Matthew Rhys weighed in on the chance of working with Keri Russell on Widow’s Bay — or any other project — after their beloved collaboration on The Americans.
“Well, Keri and I discussed that. And then I discussed coming on The Diplomat and then playing Tom Loftis on The Diplomat, which is usually met with silence,” Rhys, 51, joked during an exclusive interview with Us at Brooklyn Bridge Marina on Tuesday, August 18, for the Brunswick Boat Group Event.
Rhys enjoyed the idea of sharing the screen with Russell, 50, again.
“There’s the danger [though] if you’re trying to recreate something,” he told Us about the couple not being in a rush to work together unless it felt like a good fit for both of them creatively. “If the right project came about and that made sense for us to be both in it. Because I think there’s a degree of, ‘Oh, you know why they’re doing it.'”
Rhys added: “If it made sense, absolutely. I’d love to.”
The Americans, which ran from 2013 to 2018, followed Elizabeth (Russell) and Philip Jennings (Rhys) as two Soviet KGB intelligence officers posing as an American married couple living in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C.
Rhys and Russell met while working on the critically acclaimed FX series and have been together ever since. They both branched out to different roles since their days on The Americans, with Russell being nominated for her work on The Diplomat and Rhys for his efforts on Widow’s Bay.
“I was fortunate enough to produce on Widow’s Bay and they were very gracious enough to include me,” Rhys told Us about being involved behind the scenes as well. “So I enjoy that inclusion. It feels like you’re an adult being asked to the adult’s table. But I also love the shock of reading and going, ‘Oh my God, I wasn’t expecting that.'”
While Rhys doesn’t know what comes next after Widow’s Bay got renewed for season 2 — and scored 19 Emmy nominations — he doesn’t mind speculating wildly.
“The question I’ve been asking [creator] Katie [Dippold] the most is, ‘What is the curse? The monster? The island? What is it?’ he noted. “So I’m so intrigued as to whether it’s something physical and tangible to be reasoned with or something inside us. I have no idea. I just know I’m glad I’m not writing it.”
He continued: “There’s a part of me that wants Hamish Linklater’s character, Richard, to come back. So I kind of want that to be the curse. He keeps knocking on my door and I’m always like, ‘What?’ And he is the curse and always ever present. I think there could be a lot of fun with that.”
As Rhys awaits the scripts for season 2, he is keeping busy by partnering with Brunswick Corporation in honor of the company’s latest innovations across boating, propulsion, navigation and marine technology.
“I remember thinking how calm it was. I think how calm water is in general and just thinking, ‘Oh, it’s just such a lovely way to spend some time,'” Rhys recalled how he fell in love with boating. “You’re just looking at the water.”
He added: “After a hectic day, there’s literally nothing I prefer more than coming to Brooklyn Bridge Park and ultimately Brooklyn Bridge Marina and just looking out at the water. That I think is the gold of what we have as New Yorkers is you are so close to looking at the water. It’s the greatest asset and to me is one of the most calming.”
Rhys spoke with Us while enjoying the views on the NAVAN C30. Brunswick also has other options including the Boston Whaler 405 Conquest, 210 Guardian and 330 Outrage, the Sea Ray SLX 360, the Elite, the Mercury Racing x MTI 440X Catamaran, the Textron TSUNAMI 25′ and more.
“I have no idea why but I had the mad idea of owning a boat, which is ridiculous. What you need are friends with boats. That’s what you should aim for,” Rhys joked. “Or what we try and offer here with Brunswick is an accessibility to the water without necessarily boat ownership, which is far more reasonable.”
