From Felicity to the Embassy: Keri and Scott's TV Journey

Keri Russell and Scott Speedman are about to hit 30 years of friendship and working together. It all started with the TV show "Felicity". The show was a big deal back in the late 90s and early 2000s. It was one of those shows that defined a generation of young adults. The show was created by J. J. Abrams, who is known for his work on other popular shows and movies. The show aired for four seasons, from 1998 to 2002. It was on The WB network, which was a big deal at the time. The show launched the careers of Keri Russell and Scott Speedman. They became overnight stars. They are now working together again. Keri is the star of the Netflix show "The Diplomat". She plays a woman who runs a fictional American embassy in the UK. Scott is on the long-running show "Grey's Anatomy". He plays a doctor who heals bones and breaks hearts. Despite their success, some things haven't changed. Keri's on-screen hairstyle is still a topic of conversation. Keri and Scott have a friendly banter. They joke about how they met and how old they were. Scott remembers Keri being 22, but Keri corrects him, saying she was 21. They shot the pilot for "Felicity" in April 1998. They were the same age when they started the show. Scott has always been someone who does his homework. Keri thinks it's because of his sports training in swimming. Scott did Olympic trials for swimming. He has an extreme work ethic. He was always the one who knew his lines. Keri thinks actors train in a similar way to athletes. Scott talks about how his athletic training helped him when he was younger. But he also struggled with being overprepared. He had to learn to let go of that. Keri asks Scott how his athletic training informs his work. Scott says it's different, but he thinks actors train in the same way. Keri talks about how sports training takes so much energy, and everything is so muscular. But acting feels different. She thinks you have to be much looser. Scott talks about how he used to run around the soundstages before a scene. It was like he was letting go of something. Keri remembers that. She says Scott was always prepared. She jokes about how she wasn't up doing cocaine every night. She wishes she would've had more fun. But they had their version of fun. Scott talks about how he sees Keri now. She's a fearless performer. There's no self-consciousness or apology. Keri talks about how she's still embarrassed to get the mail or answer the phone. She's still embarrassed every day. She talks about a photo shoot she and Scott just did. They both died a big death. It's still so hard. She's downing beers just to do it. She thinks the writing of "The Diplomat" is so good that there's safety in it. There are big swings in that show, but she just loves it so much. Scott asks Keri how it was when Allison Janney joined the cast. Keri talks about how she was nervous. She thought Allison was going to be smart and everyone was going to know she wasn't as good. But Allison was nervous too. Keri liked her so much in that moment. They have so much fun together. Scott can see that Keri loves this. Keri talks about how the topics of the show have married this moment in their country. Her character is an amalgamation of so many people. She feels a part of the world in a way that feels less frivolous.