Keri Russell Opens Up About ‘Worst’ Thing About Being An Actress

Keri Russell recently opened up about what she called the “worst” thing about being an actress — and that is being watched.

Speaking to Variety, the 48-year-old actress — who got her start in the early 1990’s on Disney’s “The All New Mickey Mouse Club” — said she hates all the attention she gets from her work because she’s a shy person.

“I never want to work,” Russell said. “So it takes me a lot to get to the point of saying yes. And what usually is the unshakable thing that moves me out of the comfort zone is that it’s just a story I can’t stop thinking about.”

“I hate being watched,” she added. “Oh my God, it’s the worst. I had to do two photo shoots last week, so I had to drink a beer. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, they’re gonna be watching me.’ It’s my nightmare.”

Russell became a household name when she landed the lead role on “Felicity,” which ran from 1998-2002.

This week’s Variety cover story:

The Confessions of Keri Russell: On ‘The Diplomat,’ Falling in Love With Matthew Rhys and the Night Hillary Clinton Made Her Cry
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— Variety (@Variety) October 16, 2024

“A gift about that show, and a little bit ‘The Diplomat’ too, is I got to wear these big baggy sweaters, and I hardly wore any makeup,” the actress said. “I would watch the girls who were, like, the guest stars — the beautiful girls who would come on and have to wear girl clothes? — and I see how nervous that makes them.”

“It’s hard to be beautiful; it’s much easier just to be in a big baggy sweatshirt and sneakers,” she added. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the beauty of women, too, and I like dressing up, and I like, you know, wearing makeup when I need to. But there’s so much more to being a girl than that. And I think some girls get stuck in that, you know? It was such a gift to just get to wear big baggy sweaters and just get to be funny or smart. So I was less nervous.”

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During a recent interview for W Magazine, Russell admitted she was “lucky” to leave “The All-New Mickey Mouse Club” with her “sanity” and “dignity” because others weren’t as fortunate, without explaining further.

Russell talked about the early days of her career and being cast in the popular Disney show as one of the coveted Mouseketeers along with future superstars like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, saying she was the “least talented” person in the cast of young stars.

“Some of those people are still my best friends—Ilana [Miller] and Lindsey [Alley]. I was there at a time when there were a lot of famous kids there,” the actress said. “And I say this completely truthfully: I was literally the least talented one there. I’m not kidding.”

“When I look at those kids, I’m like, why in the world did they pick me?” she added. “Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling and Britney Spears. It was wild.”