You know what they say, ‘There’s no smoke without fire’. Well, there’s a lot of smoke around The Americans co-stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys at the moment. Of course, when a couple is locked in a steamy romance on screen, there are always rumors that they’re ‘having it off’ in real life, even when they deny it. Just take Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart when Twilight was being filmed, or Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt when rumors flew about around Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Oh, OK, maybe those aren’t the best examples...

Keri Russell Matthew Rhys
Are Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys more than just co-stars?

Keri ‘amicably’ split from Shane Deary, her husband of seven years, some time in summer last year, which at the time didn’t seem like such a big deal. The pair hadn’t been photographed together for a while and a rep for Russell confirmed that they would continue to maintain a relationship in order to look after their two children, River, 6 and Willa, 2.

Rumors about a relationship between Keri and Matthew had been circulating throughout Season 1 of the show, and were always denied by Matthew, “that’s the best [rumour] I love”, he told People magazine as recently as March. However, the pair have recently been spotted taking in a play together last week, and they allegedly didn’t look all that platonic. Watching Steven Soderbergh’s play “The Library”, the co-stars were supposedly pretty close, with Russell reported to have been stroking Rhys’ hair throughout the performance. It may have been a romantic show, which had somehow ignited a spark between the pair that had never been there before, you may say. It’s about gun violence.

The AmericansMatthew Rhys in 'The Americans'

So, was it or wasn’t it a date night? It sounds like things are a little more than just friendly between the pair. Perhaps their onscreen romance has simply permeated through to their off screen lives? The Americans is concerned with a pair of undercover KGB agents who are living in the States during the Reagan era in the 1980s. The pair have acclimatized to American life, even raising an “American” family together, while still carrying on their undercover work, unbeknownst to their children and neighbours. Their relationship is complicated but passionate, we can understand how filming all of their steamy scenes may have impacted their real lives.

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