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Keri Russell is having something of a career renaissance. Not only is she starring in the new romantic comedy “Austenland” opening in limited release on Friday, but she just wrapped filming “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” which is under the direction of her old “Felicity” co-creator Matt Reeves (it looked fantastic when previewed at Comic-Con last month). The real feather in Russell’s cap, however, is her role on the critically acclaimed hit FX TV series “The Americans.”

The ’80s period drama finds Russell playing Elizabeth Jennings, a KGB agent who has been living undercover in the United States as a spy for over a decade. Elizabeth has a complex relationship with Phillip Jennings (Mathew Rhys), a fellow agent she has “married” and had two children with for the sake of their mission. The first season found their relationship at a crossroads as the Cold War heats up in the first years of the Reagan administration.

Making the Phillips lives more complex was their difficult relationship with Claudia, their KGB superior on the ground played by the always impressive Margo Martindale. In fact, Martindale was so good in her 10 episode stint she earned her second Emmy nomination for her performance (one of a disappointing low two the show earned this year). On any other series you’d be looking forward to learning more about the mysterious Claudia the next season, but Martindale surprised everyone by landing a leading role on the new CBS comedy series “The Millers” alongside Will Arnett and Beau Bridges. The producers left it open ended that Claudia (Martindale) could return at the end of “The Americans” finale, but nothing has been confirmed on her status (if it’s even possible) to date. Continue reading Keri Russell talks Margo Martindale and ‘The Americans’ season 2