For fans of “The Diplomat,” the current third season returns to its roots and sets the standard for character and relationship-driven drama. At its core is Ali Ahn, whose portrayal of CIA station chief Eidra Park gives the series its stillness and emotional edge. Often seen navigating delicate alliances with Keri Russell’s Ambassador Kate Wyler and Ato Essandoh’s Stuart Heyford, Ahn brings a quiet precision to the screen that turns even the smallest glance into a study of trust and restraint.
Now entering her third season, Eidra faces her most vulnerable chapter yet. Ahn describes the character as a woman who has mastered composure but suddenly finds herself cornered. “She’s really dealing with professional failure for the first time,” she says. “She’s been on this rock star ascent, and as an Asian woman, it’s very rare for her to be in that role. So when she suddenly has nowhere to go, she’s out of moves, which is not something she’s used to.”
That mix of strength and fragility mirrors Ahn’s own evolution as an artist. Coming off two acclaimed series, Netflix’s “The Diplomat” and Marvel’s “Agatha All Along”, Ahn still speaks candidly about the lingering self-doubt that shadows even her success. Despite her growing body of work, she admits she is still learning to feel fully seen in an industry where performers of color often wonder if their presence is viewed as progress or tokenism.
That honesty is part of what made her Critics Choice Association recognition at the 4th Annual Celebration of AAPI Television and Film so powerful. On November 14, Ahn received the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, accepting it with humor, gratitude, and a rare vulnerability. Reflecting on her family’s history, she joked, “I chose to honor the courage and sacrifices of my ancestors by joining the circus,” before turning sincere. “I can never repay my parents for the opportunities they’ve given me. I hope I’ve made them proud.”
In an event that celebrated authentic representation, Ahn’s speech captured what the event was about: gratitude, belonging, and the courage to take up space without apology. Her words, like her work, carried a humility rooted in the generations that came before her and a strength shaped by her journey toward feeling at home in her own success.
Across three seasons, Ahn has built Eidra Park into one of television’s most quietly complex characters. Her on-screen relationships with Russell and Essandoh show the human cost of diplomacy and the strength it takes to stay open in a world built on secrecy. “Our relationship on screen is wary,” Ahn says of working with Russell, “but Keri is one of my favorite people. The chemistry is real, it just has to be played in reverse.”
Ali Ahn spoke with Awards Focus about the evolving emotional layers of “The Diplomat,” the amazing chemistry on the set and what it means to keep searching for belonging even after finding success.
Awards Focus: Ali, first of all, congratulations on the Critics Choice Awards Best Supporting Actress Award at the Celebration of AAPI Cinema & Television. Diving into “The Diplomat” Season 3, where do we find Eidra at the beginning of the season after the dramatic events and cliffhanger of Season 2?
Ali Ahn: I mean, she’s in a pretty tough spot professionally. What I found really interesting about this season is that the character is set up as such a capable person, and her job requires her to be steady and live with danger and high stakes at any moment. But this season she’s really dealing with professional failure for the first time. She takes a big risk and breaks some rules because she’s putting her faith in Kate, Keri Russell’s character, and the intel she’s bringing, knowing her job will be on the line if it doesn’t go well. She does it because she believes it’s the only thing they can do for the safety of their country and what they need to uncover. For it to not go well, and for no one to back her up after she’s put herself on the line, is tough. She’s basically facing the possibility of losing her career. She’s been on this rock star ascent and is very young to have that position. As an Asian woman, it’s very rare for her to be in that role. Wrestling with that kind of setback, for someone so used to success, leaves her stuck between a rock and a hard place with nowhere to go. She’s out of moves, which is not something she’s used to.
AF: We see several moments where Eidra is reaching out a hand for Kate’s help but she doesn’t really respond as you’d hope. Even then, there’s no open fracture between them. How would you describe their relationship as Season 3 progresses?
Ahn: I think it’s pretty disappointing. She’s disappointed in Kate, but I don’t necessarily think it’s something she can dwell on. Disappointment is just something you have to live with, and you make the best judgment you can. The thing about being a spy—and what I understand about intel—is that you have to make the best decision knowing you don’t have all the pieces. She puts her trust in Kate in that moment because she believes Kate is a legitimate diplomat who has proven herself. But it’s a risk she takes. I think she’s surprised by the flippancy with which Kate reacts—by how unconcerned she seems. As a fellow woman in a male-dominated world, you’re kind of like, damn. But I don’t think it destroys their professional dynamic. Eidra can work with all kinds of people, even those she doesn’t necessarily trust or like. The job requires it. But the walls definitely go back up.
AF: You’ve now played Eidra for three seasons, and you’ve started shooting Season 4. After all your research, what have you learned about this world? Who really holds more power, the ambassador or the CIA station chief?
Ahn:I think that’s a really interesting question. It was actually one of the first things I asked in the first season. I did most of my research then because I didn’t know the world at all, and we were all talking to various consultants. What’s interesting is that the CIA thinks they’re more important than the diplomat’s office, while the diplomat’s office might say the same about themselves. There’s always this competition over who has the real intel.
The ambassador is a temporary position, as is the head of the London CIA station, but that role is often seen as a political appointment. So, when Kate first comes in during Season 1, Eidra is dismissive of her because ambassadors are usually not serious professionals. From what I understand, a CIA station chief has to maintain a decent relationship with the ambassador, but mostly they just want them out of the way so they can get the job done.
Part of the friction between Kate and Eidra early on is that Eidra isn’t used to having a real peer in that office. Kate, being a career diplomat rather than a political appointee, changes that dynamic. That’s where you see the two of them start to come together—when they realize, “Oh, I can work with you. You’re actually on my wavelength.” That’s what makes their relationship special.
AF: We see a brief but powerful moment when Eidra reaches out to Stuart during the swearing-in scene, a flash of vulnerability. What was that moment about for you?
Ahn: You know, I think that’s such an interesting moment. It’s such a flash of vulnerability. When I read it in the script, I thought, wow, the stakes here have never been this high for them professionally. It’s something they’ve rehearsed — what to do if a president dies — but the chaos and fragility of that moment, when no one knows who’s in power, makes it different. You’re reaching for someone to ground yourself, to touch base and say, “Holy shit, this is really happening.”
Even if she doesn’t want to open her heart to this guy, Stuart keeps showing up for her. So it’s almost an unconscious reflex — an impulse to check in with her person and say, “Okay, this is what’s happening right now.” And then it’s over, just like that. What’s so interesting about Eidra is that she has these tiny flashes where we see her actual feelings, but they’re brief. Then she closes back up and goes right back to work.
AF: The relationship between Eidra and Stuart has always been complex. Are there areas of the relationship you’d like to further explore, especially since in your real life, you are in an interracial relationship.
Ahn: You know, one thing in the show that I think is really interesting, and something they haven’t explicitly talked about, is that Stuart and Eidra are both children of immigrants. There’s a shared experience there, regardless of race, of what it means to be the first generation navigating those expectations. I think that’s a big part of how they see each other. They’re two people working in a political world that’s still very white and very male, and there’s an unspoken understanding between them about what it means to move through those spaces as people of color.
I relate to that personally. What Will (WIlliam Jackson Harper) and I experience is different, he’s a Black man, I’m an Asian woman, but we both understand what it means to be othered.
AF: It’s clear you’ve built real ownership over Eidra. What has made this role so rewarding for you?
Ahn: It’s pretty fucking fun. I’ve had some theater roles that were really juicy, but in terms of screen work, this one is just so much fun. The writing is so muscular and sharp. It’s such a treat. And the fact that she’s funny, but still has all these layers, makes it even better.
She’s a very restrained character. She’s not wild or unhinged; everything is contained. That’s what’s fun about it: finding those tiny shifts, those micro turns of the dial, and playing with all those subtle colors within a restricted palette. And then there’s the cast I get to work with. It’s like an A-team.
AF: You mentioned the demanding structure of filming and the dense plot. How do you keep track of Eidra’s journey when scenes are shot so out of order?
Ahn: Yeah, I mean, I work a lot with Ato and Keri Russell, especially in Season 3 because of the storyline. I have to be really nerdy about it. I keep a notebook where I literally write out each scene and what happens, because we shoot so out of order. For Season 3, we filmed half of it in the U.K. before moving to the U.S., so it was even more mixed up.
I basically have a cheat sheet so I can look back and say, okay, we’re in scene 16, what just happened in scenes 14 and 12? That way I know exactly where I am in the story. Without it, I’d lose track. The plot is dense, things happen quickly, and the timeline of the season covers such a short period of time. It’s a lot to keep up with.
AF: Season 3 feels like a return to the show’s core relationships, especially between Kate and Hal. For you, what scenes are most enjoyable to film—the relationship-driven ones or the intense political material?
Ahn: I love the scenes I get with Ato that are relationship-driven because they’re so human. I think what makes the show interesting is the human element—the messy relationship stuff. The contrast between these high-powered people doing serious political work and the reality that their personal lives are a mess feels so true to life.
The political scenes are much more stressful. Those are the days when my brain has to be firing on all cylinders because the dialogue is dense and the jargon is so specific. This isn’t a show where you can fudge the lines. There’s a level of precision required for those scenes, whereas the relationship scenes have a little more air and freedom to play.
AF: The chemistry between you and Keri Russell is palpable on screen. How do you both approach that dynamic?
Ahn: Yeah, it’s so special. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that what we have is rare. It makes the work so much easier because there’s so much respect, trust, and generosity on set.
Honestly, with Keri, I actually have to work against my natural chemistry with her. As people, I adore her, but the relationship on screen is very wary, especially in Season 3, because Eidra is not happy with her. It can actually feel a little uncomfortable sometimes. I have to remind myself to play against my natural instincts toward her, which are very warm and open. I have to close off to her when we’re working.
AF: Who’s the biggest jokester among the cast?
Ahn: That’s really tough. I think everyone is kind of a goof. There’s a lot of laughter on set. The nice thing is that nobody takes themselves too seriously, which is rare among a group of A-list actors. Everyone is serious about the work, and we all know how lucky we are to be part of something with writing this good, but we still don’t take ourselves too seriously.
Maybe the biggest ham. I haven’t worked with him that much, but from my casual interactions, it might be Bradley (Whitford).
AF: Are you “Team Kate” or “Team Hal”?
Ahn: I’m Team Kate. I think Eidra wants nothing to do with Hal. Every time he shows up, she’s like, that’s a chaos agent I do not want to mess with. So as a character, I’m definitely Team Kate.
AF: Earlier you talked about feeling you’ve had to prove yourself in Hollywood in a way Eidra doesn’t. When do you think that feeling might fade?
Ahn: It’s a question I ask myself. I will say that “The Diplomat” has been amazing for me in that way because it’s the first job where I’ve really been given the benefit of the doubt from day one. That’s been such a gift, to work from that place.
It feels like the way I feel when I’m making theater. It’s a genuine ensemble and a real team, and we’re all rooting for each other. When we get the scripts, we’re as excited about scenes we’re not in as the ones we have for ourselves, and that’s so rare. This show has been healing in that way because there’s space for all of us and for all of our voices from the beginning.
AF: Looking ahead, what kinds of stories would you love to see for Eidra?
Ahn: I would love to see Eidra in the field. Right now she’s in an administrative position, running the station, but I’m curious about Eidra the spy. I want to know what she’s like in that mode.
When I’ve talked to women who are station chiefs about what it’s like to be in the field, one thing they’ve shared that I found really interesting is that everyone has a different skill set. You have to bring your own personality to how you gain people’s confidence. Everyone has their own way of doing it.
So I’m curious. What is Eidra like as a spy? Some of her persona is so composed and dry, and I wonder if that’s how she really is in the world or if it’s something she’s adopted now that she’s a boss and doesn’t have to perform in the same way. Who is she when she’s performing something? I’m curious about that.
AF: That could make a great spinoff—”Eidra Park: Field Agent.” Outside “The Diplomat,” what upcoming projects are you excited about?
Ahn: Yeah, I did two projects in between Season 2 and 3 that I’m really excited about. One is an English-language Korean film called “Pig Village.” It’s an action gangster movie and a totally different genre for me.
I also just wrapped a really beautiful indie called “Take Me Home.” The short film it’s based on won a prize at Tribeca, and I think the feature will probably premiere or screen there as well. It’s not a documentary, but it’s inspired by the director’s relationship with her sister, who is cognitively disabled and stars in the film. It was a really special project, and I hope it gets seen by a wide audience.
AF: And you’re acting in it as well?
Ahn: Yeah,I am. We just made the feature. It’s a story about caretaking, about that moment when someone who needs a caretaker because of their disabilities is being cared for by aging parents who now also need care themselves. What do you do in that vulnerable moment? That’s what the film explores.
The woman who stars in the film, Anna, is really special, and I hope people get to see it.
AF: Thanks so much, Ali. As always, this was wonderful.