Bradley Whitford Talks New Series 'Valley of the Boom' 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

5 Questions for Bradley Whitford

The West Wing star on aging gracefully new opportunities and his new docudrama

National Geographic/Bettina Strauss Bradley Whitford plays former Netscape President and CEO James Barksdale in the National Geographic Channel's limited series Valley of the Boom . Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. It rearranged the way our neurons fire. The digital world is fiercely addictive, right? We don’t have any antibodies for this. We’re like islanders when a colonist shows up. We have no capacity to deal with this. But I had a grandmother born in the 1880s, and she used to weep about telephones because nobody wrote letters anymore. So it’s all relative. We have to adjust to this, and I guarantee you when the first printing press went into operation, a bunch of monks showed up and said, “I just memorized an entire book! What are you doing?” 2. And speaking of change, how about your full head of white hair? It’s kind of shocking. My insight on aging is that there are no segues. It feels like one day you’re a young guy starting out in show biz, and the next day you’re Wilford Brimley, you’re a grizzled industry veteran. I had been in situations on television shows where they want you to dye your hair, and I hated that. I was very relieved to put down my foot and say, “This is where I am.” 3. White hair didn’t keep you from being cast in Nicole Kidman’s new crime film Destroyer. So do you still feel relevant? You never know what’s coming next. I feel just truly blessed. Honestly, something that really helped me transition into an older version of myself to the public was Get Out [the $4.5 million indie hit that made $255 million]. That movie was a very, very lucky sort of way to transition. 4. You’re a frequent guest on The West Wing Weekly, a podcast for fans hosted by your former castmate Joshua Malina and composer Hrishikesh Hirway. Is that a nostalgia trip for you? Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > 5. I wasn’t. But there have been reports. Is there going to be a reboot? I have no idea. But apparently, [West Wing actor] Richard Schiff is talking about it 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