“For me,it’s always about the writing,” Russell says,and “this is so smart and acerbic and full of all this political jargon,but it’s funny too. (Cahn) has this real take on the minutiae of life and relationships.”
And when Russell says the new show is “just lighter,” she doesn’t mean simply that she isn’t killing people and stuffing them in suitcases. “I mean,this character is nervous and sweaty and awkward and messy,and it’s fun to get to do that,you know?”
Like many,Cahn was a fan ofThe Americans,and says Russell was the dream choice for Kate – “the moon shot” – an actor with the rare ability to portray power and gravitas,but then turn on a dime to display expert physical comedy.
“From the hair to everything else – falling down and dropping things – and just having an air about her of being on the verge of falling apart all the time,” Cahn says,“that takes a tremendous amount of skill and sense of comedy. And that’s what the role needed.”
Not that Kate isn’t competent. A career diplomat,she’s about to become ambassador in Kabul when we meet her,a role that would tap her wealth of experience in the region. But then a British aircraft carrier is bombed – by whom,we don’t know – and there’s no envoy in London. The US president himself (Michael McKean,part of a superbly cast ensemble) asks Kate to take the job,traditionally a political appointment with little substantive responsibility.
Suddenly Kate is living in a palatial English home,and aides are bringing racks of cocktail dresses. Kate does not like dresses. She likes pantsuits,and only black ones,so that when you use your water bottle before a briefing in the Oval to clean the yogurt stain from breakfast,it doesn’t show.
“She is frazzled – a lot,” Russell says of Kate. “But she’s the behind-the-scenes person who will get things done. She’s messy,in a great way.”
Then there’s the marriage. Just asThe Americans centred on a marriage,The Diplomat revolves around Kate’s complex relationship with husband Hal (Rufus Sewell). An experienced former ambassador himself,Hal isn’t used to being “the spouse”.
It’s the layered dynamic of this volatile union (just wait until you see them fighting in the garden) that drives the show,despite its broad global themes. “That’s what you care about,” Russell says. “You want to know how people feel and what’s stressing them out and how they’re living life.” Adds Sewell:“What is the whole globe except billions and billions of little couples,of people? When we both read it,it was that human dynamic,and the humor … that really cracked it open.”
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For cast and crew,the experience was also a deep dive into world diplomacy,a subject Cahn first encountered during herHomeland research. “Nobody knows these stories because you don’t hear about it,” Cahn says. “If (diplomacy) is done right,nobody ever knows it happened.”
David Gyasi,who plays the British foreign secretary,thought he knew something about diplomacy when he started,but this script was so dense and detailed,he says,that “there were moments where I had to go,‘Why is this important?’ ” And then the creative team would launch into a history lesson. “It just opened us all up to another level of diplomacy that was fascinating,” he says.
“What I didn’t realise,” notes Ato Essandoh,who plays Kate’s top aide,“is how human the interactions are,from the microscopic level of two humans trying to get together and understand each other … to two countries trying to relate to each other.” Adds Ali Ahn,who plays the CIA station chief:“It’s all about,do I trust you? Do I like you? Those are the basic building blocks.”
Russell,for research,readThe Ambassadors by Paul Richter,sharing it with co-star Sewell,who listened to the audiobook on weekend drives. They also watchedThe Human Factor,a documentary about the diplomats involved in Mideast peace negotiations.
“Those guys who were orchestrating those meetings before (Bill) Clinton comes in or before (Yitzhak) Rabin comes – they’re unsung and they’re sort of mysterious,” Russell says. “We don’t know about this whole world,and it’s really interesting.”
And so,Russell is relishing her shift to the “good” side.
“By the way,I lovedThe Americans,too – it was so fun to play this character who was so much more cool than I was,and wore silk shirts and jewellery,” she says. “But this is lighter and snappier,and I’m really enjoying it.”
The Diplomat is on Netflix.
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