Keri Russell and Scott Speedman are three years shy of their 30th anniversary — as friends and, of course, cast members of the ’90s primetime drama “Felicity.” The J.J. Abrams-created series — which aired for four seasons, from 1998 to 2002 — would come to define The WB (the now-defunct network that made the era’s definitive young adult programming, like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “7th Heaven”).
It also catapulted Russell and Speedman into overnight stardom, launching two careers that now intersect once more as she rules a fictional American embassy in the U.K. on Netflix’s “The Diplomat” and he heals bones and breaks hearts on the long-running “Grey’s Anatomy.” Not everything has changed though. Russell’s on-screen hairstyle is still creating conversation.
Keri Russell: We fight about this every time we see each other, but when did we meet?
Scott Speedman: You were 22.
Russell: I was 21.
Speedman: We were 22. When’s your birthday?
Russell: March 23rd.
Speedman: OK. We shot the pilot for “Felicity” in April 1998.
Russell: Fine. We were the same age. You were always someone who did your homework. I think it’s because of your sports training in swimming. I don’t know if everyone knows, but didn’t you do Olympic trials for swimming?
Speedman: I did.
Russell: You have this extreme work ethic. Even back when we were kids, you were the one who knew your lines. You’re still like that. That’s the first question I want to ask: How do you think the athletic training informs your work? It’s different, but I think [actors] train in the same way.
Speedman: When I was younger it helped me. Then there’s this weird thing where you’ve got to let go of all that. I struggled with it for a long time, being overprepared. They gave me questions for [this interview] and I thought, “Whoa. I’ve got to learn 10 questions about geopolitical issues, Russia, this and that,” for your show “The Diplomat.”
Peggy Sirota for Variety
Russell: I was trying to write questions, [but] the truth is I don’t watch your work. We know each other, and I don’t watch work by any of my friends. Sports training takes so much energy, and everything is so muscular, but acting feels like — at least in my experience — that you must be much looser. Have you struggled with that?
Speedman: Totally. Getting in my head. Remember how I used to have to run around [when we did “Felicity”]?
Russell: Of course. You’d run the soundstages before a scene. It was like you were letting go of something.
Speedman: But it’s not like you were coming to set late and not knowing your lines.
Russell: No. I wasn’t up doing cocaine every night. I wish I would’ve been. Fuck. Sometimes I’m like, “Why didn’t I have more fun?” I mean, we had our version of fun.
Speedman: We did. Watching this new show, I don’t see someone that’s nervous at all anymore. I see this fearless performer now. My mouth kind of hangs open. There’s no self-consciousness,
no apology.
Russell: I’m embarrassed to get the mail or to answer the phone — I’m still embarrassed every day. That photo shoot we just did? You and I both died a big death. It’s still so hard. I’m downing beers just to do it. I think the writing of “The Diplomat,” led by Debora Cahn, is so good that there’s safety in it. There are big swings in that show, but I just love it so much.
Speedman: How was it when Allison Janney joined the cast?
Russell: We’d been doing the show for a couple of years, and the night before she arrived I thought, “Oh God, a real actor is coming on now,” and “She’s going to be smart, and everyone’s going to know I’m not smart, and everyone’s going to know I’m not as good, and I’m not going to be able to do it.” I worked myself all up and then came into the trailer to meet her that morning. She was so normal and hunching down in her chair and being her quietest, smallest self.
Speedman: She was nervous.
Keri Russell: She was nervous. I liked her so much in that moment, and went, “Everyone’s nervous.” I adore her. And we have so much fucking fun together.
Speedman: I can see that you love this.
Russell: I do. The topics of this show have married this moment in our country, and my character is an amalgamation of so many people. You could say Hillary and Bill Clinton, Samantha Power from USAID. I’m really in tune with it now and feel proud to shine a light on these people. I feel a part of the world in a way that feels less frivolous.
Speedman: I think moving to New York years ago really did something amazing for you.
Russell: That’s funny — I always thought you would move back to New York. We sort of swapped: I moved to New York, and you got obsessed with Big Sur. We traded places. You can hide out in New York. I can take the subway and ride my bike everywhere. People don’t really care.
Speedman: Having kids changes how I look at [Los Angeles], especially right now. It seems to be even stranger than it always has been; it’s lost a bit of its luster. I desperately don’t want my kids to be immersed in the Hollywood cult of private schools.
Russell: I have to ask you something. On “Grey’s Anatomy,” how do you memorize the jargon on that show? Because I have to do it with the political stuff, and you have to do the medical stuff.
Peggy Sirota for Variety
Speedman: The medical-speak is great for me. It’s really fun. But I had to quit coffee to do it.
Russell: Did you say, “Quit coffee”?
Speedman: If I get too caffeinated, it’s harder for me to drop into dialogue. What I learned on [“Grey’s”] is coordination of dialogue with props. They care so much about the surgery. There’s this intense nurse who I love — Linda — she’s been there forever and oversees everything. She’ll put you in your place and yell at you in the best way. I love it. I enjoy acting way more than I used to, for sure.
You’re an executive producer on “The Diplomat.” What does that change? Do you use that power?
Russell: I say, “Bring me a fucking snack,” or “Get this away from me.” It’s a lot of that.
Speedman: But do you engage in that part of it?
Russell: I feel more of a responsibility for the team if something goes wrong. Or if something’s not going right, I feel a little bit more alert. It’s also great being a part of something where you get to have ideas and they matter.
Speedman: I’ve got to ask you about a scene in [the last season]. Allison Janney rips you a new one about how your character looks. She says, “Your hair looks like shit. You could use a different bra — I’m getting headlights here.” And then she sees a safety pin [keeping your pants up]. You must have loved doing that scene.
Russell: It’s so funny.
Speedman: There does seem to be a lot of talk about your hair in this show as well. Is that a contractual thing, you and your hair?
Russell: Why don’t people ask more about your hair?
Speedman: They do ask me about my hair.
Russell: Let’s be honest, you have good hair.
Speedman: I thought your hair looked fucking great [in “The Diplomat”].
Russell: A million people, women especially, have said to me and Debora, “I really like the show. She would never wear her hair like that. Your character would brush her hair.”
Did we read together for “Felicity”?
Speedman: No.
Russell: Because you came in super last minute.
Speedman: I was living in my mom’s apartment, on her couch, in Toronto. I sent a tape down and got a call after a couple of days. They had to figure out how to get me into the country legally. Three days later I was in [the U.S.] —
Russell: Wearing your girlfriend’s coat.
Speedman: Probably.
Russell: Your girlfriend’s peacoat.
Speedman: I had dinner with J.J. Abrams that night.
Russell: He was like, “Cha-ching! We’re good.”
Speedman: I remember meeting you at the read-through a couple of days later. I thought clearly you were miscast. I thought it was supposed to be this nerd. Then I was like, “The chick from ‘Malibu Shores’ is playing Felicity?
Russell: That was a fucking good show.
Speedman: It was a good show.
Russell: “Felicity” was such a sweet little something. It was a really special time. We all grew up together and went through all that stuff.
Speedman: You met J.J. through the audition process?
Russell: Yes, he made me audition. I think I read five times with a million other girls. He was so good to me in the auditions.
Well, OK. We’ll probably never see each other again.
Speedman: This is it.
Production: BAUIE+RAD; Production Design: Francisco Vargas
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