After five years, the TV gods have answered the prayers of fans and Keri Russell is finally back on our screens. Once and always Felicity Porter stars in the political thriller “The Diplomat,” which hits Netflix this week — her first starring role in a show since the much-loved “The Americans.”
The show is a highlight of the first few months of 2023 for Russell. In February of this year, he led the star-studded ensemble of “Cocaine Bear,” Elizabeth Banks’ gory comedy thriller that sparked many memes. Set in 1984, the film gave Russell a chance to shake off the kind of shoulder pad look he sported during “The Americans,” a Cold War series where he played a ruthless Russian spy. It also gave her a chance to reunite with her co-stars, including Margo Martindale and real-life partner Matthew Rhys, just in time for the 10-year anniversary of the acclaimed series’ premiere.
The role ushered in a whole new era in Russell’s career, earning the actor his first Emmy nomination and winning critical and audience acclaim. However, Russell has been in the business since the age of 15, when he appeared on Disney Channel’s ‘Mickey Mouse Club’. She came to prominence and gained credibility in 1998 when she played the title role in the WB college dramedy series ‘Felicity’. At just 22 years old, Russell already had many of the acting skills that made him so popular on “The Americans” and he got to showcase them on the show. But after the series ended, it took until “The Americans” to regain attention in Hollywood.
As an actor, Russell has an undeniable charisma and gravitas that make him a natural on screen; when he’s in a scene, it’s hard to take your eyes off him. But his skills run deeper: he has a talent for finding the layers in his characters and teasing them out, communicating a lot with the audience with very little action. And despite having the presence of a movie star, he deftly tailors his performances to his roles, making sure that none of the characters he plays ever feels exactly the same.
In anticipation of “The Diplomat” and Russell’s return to TV, here are the best performances of the actor’s career, ranked.
With editorial contributions by Kate Erbland, Alison Foreman, and Erin Strecker.
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7. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (Director: JJ Abrams, 2019)
Image credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy of the Everett Collection
The Mandalorian may have the most memorable helmet-off scene in the galaxy, but when Zorii Bliss lowered her visor to look into Poe Dameron’s eyes during “The Rise of Skywalker,” you could feel the stars exploding.
Combining the steely combat savvy from her days on “The Americans” with the romance of “the waitress,” Keri Russell joined the Lucasfilm universe as a criminal spice runner rocking a red jumpsuit, gold helmet and ray guns. As with many of the random characters we meet on the supporting Star Wars planets, Zorii’s unique perspective on the Jedi struggle helped speed the meandering (and let’s be honest, mediocre) space epic plot to its high-stakes conclusion.
But Russell’s low-key yet soulful performance as a woman abandoned by the man she loves seemed intriguing enough to merit more screen time, if not a spinoff. Watching the resentment melt from Zorii’s eyes—and right now his eyes—as he ponders the future with Poe—remains one of the best moments of the sequels, not to mention his great lines (“Such long, sky eyes!”) and his unbeatable chemistry with living legend Babu Frik. – AF
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6. “Mission: Impossible III” (Director: JJ Abrams, 2006)
Image credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Four years after the end of “Felicity,” Russell reunited with JJ Abrams in “Mission: Impossible III,” his first real role in a major blockbuster. Lindsey Farris, an IMF agent in training, is apprenticed to franchise leader Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), who sets the plot in motion when Owen Davian (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) takes him hostage. This is a short performance as Russell only appears at the beginning of the film. But he does a lot with that limited time and gets a chance to show off his action hero when he finally breaks free. In retrospect, it’s a breathtaking introduction to the type of butt-kicking work Russell would do years later on “The Americans.” -TOILET
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5. “Cocaine Bear” (dir. Elizabeth Banks, 2023)
Image credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
Yes, yes, the bear (and the cocaine) is the star of Elizabeth Banks’ raucous ’80s comedy, but it’s Russell who adds some seriously unexpected gravitas to an otherwise wild outing. In the film, Russell plays the role of Sari: a hard-working mother who is already quite freaked out and angry when she discovers that her rambunctious puppy Dee Dee (Brooklynn Price) and her best friend have run off into the local Georgia woods and then meets the cocaine bear. It’s a pretty straightforward role on paper, but Russell brings his own snarky humor to the part, approaching it as both the audience surrogate (what the hell is going on?) and the real mama bear (and how can I fix this). ?). It’s a tricky proposition: stay human in a crazy situation, be funny enough to grab attention, and survive the whole wild ordeal. He does everything as always. —KE
Read IndieWire’s review of Cocaine Bear.
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4. “The Diplomat” (Netflix, 2023-)
Image credit: ALEX BAILEY/NETFLIX
Russell’s latest news is great news for ‘The Americans’ fans. Once again, Russell plays a woman caught up in international affairs while dealing with marital issues at home — and it reigns supreme. “Homeland” and “West Wing” veteran Debora Cahn’s “The Diplomat” follows Kate Wyler (Russell), a war-zone hotshot who has just been reassigned as a U.S. diplomat to the relatively tranquil United Kingdom. It’s quite a challenge, but her husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), is an egomaniacal former ambassador who isn’t ready to step out of the spotlight. The eight-episode first season is twisty, exciting and fun: a fast-paced drama that feels very much of the moment. Bring on season 2! —AND
Read IndieWire’s review of “The Diplomat.”
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3. “Felicity” (The WB, 1998-2002)
Image credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Russell rose to fame with “Felicity,” JJ Abrams’ series about college life in the Big Apple. As the intelligent and sensitive title character, a California teenager who impulsively decides to drop out of Stanford for a New York school, the star is an instantly engaging lead, bringing a warmth and seriousness to the part that makes it hard to root for. him.
But what really makes her performance sing is the rawness and vulnerability that Russell brings to Felicity: a young woman who doesn’t really know who she is but is desperate to figure it out. Her open and curious performance fits the role perfectly and provides a solid foundation for Felicity’s self-exploration – which takes the form of school, friends, work, boys and a very infamous haircut. It’s one of teen television’s greatest achievements, which makes it all the more impressive that Russell managed to exit that era so gracefully. -TOILET
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2. “Waitress” (director Adrienne Shelly, 2007)
Image credit: Everett Collection
In the cultural imagination, the late Adrienne Shelly’s “Waitress” has been somewhat overshadowed by the Tony-nominated musical it inspired. But the film itself is a bittersweet gem, featuring Russell in the absolute best film role of his entire career.
Russell plays Jenna Hunterson, a Southern woman in an abusive marriage and dead-end waitressing job who finds herself caught up in an unexpected pregnancy and an affair with a new man. The film balances this serious story with a fun comedy about Jenna’s co-workers, and it’s easy to imagine the balance tipping too much in one direction if not for Russell. As Jenna, she is refined, down-to-earth and understated, expertly unifying the film’s voices. And it perfectly tracks Jenna’s journey to find her inner strength and determination, leading to an uplifting conclusion that feels fully deserved. Plenty of actors have played Jenna on Broadway to great effect, but Russell’s original portrayal is hard to beat. —toilet
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1. “The Americans” (FX, 2013-2018)
Image credit: FX
It’s the obvious choice, but it’s also the right one. Simply put, Keri Russell’s performance in The Americans is not only the best performance of the actor’s career, but arguably one of the best lead roles on TV this century. Set in the world of Russian and American espionage in the ’80s, Joe Weisberg’s acclaimed FX thriller stars Russell, Elizabeth Jennings: a Soviet Union intelligence officer posing as a married American woman keeps her activities a secret from everyone, including her children. , except for her husband/fellow spy Phillip (Matthew Rhys).
It’s a meaty role, and one Russell plays perfectly, balancing Elizabeth’s icy exterior with her more vulnerable, loving core. And during their characters’ complicated marriage, she and Rhys developed such compelling, intense chemistry that it’s no surprise the two actors ended up hooking up in real life. Unfortunately, the awards bodies were slow to catch up to the genius of “The Americans,” so Russell never received the Emmy he clearly deserved, but his performance is one for the TV history books. -TOILET
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