Author

Mary

Keri Russell loved her experience shooting “Austenland,” a comedy about a group of modern-day Jane Austen fans who travel to what is essentially a theme park filled with characters from the novelist’s books. She loved the script, her cast mates, working with a new director – loved it all. Except for one thing: the dresses.

“I definitely am one of those actors who likes the least amount of time in hair and makeup as possible,” said Russell, who entered the cultural zeitgeist with the WB show “Felicity” in the late 1990s and scored an indie hit as the lead in 2007’s “Waitress.”

“If I can do it in 20 minutes, I will. The idea of then adding an extra 20 minutes just to put on the clothes – I’m like, ‘No! That’s crazy.’ I dare you to put on a corset that you have to lace up every single day, and the bloomers and the lace-up boots and the tights, and then the underdress and the petticoat, and then the dress, which has to be laced and buttoned and … it’s, like, un-be-lieve-able.”

And try it when you’re six months’ pregnant, as Russell was at the beginning of the shoot.

“Certainly the chest region grew over the shooting,” Russell says, her laughter booming through the phone. “Certain angles, I’d look and say, ‘Oh. I have boobs now.’ Luckily, the dresses have that empire waist, which is just along the bust line. Even if you’re not pregnant, you sort of look pregnant in those dresses.” Continue reading Russell loves new role, not wardrobe

FX Cold War drama’s cast and executive producers talk bad wigs, counterintelligence and what’s ahead in Season Two

The setting of The Americans may be 1981 Washington, D.C., but since the FX thriller about undercover Soviet spies is actually shot in New York, the cast and executive producers held court at the Paley Center for Media last night for the latest installment of the PaleyFest: Made in NY panel series. On hand were stars Keri Russell (Elizabeth Jennings), Matthew Rhys (Philip Jennings) and Noah Emmerich (Stan Beeman), as well as executive producers Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields.

Those salivating for juicy tidbits about the forthcoming second season were bound to be disappointed as the cast and producers remained tight-lipped about specific plot points, both on the red carpet and during the panel. In their defense, Russell and Fields (demonstrating his loyalty to the Jenningses by wearing a red CCCP T-shirt emblazoned with a yellow hammer and sickle) admitted that the first table read of the season had just occurred that day, and shooting even doesn’t start until next week. (Russell told Rolling Stone that they’ll start on Wednesday. The series is set to return in January 2014.) But gleaning information about what’s next for the KGB agents who speak flawless English and look like they walked out of a JC Penney catalog wasn’t quite as impenetrable a task as some of Philip and Elizabeth’s previous missions. “We’ve only read one [script],” Russell told RS, “but it sounds like the family dynamic is going to be a real focus. As Paige [the Jennings’ American-born teenage daughter] gets older, she could be a serious threat for everyone’s safety.” Considering that Paige started snooping around her parents’ basement at the end of last season, Russell’s hints sound right on the mark. Continue reading ‘The Americans’ Invade New York’s Paley Center