‘The Diplomat’ Casting Director Officially Reveals the Truth Behind That ‘West Wing’ Reunion [Exclusive]
Last week, The Diplomat returned for its wildly intense fourth season on Netflix. The political drama series is filled with more than enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat through its 8-episode installments. I recently sat down with Casting Director Julie Schubert for an episode of Collider Behind the Scenes, unpacking the process of crafting a series like The Diplomat from the beginning to now. During our extended conversation, Schubert revealed the truth behind Season 4’s biggest new addition, as well as the happy coincidence behind one of the show’s most interesting relationship dynamics.
When Bradley Whitford joined Season 3 as Grace Penn’s (Allison Janney) unassuming husband Todd, The West Wing fans rejoiced at the concept of Whitford and Janney not only sharing the screen again, but doing so as a married couple in one of the most powerful political positions in the world. Schubert explained that Whitford was actually on her casting wishlist for The Diplomat from Season 1, his history with Janney was simply the cherry on top when the stars aligned to finally have him join the series. “Bradley has been someone we’ve talked about from Season 1. It was always a matter of, not if, it was when,” Schubert told Collider. “I think when Todd came about, and his availability opened up in a way that hadn’t been before, it was a very easy conversation. It wasn’t about recreating The West Wing. It was about creating a dynamic between two incredibly talented actors.”
Schubert went on to explain how that distinction from The West Wing is exactly why Whitford and Janney work so well together in The Diplomat. Todd and Grace Penn are very different characters from Josh Lyman and CJ Cregg, with Whitford and Janney’s chemistry benefiting from how long they’ve known each other without letting their previous characters cast a shadow over their new duo. Schubert put it best, saying:
“I think why it works is because it’s not The West Wing, and they’re not playing the same characters. I think there’s a nostalgia of being able to enjoy them, and seeing them in frame together, but they have created two entirely different roles and dynamics and relationships, and I think, because they are such consummate actors, you really fall in.”
“I think why it works is because it’s not The West Wing, and they’re not playing the same characters. I think there’s a nostalgia of being able to enjoy them, and seeing them in frame together, but they have created two entirely different roles and dynamics and relationships, and I think, because they are such consummate actors, you really fall in.”
Jodie Whittaker Was ‘The Diplomat’s First Choice for Its New Prime Minister
When it came time to fill one of the biggest roles of Season 4, Schubert knew exactly who she wanted to call first. The Diplomat sees Jodie Whittaker step into the role of Prime Minister Bethan Vaughn. With roles in shows like Doctor Who and Broadchurch, Whittaker has made quite a name for herself, especially in the UK, and Schubert was eager to see her tackle a role unlike anything she’s done so far when she reached out to cast her in The Diplomat. “Jodie is an incredibly gifted actor. She’s funny, she’s grounded, she’s real.” Schubert continued:
“She has all of these things, and you see it in her body of work, like Toxic Town, and even Doctor Who, even though that’s a little bit more of that sort of broad thing, and she hasn’t necessarily fully broken into the United States yet, but she’s incredibly well known in the UK. And so this is one of those opportunities where this is a role that she hasn’t gotten to sink her teeth into in the previous work, but you can see from her previous work how dynamic and interesting her choices are and how grounded she is and how she approaches the work in a way. And I know from having conversations with people how much of a joy she is to be around.”
</blockquote>“She has all of these things, and you see it in her body of work, like Toxic Town, and even Doctor Who, even though that’s a little bit more of that sort of broad thing, and she hasn’t necessarily fully broken into the United States yet, but she’s incredibly well known in the UK. And so this is one of those opportunities where this is a role that she hasn’t gotten to sink her teeth into in the previous work, but you can see from her previous work how dynamic and interesting her choices are and how grounded she is and how she approaches the work in a way. And I know from having conversations with people how much of a joy she is to be around.”
From the inception of Bethan in the development of Season 4, Whittaker was always the right person for the role. “She was the first person on the list for me, and the first conversation I wanted to have,” said Schubert. “When we got to the point of understanding who the character was and what sides of the character we needed to be able to share on screen, it became clear that Jodie was the right person, and then she said yes,” and the rest is history!
You can watch every episode of The Diplomat now on Netflix. Stay tuned at Collider for further updates.
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