Keri Russell's acting performance on The Americans: An appreciation

Vulture

"Russell is a performer who speaks volumes in the quietest, most fleeting moments," says Angelica Jade Bastién. "She is neither frustratingly opaque like the younger, new crop of actors including Rooney Mara, who read as inscrutable, forcing audiences to project onto them rather than let them in. Neither is she an actor like those who populate the Golden Age of Hollywood, privileging pleasure and persona with fierce brio like Bette Davis, or a charming yet uneasy edge of mystery like Cary Grant. She doesn’t fit neatly into the harsh strictures of Method acting, either. Her performances are beguiling, and difficult to pin down."