Matthew Rhys, who won an Emmy for playing a Soviet spy in The Americans, has reflected on his early career, including being rejected by the army after a stage role in The Graduate. The Welsh actor, 50, met his partner Keri Russell on the set of The Americans, and they now live in Brooklyn with their 10-year-old son and her two teenage children from a previous marriage.
In 2000, Rhys played the Dustin Hoffman role in the West End stage version of The Graduate. He was 25 at the time. According to The Guardian, Rhys described how after The Graduate he had his longest stretch out of work, thinking he had made it only to realise he had not. He also recalled applying to join the army after the play but being rejected by a recruiting officer who thought he was researching a role. Rhys remembered the officer looking down his CV at the list of acting jobs and saying he was very confused. The actor noted that the officer's skepticism was a blow to his confidence, but he eventually moved on to other projects.
Rhys stars as Tom Loftis in the upcoming horror-comedy series Widow's Bay, directed by Hiro Murai and created by Katie Dippold. The series is expected to blend horror and comedy elements, though specific plot details remain under wraps. The release date has not been announced, but production is reportedly underway.