Keri Russell 'Was Nervous' When Allison Janney Was Cast inThe Diplomat: 'She’s Awesome and So Good' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Keri Russell (left) at a red carpet event and Allison Janney in ‘The Diplomat’ season 2.Photo:Courtesy of The Paley Center For Media; Courtesy of Netflix

Courtesy of The Paley Center For Media; Courtesy of Netflix

Celebrities, they are just like us!

Keri Russellhad a fangirl moment when she found out thatAllison Janneywas cast in the second season of her hit Netflix series,The Diplomat.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at a special event for the show duringPaleyFest 2024on Sunday, Oct. 20 in New York City, the actress says she “was nervous, a little bit” when she heard of Janney’s new role.

“Just because she’s awesome and so good,” Russell, 48, continues before noting that she’s partially fond of the Oscar winner’s performance in the 1998 comedyPrimary Colors.

“I love her,” she adds of Janney. “There’s a scene she does inPrimary Colors–  that movie is so good – where she does this physical comedy fall up the stairs. So I think I was a little nervous, but she’s everything you want her to be. She’s gracious and funny and smart and cool.”

While Russell “tried to keep it cool at first” while working with her new costar, she says she eventually told her about her appreciation for the movie.

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler in ‘The Diplomat’.Courtesy of Netflix

Courtesy of Netflix

Janney’s role in season two of the political thriller series, which ultimately follows U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Kate Wyler (Russell) and her husband Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) as they try to prevent a global war, was first announced in January withVarietyreporting that she will be appearing in a guest role as a vice president.

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Allison Janney in ‘The Diplomat’.Alex Bailey/Netflix

Alex Bailey/Netflix

Cahn andThe Diplomatactress Ali Ahn also praised Janney at the event, with Ahn telling PEOPLE that she “got to have some delicious dinners with her after work.”

“We were basically at summer camp,” she says. “We were away shooting and we were in these beautiful locations. And so there were days where we would all gather for dinner after work and it is pretty surreal to be dining with Allison Janney and Keri Russell, and just throwing back a couple of glasses of wine.”

“It was really great. Watching her and Allison squaring off was great. It is just amazing to see two people who are that much at the top of our game get to play with each other,” she says.

David Gyasi as Austin Dennison and Keri Russell as Kate Wyler in ‘The Diplomat’.Courtesy of Netflix

The show’s season 2 teaser trailer, released in September,gave a first look at Janney’s vice presidential characteras she ominously turns around to face Kate while at a high-profile event.

“A deadly explosion in the heart of London shatters US Ambassador Kate Wyler’s world (Russell),” the synopsis for the season teases. “Struggling to rebuild the lives that broke and the team that split apart, Kate’s worst fears unfold: The attack that brought her to the UK didn’t come from a rival nation, it came from inside the British government.”

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Season 2 ofThe Diplomatpremieres Thursday, Oct. 31 on Netflix.

source: people.com