Widener) and Mrs. Landingham (Kirsten Nelson): "We were looking for Martin Sheen at about 17 and Mrs. Landingham at about 22. That was not easy. It wasn't just about a look, but a quality that each actor has, I wanted to hire actors that would make you say, 'Wow! That is Kathryn Joosten at 22. That is Martin Sheen as a teenager." C.J. instructs the President to select medical correspondent Lawrence Altman of The New York Times for the first question, although he does not. While portrayed by an actor (Alfred Hurwitz), Altman is the name of the Times medical correspondent, who for decades reported on the health of presidents and vice presidents. Lawrence O'Donnell, a writer and producer on The West Wing, was cast as Bartlet's father after impressing Sorkin and Schlamme during a read-through for the episode. Jane Lynch appeared as a reporter in the White House Press Room. Filming locations St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware served as young Bartlet's boarding school. It was also the shooting location of Dead Poets Society. During filming in the National Cathedral, Sheen as Bartlet stubbed out a cigarette on the floor, prompting the Cathedral to ban filming inside the building. Music The episode featured the song "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits. The show's composer W. G. Snuffy Walden explained that Sorkin had specified the use of the song: "There was no question that this song was going to end the show which is really quite rare." Sorkin, however, explained in 2017 that he initially had some reservations about the use of the track: Reception Critical reception '"Two Cathedrals" is widely regarded as one of The West Wing'''s best episodes. On Martin Sheen's Inside the Actors Studio episode, host James Lipton remarked that "Two Cathedrals" was "one of the best episodes in the history of American television". In 2009, Entertainment Weekly put the episode on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, hailing it as "the show at its most brilliantly dramatic". In 2009, TV Guide ranked "Two Cathedrals" #40 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes. In 2018, for its 65th anniversary, TV Guide'' picked it as the ninth-best episode of the 21st century. Awards References External links The West Wing Episode Guide The West Wing (season 2) episodes 2001 American television episodes Television episodes about funerals Cathedrals in fiction Washington National Cathedral