Which actor played speechwriter Will Bailey?

Joshua Malina played speechwriter Will Bailey on The West Wing.

Will Bailey arrives in the fourth season as a skilled Democratic speechwriter recruited during a difficult transition for the Bartlet administration. He initially works on campaign and communications duties, then becomes deputy communications director. His career continues to evolve after the White House: he serves as chief of staff to Vice President Bob Russell, works on Russell’s presidential campaign, and later becomes a communications director and congressman from Oregon.

Malina joined the show after the departure of Rob Lowe, whose character Sam Seaborn had been a prominent speechwriter. That timing led some viewers to see Will as a replacement, but the characters are different: Sam is an original senior staffer, while Will enters as an outsider with a more independent political identity and a complicated relationship with party leadership.

Malina had already worked with creator Aaron Sorkin on Sports Night, playing producer Jeremy Goodwin. He appeared as Will from 2002 through 2006, including the show’s fourth through seventh seasons, and later co-hosted The West Wing Weekly podcast.