Charlie Young
Charlie Young | |
---|---|
Tomorrow" | |
Created by | Aaron Sorkin |
Portrayed by | Dulé Hill |
In-universe information | |
Nickname | Charlie |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Personal Aide to the President (Seasons 1–6), Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff (Season 6–7) |
Family | Mother (deceased) Deanna Young (sister) |
Nationality | American |
Charles Young is a fictional character played by
Creation and development
The character of Charlie Young was originally to appear in the pilot, with a draft dated February 6, 1998, describing him as a "fresh-faced" 19-year-old who is taking a year off from Georgetown University to work as the President's personal aide.[1] The character was written out of later drafts, and was not introduced in the show until The West Wing's third episode after the all-Caucasian main cast came under criticism from the NAACP.[2] Aged 21 when he enters the White House, the character that made it into the show is slightly older than the early pilot draft called for, and has a somewhat modified history.
Actor Dulé Hill said he decided to audition for the role due to the involvement of
Charlie's interracial romance with President Bartlet's daughter sparked hate mail from some viewers, inspiring the first season's cliffhanger in which the President and his staff are fired upon by white supremacists.[5]
The character shares his name with that of African American historical figure
Character biography
Charlie Young is introduced in the episode "
Charlie's mother was a
During season one, Charlie begins dating the President's youngest daughter,
Charlie briefly dates Meeshel Anders, played by
At the beginning of season four, C. J. Cregg asks Charlie to become a Big Brother to Anthony Marcus, a troubled young man whose previous Big Brother, Secret Service agent Simon Donovan, has recently been killed. He declines initially until he witnesses Anthony disrespect C. J. to her face saying " I don't need a babysitter bitch are you deaf?" Charlie (while walking by) turns around and slams Anthony against a wall telling him he can "go to juvenile detention or meet me at Cosmo's on Saturday the choice is yours."[17]
Although initially quiet and subservient toward the President and his staff,
Charlie displays strong loyalty towards Bartlet and his colleagues, turning down an offer of legal immunity during the President's MS scandal because he feels it would effectively be telling Bartlet that he was wrong to trust him.[19] When a number of gunshots are fired on the White House, he bursts through security into the Oval Office to ensure Bartlet is unhurt.[20]
After graduating from Georgetown, Charlie is forced to make good on a promise he made to the President to move on and leave his job as the President's bodyman once he graduated, as Bartlet says to Charlie "Let's fatten up that résumé." Charlie finds it hard to leave the White House and begins passing his résumé around the West Wing. C. J. Cregg, the newly appointed Chief of Staff, asks Charlie to stay in the West Wing as a special aide to the Chief of Staff. A man named Curtis replaces Charlie as President Bartlet's bodyman. As C. J.'s aide, Charlie begins to interact more importantly with the other members of the staff, and starts to have influence in the development of several policy initiatives. Namely, he is encouraged by Leo to fight for a proposed earned income tax credit which would help working families, a measure he calls 'a poor tax' with help from Annabeth Schott.
On the last day of Bartlet's tenure as President of the United States, Charlie reveals to President Bartlet that he has been accepted to the early admission program of
Reception
Rica Rodman, who served in the White House press office between 1993 and 1997, says that of all the characters, Charlie is the most realistic in his relationship with the President, "accurately [portraying] the typical young, obliging White House staffer."[21] The Atlantic ranked Charlie the series' ninth best character and praised Hill's performance, writing "Hill was so good in the role—so dryly funny, sharp when he needed to be, who had great chemistry with everyone he worked alongside (particularly Sheen). And he did such an effective job reminding of us Charlie's backstory (his mother was a cop shot in the line of duty) just by flashing a haunted look or reacting with understated but powerful emotion as he becomes a crucial part of the Bartlet family." They did criticize, however, that the character was "backgrounded in later seasons", opining that "the show suffers for it."[22] A Vulture ranking of characters created by Aaron Sorkin ranked Charlie twelfth place.[23]
For his performance in the
See also
- List of characters on The West Wing
- List of The West Wing episodes
References
- ^ Sorkin, Aaron (February 6, 1998). West Wing Pilot Draft. Retrieved on December 19, 2007.
- ^ Topping, Keith (2002). An Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to The West Wing: Inside the Bartlet White House. London: Virgin Books Ltd.
- ^ Lamb, Chris (March 1, 2001). Dule Hill: Acting Without a Safety Net. Teen Hollywood. Retrieved on December 19, 2007.
- ^ Bickley, Claire (December 28, 2000). Dulé Noted Archived May 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Sun. Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
- ^ Staff writer (January 16, 2001). Fans Get Look Inside The West Wing Archived March 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Zap2it.com. Retrieved on December 13, 2007.
- OCLC 65465916.
- Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics. Original airdate: May 10, 2000.
- The Short List. Original airdate: November 24, 1999.
- ^ The Midterms. Original airdate: October 18, 2000.
- ^ a b The West Wing, Episode 1.03: A Proportional Response. Original airdate: October 6, 1999.
- Bad Moon Rising. Original airdate: April 25, 2001.
- ^ The West Wing, Episode 1.12: Lord John Marbury. Original airdate: January 5, 2000.
- The White House Pro-Am. Original airdate: March 22, 2000.
- In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part I. Original airdate: October 4, 2000.
- Privateers. Original airdate: March 26, 2003.
- Commencement. Original airdate: May 7, 2003.
- 20 Hours in America, Part II. Original airdate: September 25, 2002.
- Shibboleth. Original airdate: November 22, 2000.
- ^ The West Wing, Episode 3.04: On the Day Before. Original airdate: October 31, 2001.
- Evidence of Things Not Seen. Original airdate: April 23, 2003.
- ^ Lehmann, Chris (March 1, 2001). The Feel-Good Presidency. The Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
- ^ O'Keeffe, Kevin; Sims, David; Reid, Joe (September 12, 2014). "A Definitive Ranking of Every Character on 'The West Wing'". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ Lyons, Margaret; Dobbins, Amanda. "From Sports Night to Studio 60: Vulture Ranks Aaron Sorkin's TV Characters". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ "Nominees / Winners 2002". www.emmys.com. Retrieved May 26, 2021.