Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell met on the set of The Americans while Russell was still married and had two children. In a recent interview, Rhys said he realised he could not fight his feelings for his co-star.
Zendaya and Tom Holland, Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem are among the many famous actors who fell in love after meeting on set. Matthew Rhys, 51, and Keri Russell, 50, have also been a couple for the past 12 years.
Speaking on The New York Times interview podcast, Rhys recalled his reaction when he realised he had fallen for Russell while working together on The Americans.
“Oh no,” was his immediate thought. He also admitted that he would not recommend falling for a co-star.
Asked by journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro whether he had questioned his feelings, Rhys replied: “Of course.”
Reports of a relationship between the two first emerged in late 2013. Russell was still married at the time, although she had already separated from her longtime husband, Shane Deary. The couple had two children together: their daughter Willa, born in 2012, and their son River, born five years earlier.
Looking back, Rhys said the relationship was not something he entered into casually.
“It wasn’t something I entered into lightly,” he said, adding that sometimes it is simply impossible to fight against your feelings.
“It was meant to be,” Rhys said with a smile. “It just had to happen – and it did.”
The couple initially kept their relationship private. In early April 2014, they were photographed together for the first time during a date night in New York City.
In January 2016, they announced that they were expecting a child. Their son, Sam Evans, was born in May that year.
The “Emmy power couple”
Rhys and Russell’s time playing married Soviet spies on The Americans came to an end in 2018 after six seasons. Rhys won an Emmy that year for his performance in the show’s final season.
Russell was nominated for her role three times, in 2016, 2017 and 2018, but never won the award.
When Garcia-Navarro asked Rhys whether he competed with Russell professionally, he rejected the idea.
“We are very different people, and our approach to acting is very different,” he said.
Rhys added that he would be happy to work with Russell again at any time.
The couple are now nominated for different projects at this year’s Emmy Awards in September. Rhys has received three nominations across two series.
He is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and as an Executive Producer for Apple’s Widow’s Bay, as well as for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the thriller series The Beast in Me.
Russell has received two Emmy nominations for the Netflix series The Diplomat one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and another as an Executive Producer.
She was previously nominated for her role in the series in 2025, after receiving a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2023. Russell has yet to win an Emmy, despite being nominated eight times overall.
Rhys joked that if she fails to win this time, he will be “swearing.”
Widow’s Bay has already been renewed for a second season and is being tipped as one of the favourites at this year’s Emmys.
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