In the third season of Netflix’s “The Diplomat,” that hit the streamer October 16th, Rufus Sewell continues to prove why he’s one of television’s most quietly captivating actors. As Hal Wyler, the former ambassador whose charm and volatility often share the same breath, Sewell captures the contradictions of a man constantly in motion: intelligent, manipulative, wounded, and deeply human.
Created by Debora Cahn, “The Diplomat” follows U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) as she navigates global politics and personal chaos in equal measure. The new season returns the story to its emotional core — the relationship between Kate and Hal. They are separated both by geography and ambition, with Kate stationed overseas while Hal adjusts to a new and complicated role as Vice President. The distance between them forces questions about loyalty, love, and power that neither can answer cleanly.
For Sewell, that tension is where the best work lives. “What happens is pretty unpredictable,” he said of the season. “From the end of episode one onward, things are turned on their head. It creates new dynamics and new difficulties for Kate and Hal and everyone else.” Those shifts allow Sewell to build on what has made his performance so compelling from the start, a portrayal that withholds as much as it reveals.
Watching him, it’s easy to feel empathy for Hal, even when he’s deceitful or impossible to read. Sewell conveys the ache of a man who still wants to support Kate’s career and happiness while knowing he’s losing her. The sadness sits just beneath his composure. Yet he never lets the audience forget that Hal can still be dangerous. By the finale, his ambition begins to shadow his affection, suggesting that the power he now holds could threaten everything else he values.
Sewell’s work in “The Diplomat” continues the path he began with “The Man in the High Castle,” where he also found dimension inside a morally ambiguous character. “If I were consistently cast as nice guys, I’d probably do the same thing in reverse,” he said. “The responsibility of an actor is to play the truth, and nothing is all white or all black.”
In speaking with Awards Focus, Sewell was thoughtful and dryly funny, candid about his process and the collaboration with Russell. He spoke about the unpredictability of the show, how chemistry thrives on imperfection, and why this project has been the most consistent source of joy in his career. “This is the most fun I’ve ever had,” he said. “Every script brings something new, and I don’t care what’s asked of me. I’ll have a go.”
Awards Focus: Rufus, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve been watching your work for so long. I’ll start with a question for the audience. The last season of “The Diplomat” ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, not quite as dramatic as the possibility of you burning in a car, but still dramatic. What should audiences expect from Season Three, and where are we going from here?
Rufus Sewell: That’s an easy one. What should they expect? They should expect to confront the unexpected. What happens is pretty unpredictable. From the end of episode one onward, things are turned on their head in a way that’s enormously beneficial to the story. It creates new dynamics and new difficulties for Kate and Hal and everyone else, things no one could see coming, least of all Kate and Hal. The worlds are turned around. The dynamics shift. The status relationships of a lot of people change. It raises the stakes in a way that’s very engaging. The high stakes and new circumstances give rise to a lot of tension and humor. The more unpredictable the story gets, the more interesting the scenes are to play.
AF: How much does the real-world political landscape influence the show? There’s been a lot happening globally, especially between Europe and the U.S. Does “The Diplomat” lean into that or try to stay in its own world?
Sewell: It’s impossible to lean in without falling over, and with how fast things move, it’s hard to even know which direction to lean. If we mirrored real life too closely, people would think we were being over the top. One of the pleasures for us and for the viewer is the escapism of an alternative world. It doesn’t have to be rose-colored. It can be a five-years-ago version of dysfunction.
Other people’s problems can be interesting in a way that our own are not, and that’s what we’re setting up, a kind of alternate universe. You can’t keep up with the pace and craziness of real events. If you try, the pace of change will outrun you. Deb has established a world that occasionally rhymes with reality because it touches on similar themes, sometimes in sad ways. But no one’s trying to directly mirror real life.
AF: It seems that Season 3 returns to a focus on the relationship between Kate and Hal. There’s that constant question of whether Hal is helping Kate or helping himself. Was it deliberate to return to that dynamic, or was it just where the story naturally went?
Sewell: It’s very interesting to hear you say that. When you’re filming, you don’t really know what the overall feel of the season will be, especially from my perspective. As to whether it was deliberate, I’m not really a party to those decisions. I think it just developed that way, and I’m glad it did.
When the big change happens at the end of episode one, both Keri and I were very excited. It opens tremendous opportunities. What you don’t want is to repeat the same dynamic we had in Season Two. We needed a shake-up.
As for Hal and Kate’s relationship, neither of them is worried about where it goes, together, apart, love, hatred. All of that is the DNA that entices us and that the audience enjoys. It needs trouble. Characters shouldn’t get what they want unless it’s a poisoned chalice. Otherwise, it’s not dramatic or interesting.
AF: I sometimes forget that she wasn’t in “The Man in the High Castle” and you weren’t in “The Americans,” because your chemistry is so incredible. How do you and Keri maintain that connection and energy on screen?
Sewell: That’s very nice of you to say, and I appreciate it. One always hopes that something like that is just there, and if it’s not, there’s nothing you can do. Chemistry is nothing if it’s there, but it’s everything if it’s not.
There are certain things actors do to show chemistry, and I hate them all. Chemistry is the opposite of cooperation. It’s the sense that everything will be fine even if you miss the ball once in a while. You don’t have to catch everything. It can bounce, and that’s okay.
From the first moment Keri and I worked together, I instinctively knew that whatever I do will meet what she does, and we can keep changing it. We just play. We’re not trying to cooperate. Cooperation can be the death of drama. That’s why directors sometimes dread when actors get together romantically. It can kill that spark. We’ve had that connection from the start. We don’t question it, and it’s not really work. It’s just luck.
AF: We’ve been lucky as viewers to see it. Your characters in “The Diplomat” and “The Man in the High Castle” share moral ambiguity and complexity. How do you make characters like that likable when their actions are often so awful?
Sewell: For a long time, I was cast in potentially one-dimensional roles and thought, “No, I’m going to play something else.” It was my only way to show range. The downside was that I became popular among directors with under written roles because I could fill them out, but when something was well written, they’d go elsewhere.
As for likability, I just try to ask, “What if this were me?” and not judge the character. You have to stand behind their eyes and try to win your case. With Hal, it’s more nuanced. In “The Man in the High Castle,” there was a central conflict I tried to protect. Sometimes the writing would veer from it, and I’d push it back. It became a battle between me and the story, which oddly mirrored the character’s struggle.
If I were consistently cast as nice guys, I’d probably do the same thing in reverse, try to find the gray. The responsibility of an actor is to play the truth, and nothing is all white or all black. As Marlon Brando said, it’s a polka dot world.
AF: You mentioned that you and Keri don’t need to plan chemistry. When it comes to dialogue, do you ever work through scenes together or make changes to the writing?
Sewell: We get along really well and laugh a lot, but we don’t need to discuss or change much. With Deb’s writing, there’s no need to alter a syllable. I’ve done projects where I had to unpick the language to make it feel less written, but not here.
It’s a mistake to criticize the writing before fully exploring it. Often, the part that gives you trouble is the key to the scene. With Deb’s scripts, that’s definitely true. Maybe we’ll change an “um” or an “ah” here or there, but we love the writing. It’s a gift. We do our work separately, come together, and play. It can change from take to take, but we don’t need to plan it.
AF: Besides Keri, there are new faces this season. Allison Janney, for example, has a bigger role. Who have you most enjoyed working with among the new cast?
Sewell: That’s always a dangerous question. The ones I work with most are Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford, who plays her husband. They’re both fantastic and hilarious. There’s an episode, number six, where the four of us, me, Keri, Allison, and Brad, spend a lot of time together. Long scenes, like doing a play with the best people in the world. I feel very lucky.
AF: Where does Hal sit for you now, in terms of how much fun you’re having as an actor?
Sewell: This is the most fun I’ve ever had. I’ve had periods of great fun before, but this is consistent. Coming up to Season Four, I can’t believe my luck. I’m more aware now of how lucky I am. When you’re younger, you’re too busy thinking about what something might lead to. Now I just think, this is it.
There’s nothing I could move on to that would offer me more. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to explore other things, but this is a joy. Every script brings something new, and I don’t care what’s asked of me, I’ll have a go. This is what I’m in it for. I feel very, very lucky.
AF: That joy really comes across on screen. Congratulations on the new season, and it’s been a pleasure talking to you.
Sewell: Lovely talking to you too.