Motherhood has made a definitive impact on Keri Russell as an actress. “Reading a script like this, you definitely are more vulnerable to those kinds of feelings, or maybe they’re easier to access, (where) before you had kids you’re sort of on the outside experiencing it,” the mom to 2 1/2-year-old son River (with husband Shane Deary) tells iVillage about her role in Extraordinary Measures, which hits theaters on Jan. 22. In the emotional drama, Russell stars as Aileen Crowley, who, along with her husband (played by Brendan Fraser) works with a researcher (Harrison Ford) to cure their children’s rare genetic disease.
Juggling her career and mommy duties has its challenges, but Russell has struck a rhythm. “Luckily, right now the schedule I get to keep with film really allows me to do both,” says the 33-year-old actress. “I get to work really hard for three months but then I get to be home for four months where I get to put him to bed every night. I like getting to be in the adult world a little bit and then getting to be in the mom world and cook dinners. And for me that balance is what makes it nice.”
And would Russell ever consider doing a doing a Felicity reunion, the ’90s show that first made her famous? “Two of my really close friends were on that show and we just saw each other recently and sure, I’d get to hang out with my friends,” she says.