Luciane Buchanan: Ethnicity, Night Agent Exit, New Role

When Luciane Buchanan stepped onto the global stage as Rose Larkin in Netflix’s The Night Agent, few viewers guessed the actress behind the character had roots in both New Zealand and Tonga. Now, in 2025, she’s making headlines for a different reason: leaving the hit series to lead Apple TV+’s historical drama Chief of War.

Born: 18 July 1993 (age 32) ·
Nationality: New Zealander ·
Known for: Rose Larkin in The Night Agent ·
Ethnicity: New Zealand–Tongan ·
Instagram followers: 313K+ ·
Recent role: Chief of War (2025)

Nine key facts at a glance show a pattern: a rising star whose career is accelerating across continents.

What is Luciane Buchanan’s ethnicity?

Is Luciane Buchanan of Tongan descent?

• Yes. According to Wikipedia, Buchanan is of New Zealand European and Tongan descent. Her mother is a New Zealand European, and her father is Tongan.
• The University of Auckland notes she wrote the first professional short film written and directed by Tongan women, Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue.

What is her cultural background?

• She identifies with both cultures and has spoken about the surreal feeling of leading a U.S. production as someone from “small New Zealand” (Deadline).
• Her role in Chief of War as Kaʻahumanu, a Hawaiian historical figure, further connects her to Pacific Islander storytelling.

Why did Luciane Buchanan leave Night Agent?

Why isn’t Rose in The Night Agent season 3?

• Buchanan confirmed in a Deadline interview that she will not return for Season 3. She said the writers chose to focus on Peter (Gabriel Basso) and his narrative after Season 2.
• People reported that the decision was mutual and that the show’s creator Shawn Ryan also addressed her absence.
• Entertainment Weekly listed her departure among the main cast changes.

Did she leave voluntarily?

• Yes. Buchanan told Deadline she was “grateful for the opportunity” but ready for the next chapter. Her new role in Chief of War was already in development when the decision was made.

Does Luciane Buchanan have children?

Is Luciane Buchanan a mother?

• No confirmed public information suggests she has children. She keeps her personal life private, and neither her Instagram nor interviews mention a family.
• As of 2025, there are no credible reports of her being a parent.

Does she have a family?

• Her family background is known only through her ethnicity disclosures. She has not publicly named a partner or discussed a spouse.

What is Luciane Buchanan doing now?

What is her current project?

• She is starring in Apple TV+’s Chief of War, a historical drama described by Town & Country as a “vivid retelling of Hawaiian history.” She portrays Kaʻahumanu, a key figure in Hawaiian history.
• IMDb lists her credit spanning 9 episodes, with the project expected to premiere in late 2025.
• She also continues voice work and other acting roles, according to her GCM talent agency profile.

Is she working on Chief of War?

• Yes. Evening Standard reported in January 2025 that she was already based in New York and had a role opposite Jason Momoa in the series.

Are Luciane Buchanan and Gabriel Basso married?

Does Gabriel Basso have a wife?

• No evidence suggests they are married. Buchanan and Basso are co-stars and friends, but both have kept their personal lives separate from their on-screen partnership.
• Basso has not publicly discussed a wife, and Buchanan has not mentioned a relationship.

What is their relationship?

• They share a professional friendship. In interviews, both have spoken positively about working together, but there is no indication of a romantic relationship.

Buchanan’s trajectory from a local New Zealand actress to a lead in two of the biggest streaming platforms’ flagship series is a testament to talent and timing. For fans of The Night Agent, the choice is clear: either accept Season 3 without Rose Larkin, or follow Buchanan’s journey into Chief of War. The consequence is that the character they loved is gone, but Buchanan is only getting started.