Keri Russell, love at first sight for Matthew Rhys

Diplomacy, this delicate art combining seduction and negotiation, tenacity and flexibility. This is what the heroine of last year’s surprise hit on Netflix, “The Diplomat,” excels at, back since last Thursday with a second season. We find Keri Russell (discovered in 1998 in the series “Felicity”) in the role of an American diplomat specializing in war zones, propelled against her will to become ambassador to the United Kingdom at a time when the country is experiencing a major crisis, after an attack on an aircraft carrier.

On top of that, she has to manage a marriage in decline. Her role in this formidable political thriller allowed the 48-year-old American to land a slew of nominations, notably at the Golden Globes and the Emmy Awards.

Not bad for the one who spent six seasons on the enemy, in the series “The Americans”, where she formed a couple of Soviet sleeper agents with Matthew Rhys. It was also on this set that the two – now together – met. “I had just separated from my husband,” the actress explained last week to “Variety” magazine, “and with Matthew, we quickly fell in love. We often shot the spy scenes at night, in disguise, with wigs… It was a very exhilarating and sexy time.”

Savvy message

Last May, for “People” magazine, her companion had already returned to how their relationship was born: “In no time, we found ourselves doing everything the producers tell you not to do on a tray. We had managed to keep it a secret for a year and when we went to see them to say: “We have something to tell you…”, they cut us off: “Don’t tell us that you are together.” And we continued: “Actually, we’re expecting a baby.” It was Sam, now 8 years old. The first child of Matthew Rhys, but the third of Keri Russell, already mother of a boy and a girl, aged 17 and 14. In fact, the actor embellishes things a little: their son was actually born three years after the start of filming, in 2016. But we recognize the meaning of the formula.

The funny thing is that the two of them had already met a dozen years earlier, at a Hollywood party, where he had a crush on her. Returning home, he left her a message on her answering machine, but he was so drunk that the actress did not even deign to answer it.

Disney without mercy

A singer and dancer from a very young age, at the age of 15 she found herself in front of the Disney cameras for the “Mickey Mouse Club”, alongside Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. In a recent episode of the “Dinner’s on Me” podcast, however, she highlighted the injustice that reigned at the time between girls and boys, where the former were generally kicked out of the show as soon as they were suspected of being sexually active. “I was let go at 17, while boys could easily stay until 19. I said to myself: “I slept with this one. Why is he allowed to stay? He also took action!”

If we saw her last year in the film “Crazy Bear”, and in 2021 in the horror thriller “Affamés”, the actress is quite rare on the screens. “I could very well do without working altogether,” she admitted to “Variety”. I am not looking for recognition and above all I need the project to touch me deeply to get involved.” She prefers to devour a book – her great passion – or walk around Brooklyn, where she lives. “For “The Diplomat”, I especially needed to take a break from my role as a mother. I made birthday cupcakes, took our son to the doctor, spent anxious nights when he was sick, did the laundry… I needed to take some time off. Matthew’s turn to take care of it! And since he was also filming a series, he had a hard time.”

For this second season, Keri Russell convinced the production to film partly in New York, in order to be able to take care of their little boy again. Would she have used her new diplomatic talents?

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