Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are fine with spending some time apart.
“We’re in a heavy relationship,” Russell, 50, explained of her longtime love Rhys, 51, during a recent episode of the “Dear Chelsea” podcast. “But, I have this gift. We have this gift of being apart a lot, and that is the way to do it.”
Russell went on to explain that Rhys “comes back around occasionally,” but when he’s away, “the house is” hers.
“As hard as it is … The bed is mine. The rules are mine,” she said, noting that she goes to bed at 9 p.m. “I’m like, ‘Goodnight, everybody. If you need Mom, I’m asleep.’”
She added, “It’s probably more boring without him but it’s my rules. And then he comes back and everyone’s so excited, and we’re excited. You know, being apart is nice.”
Russell also shared that when they’re apart for projects, they “ideally” try and “see each other every two weeks.”
“This is such a weird business, where you’re like making out with [actors],” she laughed. “What a weird job. If I can find something that pays me more, I’ll do it. Ideally, it’d be great to see each other every two weeks. It’s probably not going to happen this way.” While there’s intimacy on set, Russell said she doesn’t worry about it becoming an issue in their relationship. “Because we’re like, even having sex with someone new sounds like a lot of work.”
Russell and Rhys met in 2014 while met in 2002 at a party. A decade later, they were cast as costars in The Americans, where they played a married couple Elizabeth and Philip Jennings. At the time, Russell was married to Shane Deary, whom she separated from in 2013.
Later that year, Russell and Rhys started dating and confirmed their relationship in April 2014. Two years later, they welcomed their son Sam, now 10.
Russell is also the mom of son River, 19, and daughter Willa, 13, whom she shares with Deary, 49.
Elsewhere in the episode, Russell opened up about the fact that she and Rhys may never tie the knot.
“I know for a lot of people, marriage is something different. People used to have to be married to have a credit card,” she said. “We can have credit cards now. I don’t need my last name to go away. I’m cool. If you want to be here, be here. If you don’t, that’s cool too.”
