Keri Russell Isn't Sure She's an Actress

"The evening I first met Keri Russell, we had a fun time pounding Sancerres, talking about her rise to stardom, which began when, at fifteen, on a whim, she tagged along to an open call for "The All New Mickey Mouse Club." By the time I staggered home, a few things were clear: Russell was smart, darkly funny, and also a bit guarded-an introvert, reflexively self-deprecating. She was a girl's girl, whose deep friendships went back decades. And although we talked about a lot of subjects (her three kids, especially), she wasn't all that interested in talking about being an actress-her craft, her ambitions-the subject I'd assumed would be central to the piece."

"Instead, when I started writing, I wound up focussing on the topics that lit her up, in particular a magical year and a half in the early two thousands, shortly after "Felicity" ended, when, burned out by the hours and the It Girl media attention, she fled Los Angeles for New York."

"At the time, she was toying with the idea of leaving acting. She didn't do it, of course-and her stellar performances have wound up mirroring the shifts in television, as old-school network and prestige cable transformed into the chaotic flux of the streaming model. She played a key role in each decade: first "Felicity," then her astounding performance in "The Americans," where she fell for her costar Matthew Rhys; and, most recently, her starring role in Netflix's hit political thriller "The Diplomat," playing a woman as anxious about public life as Russell herself can be. Still, her self-image as a not-quite actress-a conscientious objector in the age of the influencer-had stuck around."

Keri Russell built a multi-decade television career beginning at fifteen on The All New Mickey Mouse Club and rising to prominence with Felicity. She is introverted, self-deprecating, and maintains deep long-term friendships while raising three children. Burnout and intensive "It Girl" media attention led her to move from Los Angeles to New York and consider leaving acting. Her work has tracked television's evolution from network and prestige cable to streaming, with standout roles in Felicity, The Americans (where she fell for costar Matthew Rhys), and Netflix's The Diplomat. She retains a cautious, not-quite-actress self-image.

Read at The New Yorker