Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys posed for some pictures for GQ and it was sexy! On one photo Keri was wearing a golden Burberry coat, stockings, and Louboutin heels. She was wielding a gun while her leg was up against the wall in front of Matthew who was wearing a Louis Vuitton suit.
The Americans stars also did an interview that has some insights on how they shoot for the program. The show is naturally full of violence, but it turns out that even in real life, Russell and Rhys gets pretty physical too.
“The smack usually comes the second before they say ‘Action,’” Rhys says of Keri’s pre-take pump-up routine. “Basically, I am starting every scene with a slightly shocked look on my face and a red handprint on my cheek.”
From a perspective of someone that doesn’t watch the show, it may look like a combination of sex, violence, politics, espionage, and betrayal. But what the co-executive producers Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg have been saying, at the heart of it is marriage and family.
“I love that she’s a mom who doesn’t always get it right,” Russell says of her character Elizabeth Jennings. “She’s making a bologna sandwich for her kids one minute and then blowing a guy in a hotel for intel the next.”
And she also says that from the looks of it, it might initially appeal more to guys than women. “There’s a lot of action, definitely some tits and ass showing. But it has a psychological-thriller element I think really appeals to women.” Russell says.
Season 1 of The Americans was action packed but generally it was all about Philip and Elizabeth’s relationship. Sure, they may have had problems on how to plant a microphone on a government official’s office or how to catch a former Russian spy who now works for America, but still, their greatest struggle was how to make their “marriage” work.
Deviating a little bit from the theme of marriage, the 2nd season will now touch on family. Last season’s finale gave us a glimpse of how it will be so through Paige. She was seen snooping in their laundry room and trying to find out why her parents always hang out there. On a teaser trailer, Philip and Elizabeth discussed what to do with Paige’s curiosity, so the show is really intent on giving the Jennings daughter more screen time on season 2.
However, if we’re going to talk about Henry then it’ll still be the same for him for season 2. When asked if he will be given more screen time and if they’re going to discontinue a trend by cable drama shows of marginalizing younger brothers over older sisters. (Think Chris Brody and Dana on Homeland or Bobby Draper and Sally on Mad Men.) “I wish you hadn’t said that,” says Weisberg “We may reverse that trend a little more in season 3 than season 2.” Joel Fields explains that storylines favoring Paige over Henry are “more a question of age and maturity than [gender].”