‘The Diplomat’s Allison Janney Is Not Your Typical President: “I’d Rather Hear Someone Else Talk Than Me”
Actress Allison Janney discusses her portrayal of President Grace Penn in Netflix's "The Diplomat," a role that has earned her another Emmy nomination and could bring her eighth career Emmy win. Despite consistently playing formidable, authoritative women across her career, Janney reveals she is personally shy and uncomfortable in the spotlight, describing acting as an outlet to embody the conviction she lacks in real life.
The interview traces Janney's career trajectory, from her Emmy-winning turn as press secretary C.J. Cregg on "The West Wing" to roles in "Masters of Sex," "Mom," "Miss You, Love You," and "Palm Royale." She credits Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, who mentored her at Kenyon College, with sustaining her belief in acting during lean early years spent scooping ice cream in New York before her breakthrough came at just the right time.
- Allison Janney is Emmy-nominated again for playing President Grace Penn in "The Diplomat"
- She says she is shy in real life, unlike her commanding on-screen characters
- Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward mentored her early on at Kenyon College