Keri Russell has the perfect response when asked why she isn't married to Matthew Rhys
She was asked a direct question, and gave a very direct answer
As Netflix's smash-hit political thriller The Diplomat hits our screens for season 4, all eyes are on its leading lady, Keri Russell.
As well as being interested in her brilliant acting abilities, fans are also keen to know more about the actress's life away from the cameras, with particular intrigue falling on her relationship with Welsh actor Matthew Rhys.
The couple have been together for 13 years - they met at a party in their 20s but nothing came of it, despite Matthew hoping for a date. They reconnected when they were both cast in The Americans a decade later.
By the time they got together, Keri had already been married and two children. In 2016, after three years of dating, they welcomed a child of their own named Sam.
After so many years together, Keri candidly speaks out to say why they haven't tied the knot, saying she "loves" not being married, and that it's "fun."
Speaking on the Dear Chelsea podcast, Keri explains, "I've had a big party, I get to dress up all the time.
I know for a lot of people, marriage is something different - people used to have to be married to get a credit card - we can have credit cards now."
She continues, "I don't need my last name to go away. If you want to be here, be here, if you don't, that's cool too."
When host Chelsea Handler shares that she finds being in a long-term relationship with someone "sexier" than being married, Keri wastes no time in agreeing, "Me too."
Keri also says firmly, "We have kids - that's forever," adding that to her, the idea of marriage just feels "antiquated" and "patriarchal."
The actress also addresses the huge furore that surrounded Matthew winning big at the Emmys and not acknowledging her in his speeches - he made history by becoming the first actor to win two lead acting prizes in one night, being named best lead actor in a limited series for The Beast In Me, then taking the trophy for best lead actor in a comedy for Widow's Bay.
While the focus should have been on his incredible achievements, the attention instead fell on speculating why Keri was left out of his speeches.
It turns out, this was deliberate and something the couple had decided on before the ceremony. Explaining that Matthew had been very nervous about potentially having to speak in front of so many people, Keri had told him to "take me off your plate."
"I know you love me, you don't have to thank me," she'd said to him. Revealing the level of pressure people can be under when making acceptance speeches, Keri shares that when Matthew won a few years ago for The Americans, people "still give him a hard time" for not saying their name during his speech.
With "so many people to thank," the actress simply wanted to give her partner one less thing to think about, and fewer names to remember.
"I don't care if you want to thank the dog walker, do whatever you want to do," she says, once again insisting that nobody gets to dictate who gets mentioned in another person's speech.
She concludes by saying that their life together is "private," and a speech is "for the business people" - those directly involved in the production of a winning show, and she doesn't need a mention just because they happen to be together.
