Hail to the Chief Keith Carradine of 'Madam Secretary' Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close

Hail to the Chief Keith Carradine

He s not the president but he plays one on TV s Madam Secretary

Keith Carradine, who plays the president in "Madam Secretary," says as he ages, people see more of his father in him. David Needleman/CBS Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. So how does it feel to step into Martin Sheen’s shoes? Ha ha ha! I’m a huge fan. Marty is a friend, but what’s required of me is different. We’re not about , we’re looking at Washington from the point of view of the secretary of state [Téa Leoni]. But we like to present ourselves as aspirational. This is how things ought to be. We like to believe that everything is dealt with by rational, reasonable adults. From left: Keith Carradine as President Conrad Dalton, Željko Ivanek as Russell Jackson and Téa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord in "Madam Secretary" CBS Our 38 million AARP readers include conservatives, liberals and independents. What is President Dalton? We’ve never labeled him. I don’t think we’ve ever used the words Democrat or Republican. But what’s his ideological niche? I’d say he’s either a RINO [Republican in name only] or a Blue Dog Democrat ... somewhere in the middle. He has a sense of tolerance regarding social issues, probably a fiscal conservative, advocating for a strong military. Having been director of the CIA, all of that fits into who he is. What is his demon? What drives him? He reminds me of the British leader in Yes, Minister, always trying to do stuff, but things get in the way. Well, that’s the world, isn’t it? He wants to make the country a better place, encourage the citizenry to look to their better angels, as Lincoln said. Yeah, you’re cloaked with immense power, but you’re surrounded by all these checks and balances. There’s an overall thrust behind our show: We’re all in this together, we need to reach across the aisle to have a conversation and not just keep labeling each other. Because you get nowhere doing that. In every national disaster, nobody stops to ask, “Who did you vote for?” before they pull you into the lifeboat. That’s just not who we are. Dalton’s biggest frustration is that he’s often thwarted by raw partisanship and all the worst aspects of the culture of D.C. was be prepared, and temperament is bad manners. You and Peter Fonda both grew out of your dads’ vast shadows, won fame as '60s rebels and then perhaps started seeing aspects of your dads in yourself after you turned 50. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > As I age, people see more of my father in me, or my late brother David [Kung Fu, Kill Bill]. Diane Keaton also started in Hair. She told me lots of people in the cast went crazy from the fame. Listen, it was a very heady time, all puns intended. There was great social change occurring as we stood on that stage. The Vietnam War was this enormous offstage prop. We all thought we were changing the world. It was a great foundation for me because I had a chance to stand on a stage eight times a week for 11 months and get better at it. Practice makes perfect. You have cowboy DNA, maybe because your first career goal was to be a forester. I was born and raised in California, the son of a Shakespearean actor raised in New York. But for some reason I grew up with this Western patina on me. I’ve always felt more comfortable in nature. So then Robert Altman hired you in your second young gunslinger role, McCabe & Mrs. Miller. I became bona fide because Robert Altman chose me at 20: “This kid’s got something.” And now you’re having a TV renaissance — not just Madam Secretary, but Fargo, the Coen brothers reboot by Noah Hawley, 50. AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS