Netflix’s acclaimed political thriller series The Diplomat season 3 confirmed, I’m excited to see what’s next for the U.S. British ambassador Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), her husband, Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), and the rest of the team. I’m also excited about the addition of West Wing actor Bradley Whitford to the Diplomat cast.
Sadly, the season 2 opener included the death of one of my favorite characters, Ronnie Burkhurst, played by Jess Chanliau. Coming from a diverse background, Chanliau, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, grew up in America and , and they are fluent in both French and English languages. They have an extensive artistic educational background, having attended the Cours Florent theater school in Paris, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, California, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Though they are no longer on The Diplomat, Chanliau still has a promising future ahead of them.
Jess Chanliau’s Acting Career
They Have Acted Onstage In Several Shakespeare Productions Before Breaking Into Film & TV
Jess Chanliau’s first on-screen appearance was in the 2008 short film Play Time, followed by another short in 2009, Belly of Unbelief. They landed their first feature film role in the 2015 indie drama The Riven. Also in 2015, Chanliau performed on stage as Mercutio in a production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. They also portrayed the lead in the Shakespeare comedy Twelfth Night as Viola, a character who walks the line between male and female genders.
In a 2023 interview with Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation, Chanliau spoke about their personal experience while playing the role of Viola on stage, saying:
“The production depicted Viola’s journey as a binary one, changing from one gender to another. We never addressed the in between space. That said, the role of Viola really helped me understand my own gender and expression. Although I was being directed as a woman in Twelfth Night, I found a lot of depth with Viola in their transient nature, focusing on their need to survive, and staying safe while still remaining curious and queer.”
Following their Shakespearean roles, Chanliau appeared in an episode of the 2020 Peacock series Brave New World, which was canceled after one season. Also in 2020, they starred in the indie zombie film Inmate Zero as Stone, an ex-military prisoner trying to survive a zombie outbreak. They also performed motion-capture for the 2021 sci-fi video game Chorus in 2021.
Jess Chanliau Plays Ronnie In The Diplomat
Ronnie Was An Idealistic US Embassy Officer
In 2023, Jess Chanliau landed the role of Ronnie Buckhurst in Netflix’s The Diplomat. Although it’s never specified on the show, Ronnie is assumed to be a non-binary character. They are an officer at the US Embassy working directly under Stuart Heyford, who holds the position of Deputy Chief of Mission at the American embassy in London. Ronnie usually has their nose buried in a laptop, phone, or tablet, while always looking snazzy in a bow tie.
Who Is Ronnie In The Diplomat?
Ronnie played an integral role as Stuart & Kate's aide in The Diplomat season 1 and was directly impacted by the explosion that killed Merritt Grove.
Unlike many of the characters in The Diplomat, Ronnie was one of the few idealists who didn’t resort to backstabbing or political scheming. This made it all the more tragic when they were fatally injured following an explosion planted in Merritt Grove’s car in the shocking Diplomat season 1 finale. In the first episode of season 2, Ronnie died from their wounds, which devastated the team and had Stuart feeling directly responsible.
During an interview on the YouTube channel Traversing the Stars, Chanliau described their take on Ronnie’s character:
“I think Ronnie is really reliable [mostly], and that’s why Stuart has kind of a good relationship with Ronnie, I think. And they’re precise. I think Ronnie wants to proceed in their job, and so they just kind of want to continuously show that they can do that, and that they can problem-solve. I think they probably get excited by problem-solving, I think when conflict happens, like, they are just ready to try to figure it out.”
What’s Next For Jess Chanliau
They Don't Have An Confirmed Projects Lined Up
There’s little doubt that Chanliau’s role in The Diplomat must have opened some doors for them in the acting world. However, since Ronnie was killed off the show, there is no official news yet of any projects for the actor. When questioned about any future projects on Traversing the Stars, Chanliau remained mum on the subject — possibly because the video aired before The Diplomat returned for season 2, and they were under contract not to reveal any details about their character.
However, Chanliau did say what sort of projects they would like to do in the future, should the opportunity arise. “I would love to be in a sci-fi, or some kind of fun, queer road trip movie or something like that,” they said. “Something different, I think.”
Being a huge sci-fi fan myself, I definitely would love to see Jess Chanliau in a big IP like Star Trek or Star Wars. In the meantime, I look forward to wherever the versatile performer shows up next.
The Diplomat
- Release Date
- 2023 - 2023-00-00
- Showrunner
- Debora Cahn
- Directors
- Liza Johnson, Simon Cellan Jones
Cast
Keri RussellAmbassador Kate Wyler
Rufus SewellHal Wyler
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