Matthew Rhys revealed the drunken prank he played on ‘The Americans’ writers

For a show so dark and grisly, it’s a relief to know there was some levity behind the scenes.

The Americans was a Cold War series for the ages – part spy thriller, part domestic drama – it was as dark as it was stylish. But it seems there was another element at work during production – drunken pranks. 

During a panel to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show’s premiere held at the Paley Center in New York, star Matthew Rhys was exposed for having given the show’s writers an unpleasant surprise after a boozy lunch. Writer Joel Fields recounted the moment, in which they discovered defaced images of Rhys and his costar and real-life partner Keri Russell. 

“Joe [Weisberg] and I walked in [the writers’ room] one day and someone had on Matthew and Keri’s pictures – they’d been defaced. There’s a devil on Matthew and a funny mustache on Keri,” Fields said. “And we called the assistants in and we called the staff in and we go, ‘Guys, it’s all good to have fun it’s fine, but this is a professional and respectful place to work and we really need to know who did this?’ And one of the assistants finally goes, ‘It’s Matthew.'”

Rhys chimed in, taking full credit for the prank, revealing he was playing on the many disguises he and Russell adopted over the course of six seasons. 

“We had a boozy lunch,” Rhys said. “And I was like, ‘New disguise options!'”

For a show so dark and grisly, it’s a relief to know there was some levity behind the scenes on the show’s Brooklyn set. Practical jokes weren’t all that dominated the storylines off screen: Rhys and Russell welcomed a son, Sam, now six, during the production. The pair recently reunited with their Americans costar Margo Martindale for the film Cocaine Bear and are currently headlining their own TV projects. Rhys headlines the HBO mystery Perry Mason and Russell stars in the forthcoming show The Diplomat. 

You can also find jokster Rhys charting a restored vessel once owned by Ernest Hemingway on New York’s high seas. EW’s Nick Romano profiled the ambitious endeavor in 2021. 

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