first few shoots. She recalled, "I was hostessing at an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills called Il Pastaio, and I kept my job at the restaurant at first. But by the third episode, I knew that they were never going to get rid of me."
Donna was never meant to be a main character
West Wing creatives have stated that Donna was never meant to become a main character on the television show. They had planned to only have Moloney appear sporadically in a few episodes, but as the show developed, creators quickly realized that not only was Donna's character becoming an integral part of the staff but so was each personal assistant to each Senior Staff member on the show.
Known as "Josh Lyman's secretary," most of the time, Donna - along with the rest of the staff on the assistant level - proved herself to be a huge help to the White House and a huge influence on the show.
Bradley Whitford was very welcoming to Moloney on set
Janel Moloney recalls her early days in acting alongside veteran Hollywood faces like Martin Sheen and John Spencer was a little overwhelming at first. However, her time with Bradley Whitford - who played Josh Lyman, Donna's boss on the show - is something that she cherishes.
Because Donna was never meant to be a huge role, Moloney felt that she had no authority asking for a second take to be done when she felt she could have performed better. At the end of a scene they did together, Whitford asked Moloney if she wanted to do a second take. Being shy with her answer, Whitford called out to the camera crew with no hesitation, "I need another one!" This memory, Moloney recalls, is one of her favorite moments on the show. It was when she realized she was part of a creative family.
Donna's a college dropout
After being nominated for dozens of Emmy Awards over the years, it's no question that The West Wing was a popular TV show. However, there are certain facts about it and the show's characters that only the most die-hard fans would know. One of these being: every character's Alma Mater.
Donna's educational history is one that's interesting. She attended the University of Wisconsin. After believing that she was in love with her boyfriend at the time - a med student - she dropped out of school to work full-time to support him. Though the relationship didn't last, her job led her to work for The White House. You can't say she lost completely, can you?
She's a faithful democrat, but unafraid to be critical
Donna does a great job of showing her loyalty to her political party. She is a faithful democrat and serves season after season with the utmost dedication to the Democratic White House that her boss Josh Lyman works for. However, she also proves in a number of episodes that she's not following anyone blindly.
Donna is fearless and unafraid to be a critical voice to her party, especially when Josh is faced with helping President Barlet make huge decisions about the country and its people. Supporting her party, but still speaking up for her own views was a powerful statement for a White House employee at the assistant level to show.
Whitford and Moloney's chemistry was too good to pass up
Originally, White House media consultant, Mandy Hampton (played by Moira Kelly) was intended to become Josh's love interest throughout the show. What many fans don't know is that Moloney and Whitford worked so well together and had so much chemistry that creators couldn't simply shove the Donna/Josh dynamic aside.
Becoming more than just a secretary, but also a friend, confidant, and number one support system to Josh is a beloved character arc for Donna on the show, and it's the actors' real-life chemistry that we can thank for that.
Moloney knew Donna loved Josh from the beginning
Although West Wing writers may not have anticipated a Josh/Donna romance at the time the show was first being developed, Janel Moloney had already interpreted her take on the secretary-to-boss relationship after she read her first script.
She says, “The whole basis of my character, before I even started on day one, was ‘Donna is drop-dead, head-over-heels, 100 percent would die for Josh. Every file I signed, every policy I asked about, the subtext was ‘I just love you so much, I would do anything for you at any moment.’” It seems like Moloney caught on way before anyone else did.
Donna grew up on a farm
Like all the other characters on the show, we've seen revealed a lot about Donna's heritage and childhood over the course of several episodes and seasons. She states in one episode, "I grew up near a farm. And I was cute, and I was peppy, and I always did well on my 19th-century English literature midterm ..."
But, as someone who works for and has to constantly bounce energy off the quick-thinking, cynical, Josh Lyman, she shoots in her own cold sarcastic tone, - "Until you (Josh) came along and sucked me into your life of crime.”
Whitford and Moloney think Josh and Donna are still together
It takes the entire run of The West Wing for Josh and Donna to finally admit their feelings for each other. Though the show ended in 2006, actors Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney both think that Josh and Donna would have survived the trials of love and started a family together, still pursuing politics in the hand-in-hand way they know how.
When interviewed in 2016, Moloney reflects on how she didn't realize her chemistry with Whitford would be so influential to the show. When asked if Josh and Donna would still be together today, Moloney replies quickly and without hesitation, “Yes, of course."
Donna inspired many women to lead
One of the most amazing things about The West Wing is that although some might view it as "just a television show," many political science students and hopeful politicians credit the show with being the reason why they chose to pursue a lifetime of service to their country in hopes of bettering their communities in the first place.
Though Donna was never at the forefront of White House decisions on the show, it never stopped her from becoming a major female role model. Along with Allison Janney playing the role of C.J. Cregg, she is credited with inspiring a lot of young women to believe their voices could be heard as equally as anyone's on a large political scale.