Fans of Hollywood screenwriter and producer Aaron Sorkin are likely to recognize actor Joshua Malina. Malina’s characters have historically been something of the brains in Sorkin’s workplace operations: As Jeremy Goodwin on “Sports Night,” Malina was the guy who knew how to fix any problem in the newsroom — except for his own romantic relationships. As Will Bailey, the son of a deceased California Congressman who, in a deft move by Sorkin to transition actor Rob Lowe off of “The West Wing,” finds himself as speechwriter for the President of the United States.
Since “The West Wing” left the air in 2006, Malina, 42, has starred in a short-lived series called “Bad Boys” and done various guest bits, including one on “CSI,” but these days he’s also playing the role of Dad.
“The upside to not working as much is that there’s a lot of daddy time,” Malina told JTNews. “I’m the weird father who’s driving on every field trip.”
He’s also been carting his kids, ages 10 and 6, to soccer practice and Hebrew school — part of what he says is the importance he places on living a Jewish life.
That priority spreads into Malina’s own community involvement as well. He’s involved with the Jewish Federation in Los Angeles, the New Israel Fund, which he described as a group that is “helping Israel more fully realize the democratic ideals upon which it was founded,” and a local group called Beit Tzedek, which is guided by the Torah’s ideals of justice and provides pro bono legal services for anyone in need.
“Whenever I give one of these talks or meet with these groups, I always get more out of it than I’m giving,” he said.
Malina also travels around the country to speak at events for Jewish organizations, much like he’ll be doing in Seattle for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle’s L’chaim Community Dinner on Sept. 22.
Outside of TV, Malina is working on a musical stage version of the Walter Matthau-Jack Lemmon film Grumpy Old Men. Though it may be difficult to envision putting music to the story of two old friends who constantly bicker while they fish on frozen Wisconsin lakes, “it’s actually a very good piece of writing,” Malina said.
“As its own piece of musical theater, it’s very entertaining,” he said. “That’s kind of fun to be a part of.”
He’s also working on a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe, which will be performed in February for the Harrisburg (Pa.) Symphony, where his cousin Stuart Malina is conductor.
Though Malina was very much into singing and musicals growing up, “I was always more of an actor,” he said. “I’m kind of the guy who does the comic roles who doesn’t sing that well.”
He has no plans to sing during his Seattle visit, “but I’ll certainly be right there to harmonize on the hamotzi and any other prayers.”
It is because of his Jewish connection to Sorkin that Malina got his big break.
“For me it was kind of the ultimately successful version of Jewish geography,” Malina said. The two had known each other tangentially in high school, so when he finished school and set out to make his living on the screen, his mother suggested he give Sorkin a call.
“I thought, “˜That’s my plan? I’m going to call every Jew I know?’” Malina said. “Lo and behold, it was very sage advice.”
They became friends and poker buddies, then Sorkin cast him in A Few Good Men. Malina’s career was launched.
The two are not in as close touch these days, but Malina said, “I would be surprised if somewhere down the road we wouldn’t work together again…. He has been very good to me.”
Hollywood has been a different place since the writer’s guild strike that began late last year and ran through this past February. The aftermath has had a crippling effect on nearly every aspect of the film and TV business, and that includes Malina’s acting career.
“The truth is, it’s been very, very bad,” he said. He doesn’t question the merits of the strike —he’s a member of the screenwriter’s guild himself and picketed with his fellow members.
“”˜Big Shots’ went into kind of a weird netherworld. We shut down production, we didn’t know whether it would be cancelled, whether it would get picked up. Then it all just kind of petered out,” he said.
The industry, he added, has changed since then and there’s much less going on. But with the new TV season about to begin, he expects things to start picking up again soon.
As for now, Malina said he’s looking forward to spending a few days in Seattle to see what Jewish life is like here.
“It’s one of the nice things of going to different communities — something I’ve done quite a bit of,” he said. “I meet all kinds people trying to live a Jewish life, trying to do the same things I embrace and cherish.”
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