Charlie Young
Encyclopedia
Charles 'Charlie' Young is a fictional character
played by Dulé Hill
on the television serial drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he is the Personal Aide
to President Josiah Bartlet
.
to work as the president's personal aide. However, Charlie was written out of later drafts, and was not introduced in the show until The West Wings third episode after the all-Caucasian
main cast came under criticism from the NAACP. Aged 21 when he enters the White House, the character that made it into the show is slightly older than the early pilot draft calls for, and has a somewhat modified history.
Actor Dulé Hill says he decided to audition for the role due to the involvement of Martin Sheen
(who portrayed President Bartlet
) and show creator Aaron Sorkin
, whose work he admires. In preparing for the role, Hill met with his character's real-life counterpart, Kris Engskov
, then personal aide to President Bill Clinton
. Hill says the experience helped him realize how important and potentially powerful the job was.
Charlie's interracial
romance with President Bartlet's daughter sparked hate mail
from some viewers, inspiring the season one cliffhanger in which the President and his staff are fired upon by white supremacists
.
" as a young man applying at the White House personnel office for a part-time job as a messenger. He is interviewed by Deborah De LaGuardia
who recommends him to Josh Lyman
for another job, as the President's personal aide. Prior to this, he had worked as a waiter at the Gramercy Club and for three summers as a golf caddy.
Charlie's mother was a police officer
in Washington D.C. who was killed in the line of duty in June, 1999. She was not supposed to be working on the night of her death, having been persuaded to switch shifts by Charlie. His father is said to be "long gone," leaving Charlie to look after his younger sister Deena (later called Deanna). Charlie graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School, a public school in D.C., but later said that he would have preferred to go to Gonzaga College High School
, a Catholic school with a better academic reputation and a comparatively crime-free history. Despite achieving high grades at school, Charlie decides to put off attending college, in order to take up a job and support himself and his sister financially until Deena has finished high school. However, during the summer of 2001, he enrolls at Georgetown University, taking night classes while still keeping up with the demands of his job.
During season one, Charlie begins dating the President's youngest daughter, Zoey Bartlet
. Because of this, he receives death threats from white supremacist groups, and is later the target of an assassination attempt while leaving an event in Rosslyn, Virginia
. While Charlie is unharmed, Josh Lyman
is critically wounded, and the President, the head of the President's Secret Service Detail and a woman in the crowd are all injured less seriously. The two are seen going out on a date once after the assassination attempt, but later break up for reasons unspecified. He develops a renewed interest in Zoey when she returns in season four with a new boyfriend and, even after receiving a Dear John
email, refuses to stop pursuing her, stating that he is still in love with her. On the night of Zoey's graduation, he hikes through the National Arboretum
to dig up a bottle of champagne the two had buried three years earlier, intending to give it to her as a graduation
gift. Instead, he finds Zoey waiting with the champagne, and she confesses that she is confused about him.
Charlie briefly dates Michelle Anders during season five before learning that she will be working in the White House press room. He later asks Zoey out on a date, and they are subsequently sighted sitting next to one another at Zoey's birthday party in the East Room
watching Penn and Teller allegedly burn a flag as part of a magic trick. During season six, it is confirmed that they are dating, when the President catches Charlie sneaking out of Zoey's room. The next day, Charlie hints that he has thought about asking Zoey to marry him, but the storyline is never revisited.
At the beginning of season four, C.J. Cregg convinces Charlie to become a Big Brother
to Anthony Marcus, a troubled young man whose previous Big Brother, Secret Service
agent Simon Donovan, had recently been killed.
Although initially quiet and subservient toward the president and his staff, as Charlie settles into his job he becomes more open with his colleagues and develops a strong rapport with Bartlet. Bartlet demonstrated his affection for Charlie by giving him a carving knife made for Bartlet's ancestors by Paul Revere
, stating that it was something passed down: "My father gave it to me and his father gave it to him, and now I'm giving it to you." (The Bartlets have no biological son to inherit the knife.) This father-son dynamic grows stronger as the show progresses, and following the abduction of Zoey Bartlet, Charlie is the only non-family member to attend a private mass held for the Bartlets.
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. When a number of gunshots are fired on the White House, he bursts through security into the Oval Office to ensure Bartlet is unhurt.
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. 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 body man.
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 Georgetown University Law Center
, thanks in part to Bartlet's letter of recommendation. Bartlet gives Charlie one final gift: a copy of the United States Constitution
that Bartlet's father had given to him when he was in high school.
, 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."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by Dulé Hill
Dulé Hill
Karim Dulé Hill is an American actor and tap dancer. He is best known for his roles as personal presidential aide Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series The West Wing, and as pharmaceutical salesman-private detective Burton "Gus" Guster on the USA Network television comedy-drama Psych...
on the television serial drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he is the Personal Aide
Body man
A body man is, in U.S. political jargon, a personal assistant to a politician or political candidate. A body man accompanies the politician or candidate virtually everywhere, often arranging lodging, transportation or meals, and providing companionship, snacks, a cell phone, and any other...
to President Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
.
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 UniversityGeorgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
to work as the president's personal aide. However, Charlie was written out of later drafts, and was not introduced in the show until The West Wings third episode after the all-Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
main cast came under criticism from the NAACP. Aged 21 when he enters the White House, the character that made it into the show is slightly older than the early pilot draft calls for, and has a somewhat modified history.
Actor Dulé Hill says he decided to audition for the role due to the involvement of Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
(who portrayed President Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
) and show creator Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
, whose work he admires. In preparing for the role, Hill met with his character's real-life counterpart, Kris Engskov
Kris Engskov
Kris Engskov was President Bill Clinton's aide from 1997 to 2000. He was hired one month before the Lewinsky scandal broke and was called to testify before a grand jury on that matter twice despite having taken on his job after most of the events in question already had occurred.An Arkansas native,...
, then personal aide to President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Hill says the experience helped him realize how important and potentially powerful the job was.
Charlie's interracial
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
romance with President Bartlet's daughter sparked hate mail
Hate mail
Hate mail is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient...
from some viewers, inspiring the season one cliffhanger in which the President and his staff are fired upon by white supremacists
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
.
Character biography
Charlie Young is introduced in the episode "A Proportional ResponseA Proportional Response
"A Proportional Response" is the 3rd episode of The West Wing.- Plot :An angry President Josiah Bartlet seeks vengeance after Syrian operatives blow up a jet carrying his personal physician and dozens of American passengers...
" as a young man applying at the White House personnel office for a part-time job as a messenger. He is interviewed by Deborah De LaGuardia
Deborah Fiderer
Deborah Fiderer is a character in the NBC television series The West Wing. She is Executive Assistant to the President, and is portrayed by noted actor and comedienne Lily Tomlin. The character first appeared during the program's third season and remained until its finale.After the death of...
who recommends him to Josh Lyman
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
for another job, as the President's personal aide. Prior to this, he had worked as a waiter at the Gramercy Club and for three summers as a golf caddy.
Charlie's mother was a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
in Washington D.C. who was killed in the line of duty in June, 1999. She was not supposed to be working on the night of her death, having been persuaded to switch shifts by Charlie. His father is said to be "long gone," leaving Charlie to look after his younger sister Deena (later called Deanna). Charlie graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School, a public school in D.C., but later said that he would have preferred to go to Gonzaga College High School
Gonzaga College High School
Gonzaga College High School is a Jesuit high school for boys located in Washington, D.C. The school is named in honor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16th century...
, a Catholic school with a better academic reputation and a comparatively crime-free history. Despite achieving high grades at school, Charlie decides to put off attending college, in order to take up a job and support himself and his sister financially until Deena has finished high school. However, during the summer of 2001, he enrolls at Georgetown University, taking night classes while still keeping up with the demands of his job.
During season one, Charlie begins dating the President's youngest daughter, Zoey Bartlet
Zoey Bartlet
Zoey Patricia Bartlet is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Moss on the television serial drama The West Wing. Zoey is the youngest of President Josiah Bartlet and Abbey Bartlet's three daughters, and is more prominently featured in the series than either of her sisters.Zoey and...
. Because of this, he receives death threats from white supremacist groups, and is later the target of an assassination attempt while leaving an event in Rosslyn, Virginia
Rosslyn, Virginia
Rosslyn is an unincorporated area in Northern Virginia located in the northeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, north of Arlington National Cemetery and directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Rosslyn encompasses the Arlington neighborhoods of North Rosslyn...
. While Charlie is unharmed, Josh Lyman
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
is critically wounded, and the President, the head of the President's Secret Service Detail and a woman in the crowd are all injured less seriously. The two are seen going out on a date once after the assassination attempt, but later break up for reasons unspecified. He develops a renewed interest in Zoey when she returns in season four with a new boyfriend and, even after receiving a Dear John
Dear John letter
A "Dear John letter" is a letter written to a husband or boyfriend by his wife or girlfriend to inform him their relationship is over, usually because the author has found another lover. Dear John Letters are often written out of an inability or unwillingness to inform the person face to face...
email, refuses to stop pursuing her, stating that he is still in love with her. On the night of Zoey's graduation, he hikes through the National Arboretum
National Arboretum
National Arboretum may refer to*National Arboretum Canberra in Australia*National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, UK*United States National Arboretum...
to dig up a bottle of champagne the two had buried three years earlier, intending to give it to her as a graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
gift. Instead, he finds Zoey waiting with the champagne, and she confesses that she is confused about him.
Charlie briefly dates Michelle Anders during season five before learning that she will be working in the White House press room. He later asks Zoey out on a date, and they are subsequently sighted sitting next to one another at Zoey's birthday party in the East Room
East Room
The East Room is the largest room in the White House, the home of the president of the United States. It is used for entertaining, press conferences, ceremonies, and occasionally for a large dinner...
watching Penn and Teller allegedly burn a flag as part of a magic trick. During season six, it is confirmed that they are dating, when the President catches Charlie sneaking out of Zoey's room. The next day, Charlie hints that he has thought about asking Zoey to marry him, but the storyline is never revisited.
At the beginning of season four, C.J. Cregg convinces Charlie to become a Big Brother
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501 non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that try to have a measurable impact on youth....
to Anthony Marcus, a troubled young man whose previous Big Brother, Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
agent Simon Donovan, had recently been killed.
Although initially quiet and subservient toward the president and his staff, as Charlie settles into his job he becomes more open with his colleagues and develops a strong rapport with Bartlet. Bartlet demonstrated his affection for Charlie by giving him a carving knife made for Bartlet's ancestors by Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
, stating that it was something passed down: "My father gave it to me and his father gave it to him, and now I'm giving it to you." (The Bartlets have no biological son to inherit the knife.) This father-son dynamic grows stronger as the show progresses, and following the abduction of Zoey Bartlet, Charlie is the only non-family member to attend a private mass held for the Bartlets.
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. When a number of gunshots are fired on the White House, he bursts through security into the Oval Office to ensure Bartlet is unhurt.
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. 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 body man.
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 Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
, thanks in part to Bartlet's letter of recommendation. Bartlet gives Charlie one final gift: a copy of the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
that Bartlet's father had given to him when he was in high school.
Reception
Rica Rodman Orszag, who served in the White House press office between 1993 and 1997 and is the sister-in-law of former Office of Management and Budget director Peter R. OrszagPeter R. Orszag
Peter Richard Orszag is an American economist who is a Vice Chairman of Global Banking at Citigroup. He is also a columnist at Bloomberg View...
, 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."