What you need to know
The on-screen reunion of Bradley Whitford and Allison Janney was a long-awaited one, and it surprised the actors in an unexpected way.
Whitford will be joining Season 3 of The Diplomat as Todd Penn, the other half of Johnny’s Grace Penn, who unexpectedly finds himself at the helm of the White House when the season begins.
Creating the show, which centers around the complicated relationship between Ambassador Kate Wyler, played by Keri Russell, and her husband, fellow diplomat Hal (Rufus Sewell), “went beyond my expectations,” Whitford tells PEOPLE.
“I used to do yard work for[creator]Deborah[Kern]and Alison. I loved the show and it was a really fun experience,” he jokes.
Clifton Prescod/Netflix
But on a more serious note, Whitford, 66, said what was “surprising” on the show was how smoothly he and Janney, who have been like “family” since co-starring on The West Wing, entered into a romance.
“If there’s anything that surprised me, it was how easy it was to capture our history together along different paths,” he says. “It was very comfortable. It never happened…We actually did other little things together, but it was especially fun to bring that history into our marriage.”
Johnny, 65, agrees. “It was so easy and comfortable,” she tells People. “I got to play a completely different character[from “The West Wing”]a character who sleeps with me, and when I read that, it was an interesting scene and ended up being my favorite scene.
“Brad and I were really fun and easygoing and we had a history together so I felt comfortable. I think it would have been more difficult with someone I didn’t know. It was surprisingly easy and I really enjoyed it.”
She added: “Everyone at The Diplomat was just so excited to meet Brad and experience everything he’s all about. It’s amazing and fun and he’s just a dream.”
Clifton Prescod/Netflix
Khan previously told Netflix’s Tudom that Whitford was “a fantasy version of Todd” for everyone behind the camera as they worked on Season 3.
“I still can’t believe it happened,” she said, with executive producer Janice Williams calling the actor “the perfect addition to what was already a dream cast.”
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Season 3 of “The Diplomat” is now available on Netflix.
