LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Actress Keri Russell, best known for her role as a ruthless KGB operative in the long-running series “The Americans,” was honored on Tuesday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The 41-year-old actress told AFP she was awestruck to receive the 2,613th star on the famous sidewalk alongside other celebrities such as Judy Garland or Marlon Brando.
“It’s such an incredible, iconic moment,” she said.
A native of California, Russell first garnered attention for her title role in the hit television series “Felicity,” for which she won a Golden Globe Award in 1999.
She was again nominated last year — but did not win — for her role in FX’s critically-acclaimed “The Americans,” which is set in the 1980s and follows a husband and wife team of undercover Soviet operatives in the United States.
The spy thriller, which wrapped its fifth season on Tuesday, has drawn parallels with the current frosty relations between the US and Russia, especially following allegations that Moscow tampered with last year’s presidential elections won by Donald Trump.
“It is very much in our world right now,” Russell acknowledged. “Luckily our show is a period piece set in the 80s and the Cold War… the news now will not change the way the 80s ended.
“But it is interesting and fun it’s all back in the news again,” she added. “It’s so relatable.”
“Felicity” creator J.J. Abrams lauded Russell’s talent during the ceremony, describing her as someone who shied away from the limelight and one of the “sweetest” people he knows.
“What she does so beautifully is become other people. And she does it in a way that most actors would only dream of being able to do,” Abrams said.
Russell’s co-star on “The Americans” and real-life love, Matthew Rhys, also attended the ceremony.
The couple welcomed their first child together last May. Russell also has two children with ex-husband Shane Deary.
© Agence France-Presse
