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At the end of The Diplomat Season 3, Episode 2, Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) has almost everything he’s ever desired. He’s poised to become the vice president of the United States. Air Force Two is at his disposal. Hal’s on top of the political world. And yet, “He’s not a happy bunny,” Sewell tells Tudum.
Because, as Hal boards the second-best aircraft on the planet, he realizes he’s alone. His wife, US ambassador Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), isn’t behind him. She decides to remain on the tarmac, and, more importantly, at her diplomatic post in London. Kate — who was initially the Wyler expected to ascend to the vice presidency — has essentially left her husband. All Hal has ahead of him is an eight-hour flight back to the US to ponder the details of his shattered marriage. At least, Sewell explains, Hal isn’t totally shocked by Kate’s choice.
“Sometimes, when people crash out in life, that’s when they get the things they thought they wanted all their life,” the Emmy nominee tells Tudum. “He’s smart enough to know that. So feeling that, he would go, ‘Of course.’ But still, that would be a very, very lonely few hours.”
Despite the sting of rejection, Hal finds solace in the hustle and bustle of the White House under his new boss, President Grace Penn (Allison Janney). “Once he’s there and gets sucked into the work of it, it’s easier,” Sewell says. He’s energized in Episode 3 to lock down his vice presidency, and dives head-first into the position for the remainder of The Diplomat Season 3. By the finale, Hal and Grace’s dynamic is so strong and so palpable, it sets off alarms for their respective spouses. But Sewell suggests Hal is simply a great professional partner.
“He’s quite capable of being personally ambitious — but also really looking after his person,” Sewell says. “And I think that’s reflected in the relationship that him and the president have.”
So what does Hal bring to his new position? Was he always angling for a job in the White House? What does this all mean for his on-again, off-again marriage? And what’s next for Season 4, which has already been announced? Well, grab your finest power suit and cloak yourself in Secret Service–worthy dark shades — because Sewell is ready to take you inside Hal’s “beautiful and impulsive” Diplomat journey.
Is Hal a good vice president?
Rufus Sewell: Yes, I think he is. And vice president is a particularly difficult role for a lot of people. But he’s an incredibly valuable asset because of the stuff that he can pull off behind the scenes.
The Wylers go to London to create a path for Kate to become the vice president. But do you think Hal has been imagining himself in the role too? Or is he actually shocked to be offered it in Season 3 ?
Sewell: He’s legitimately surprised. This is something that I quite strongly believe — that yes, he’s ambitious personally. But he’s also ambitious for the two of them as a couple. He’s ambitious for Kate. My belief about both of them is that they scan the field and ask, “That is the play?” I’ve always felt that they want to do good for people. And they need to be in power to do that.
If the door that is cracked open is an opportunity for Kate, then Hal gets behind her. If the door that opens is for Hal, then he walks through it and gets her in too. Because of the way things worked out before the beginning of Season 1, there was an opportunity for Kate to be on the path to vice president. Not Hal. In Season 3, another door swings open, and it’s for Hal. As far as he’s concerned, it’s, “OK, this is my door. Before I say yes, what do we have for Kate?”
Episode 2’s flashbacks reveal how that dynamic was born. Is the Hal of 2010 very different from today’s Hal?
Sewell: I don’t think he’s changed. He’s worried that he’s going to screw up a brilliant person’s chances of being amazing in their own right. And he doesn’t want to fuck everything up for Kate. He loves her, but he’s trying to be practical. He doesn’t want to be selfish.
It was really lovely to embody their backstory. To see him in the position of power, really lifting Kate up and acting as a massive supporter of her was great. Also, when you see it in counterpoint to the way they are now, it just makes it especially touching.
What does it tells us about Hal that he doesn’t even need a ring to propose? He only needs a twist-tie from a plastic sleeve of red party cups?
Sewell: I loved it so much. It’s beautiful and impulsive. But you’re talking to someone whose dad went off to buy an engagement ring and came back with a 1930s Wurlitzer jukebox instead. That was my mom’s engagement ring. This is my DNA. It won’t fly with all women, but I love that for the Wylers.
Despite these good moments, Kate holds a lot of resentment towards Hal, which leads to their private separation. Why do you think she feels that way?
Sewell: There’s been a pattern of behavior. Every once in a while, he’ll throw caution to the wind. He does something with all the ingredients of heroism, or at least a dash of inspiration — something no one else has the nerve to do. A lot of it will work out. And it’ll be like, “Did you hear what Hal Wyler pulled off?” This is the quality that has made him a legend. But every once in a while, Hall will do something like that, and he won’t pull it off. The victims of his choices aren’t necessarily him.
So Kate has seen that play out a few times. A big part of their journey in the last episodes of Season 3 is her asking, “Is that what Hal is like? Or is that what power forces you to do?” This is the story of Kate realizing that actually she’ll be in that position too. But she’s not as impressed by the good side of it anymore. Kate is super aware of the bad side of it. She sees Hal up to his old tricks and people being impressed with him. She has to warn people.
Yet they usually can’t help but be drawn to each other.
Sewell: Keri and I love that the relationship between these two characters remains. It’s not contingent on them being married, separated, or with other people. There’s a spark between them that could be manifested in hatred, frustration, love, lust, or humor.
Still, Kate and Hal have been threatening separation since Season 1. How did it feel to finally explore what going through what a prolonged “divorce” would look like between them?
Sewell: I loved that it felt like a new thing. It was really good to play something with a really serious dark note in Season 3. They’ve had a pattern for a long time of Kate kind of rejecting him and coming back fairly quickly. It’s inevitable, if your relationship follows the same pattern of breaking up and getting back together again. Even if every time feels final, you can’t help thinking it’s going to be OK. It’s like someone being very, very ill for many, many years. You don’t expect them to die. You just get used to them being very, very, very ill.
And the relationship doesn’t actually die. In the finale, in a grand emotional display, Kate apologizes to Hal. That’s so rare for her — what was it like filming that scene with Keri?
Sewell: It was very moving. God, she’s such a good actor. It’s not an easy scene. It was something that hadn’t happened before. We both relish not repeating things and there is always a danger, especially if people love a certain dynamic. The danger is that you slip into repeating a dynamic past the point of freshness.
That’s why I love all the changes that happen in Season 3, because it shifts in such a way. You’ve got a whole new set of problems.
Those problems set The Diplomat up for a high-stakes Season 4, which has already been announced. What are you most excited to explore with Hal next season?
Sewell: I have no expectations. I think that’s the best way to do it. We’ve always really enjoyed just having surprises thrown at us. So hopefully, even more new stuff is ahead.
Watch Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell Discuss The Diplomat Season 3
Find out what’s next for Hal, Kate, and the rest of The Diplomat cast when the series returns for Season 4. Until then, keep coming back to Tudum for more briefings from the Penn White House — and stream Seasons 1–3 of The Diplomat on Netflix.
