Keri Russell is promoting The Diplomat Season 2, which comes out just days before the presidential election. Keri covers the latest issue of Variety, and she talks about the election and the real-world politics of The Diplomat, as in… what does the international political and diplomatic world look like post-Trump? It’s barely acknowledged here in America, that four years of Trumpism severely strained our alliances with many countries. Keri plays a career diplomat unexpectedly tasked with becoming America’s ambassador to the UK. Shenanigans ensue. Some highlights from Variety:
Keri on whether she’ll endorse Kamala Harris: “If I had my wish, I would be invisible — that’s who I am. I would give all the money in the world, but I would be invisible. Someone like George Clooney, he’s at an age, he should swing and swing hard.” And Taylor Swift? “Oh, f–king swing and swing big. She should absolutely be doing everything she’s doing. But nobody cares about me. I just want to be hidden in my little cave. But I will give, I mean, yes. And I’ve listened to every Ezra Klein podcast about her — you know what I mean? I don’t think I’m gonna sway it one way or the other; I have no social media. But the heavy hitters should stand their ground. Listen, if someone asks me directly, I’m not gonna lie. I do think that Kamala will win.”
She doesn’t like playing girly, pretty characters: “A gift about that show, and a little bit ‘The Diplomat’ too, is I got to wear these big baggy sweaters, and I hardly wore any makeup. I would watch the girls who were, like, the guest stars — the beautiful girls who would come on and have to wear girl clothes? — and I see how nervous that makes them. It’s hard to be beautiful; it’s much easier just to be in a big baggy sweatshirt and sneakers. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beauty of women, too, and I like dressing up, and I like, you know, wearing makeup when I need to. But there’s so much more to being a girl than that. And I think some girls get stuck in that, you know? It was such a gift to just get to wear big baggy sweaters and just get to be funny or smart. So I was less nervous.”
Divorcing her first husband Shane Deary & falling for Matthew Rhys: She has a son, River, now 17, and a daughter, Willa, 12 — with her then-husband, Brooklyn contractor Shane Deary. They separated in 2013, and Russell and Rhys fell in love that same year while shooting the show’s first season — she gave birth to their son, Sam, now 8, between its fourth and fifth seasons.
“I was in love with Matthew. We were, like, hot and heavy in love, shooting the spy stuff at night in disguises and wigs. I mean, it was such a fun, sexy time. So fun, oh my gosh.”
Deciding to do ‘The Diplomat’ & forcing Matthew to step up as a hands-on father: “I have done the birthday cupcakes,” she told him. “I have done the doctor’s appointments and the scary nights and the washing laundry. And I have been there. I’ve done the back rubs, but I want three months — or a f–king year! — where I don’t. It’s someone else’s turn — pick up the slack.’ And he did. And it was hard. You know, Matthew was shooting at the time, too, and I’m sure that was hard, because he was trying to fly back and forth. And I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s hard — it’s called being a mom.’”
Keri really is so private and low-key that she never had to face down the would-be scandal of her first marriage ending because she had fallen in love with her costar. Like, it wasn’t even a blip in the gossip media. The thing about Keri telling Matthew to step up is really good too, because yes, he should be doing more and she wanted to do this amazing series. Men need to step up and be supportive partners, but it’s like pulling teeth most of the time.
This week’s Variety cover story:
The Confessions of Keri Russell: On ‘The Diplomat,’ Falling in Love With Matthew Rhys and the Night Hillary Clinton Made Her Cry
https://t.co/dRZHnEHeDd pic.twitter.com/knj3T1qH6U
— Variety (@Variety) October 16, 2024
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.