You’ve been playing the role of a politician for a while. Even as first lady you were definitely a political player. Part of the reason Hillary Clinton resonates with so many women is because she has been one of the most visible women in politics. Who do you look to for character inspiration?

“When I got the job, I had to really do my homework. They teach us very white male history. So I knew my presidents, and I didn’t know my first ladies. That in itself was an interesting journey to really learn the contributions of the women behind or beside the man. We have drawn from a lot of those stories. When Fitz was in a coma and I was fake president for a minute and signing his name, all of that is drawn from history. Hillary Clinton was a real touchstone. Throughout my lifetime she has really been the front [wo]man of female possibility in politics for American women. I remember when she was First Lady and touched on healthcare, and what that meant for me personally. I had never seen a woman in her position be anything but appropriate, sidelined, and in the background. For her to show up with the full force of her being and offer her brain and her heart and try to affect positive change was breathtaking. It gave me such a feeling of possibility. And then she was beaten down and reviled. So much of what she dreamed she didn’t achieve. But she did achieve some. I watched her struggle, and I feel as a nation we have been taking these quiet but steady steps forward. Particularly now, with everyone speaking up about equality in the workplace — not just in terms of pay, but in terms of respect. I feel lucky to be working in a matriarchy and to be playing a role that allows people to become comfortable with female empowerment in a non-confrontational way. We don’t have to have a conversation about it because it just is. Women are powerful. In the same way we found out Cyrus (Jeff Perry) is gay. We don’t have to talk about that, either. It’s just understood. They’re just people. These are just people who exist in the world: powerful women, people of all colors, people who love all the people they want to love. It doesn’t have to be addressed except to be inclusive.”