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Playing a Cold War-era Russian spy undercover in the United States on FX’s The Americans offers Keri Russell plenty of opportunities for hand-to-hand combat. But Russell says she doesn’t focus much on the spy stuff in building her character, Image (2) Awardsline-logo_use-this-one__140529211810-275×38.jpg for post 738599Elizabeth Jennings. She’s more interested in the show’s complicated relationships, particularly the marriage between Elizabeth and Phillip, played by Matthew Rhys. Russell, perhaps best known for her starring role on the WB’s Felicity in the late ’90s, next will star in Fox’s July release Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Here, she discusses those wacky ’80s wigs and why she turned down the role of Elizabeth three times.

AWARDSLINE: What made you want to come back to series TV?
KERI RUSSELL: As an actor, you’re at the mercy of what’s around, what comes your way, and I definitely have been taking some time out raising my family. Although I wasn’t looking for a TV job at all, this had a really great pilot. It sounded fresh. My image (after) reading (Elizabeth) the first time was Brigitte Nielsen in Rocky. I was like, “OK, she’s this kick-ass Russian—cold, beautiful, sexy. How did this make its way to me?” So I obviously said no about three times, and then (FX president) John Landgraf just sold me on it. He basically said, “No, that’s the whole point. We want someone who’s instantly relatable, and kind, and all those things that people project onto you.” And I’m so glad I said yes. It’s always a gamble—every job you take—but this one has been really interesting these last couple of seasons. Continue reading The Offer To Play A Russian Spy Came In From The Cold For Keri Russell

‘The Americans” stars Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell are so convincing as KGB spies embedded as spouses in 1980s America that in disguise they can fool even the show’s creators. “We’ll walk on the set and pass by a stranger, they’ll nod at us and a second later it’s like, ‘That was Keri!'” says executive producer Joseph Weisberg. Now in its second season and recently picked up for a third, the show is well-established as one of TV’s smartest dramas, both about spy capers and the nature of marriage itself.

Why do TV viewers love watching spies?
Rhys: There’s an area of fascination that men especially have with Special Forces books or movies: Who are these people? What makes them tick? How could I possibly do that?
Russell: And in the movies they’re all handsome and competent and [sleeping with] all these great people.
Rhys: It intrigues as much as possible. It’s a very interesting question about patriotism and adrenaline junkies. And it can be incredibly egotistical. Continue reading ‘The Americans’: Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell talk spies, relationships