Matthew Rhys is not beating around the bush when it comes to what draws him to certain projects.
The Widow’s Bay star and his long-time partner, fellow actor Keri Russell, spoke about their respective Emmy nominations in a recent interview, in which Rhys was asked how he chooses his acting roles.
“Cash,” the Welsh actor, 51, quipped immediately to Variety. “Cash basis.”
As Russell laughed, Rhys continued: “Like what pays most wins. Very simple. Three children and a mortgage, I’ll get after it. I have no shame. I’ll whore myself to the best of them.”
“In fairness, Widow’s Bay is a script I’d never seen the like of,” Rhys added in a more serious tone. “I was desperate to do that.”
Rhys stars as a small-town New England mayor on the hit Apple TV+ comedy-horror series, which earned a total of 19 nominations at this year’s Emmy Awards. The show — created by Parks and Recreation writer Katie Dippold — centers on Rhys’s character as he attempts to boost tourism on an island that locals are convinced is cursed.
The Emmy-winning actor went on to say that he was keen to join the project once he saw that acclaimed director Hiro Murai was on board to direct five episodes of the 10-episode series.
“And knowing Hiro Murai was going to direct, I was like, oh my god,’” Rhys said before slipping in one more joke. “And the cash.” (The exact salary that Rhys was paid for his Emmy-nominated role has not been disclosed by Apple.)
The Diplomat star Russell, 50, said that Rhys is often skeptical of projects that he joins, but that Widow’s Bay was the “only thing he’s ever come home and I was like, ‘Oh, he likes this.’”
The longtime couple are not the only ones praising the must-watch show, which also stars Stephen Root, Kevin Carroll, Dale Dickey, Kate O’Flynn and Kingston Rumi Southwick. The limited series debuted in April with a coveted 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has since dropped to 98 percent.
Oscar-winning director Guillermo Del Toro gave a glowing review of the comedy-horror on X in May, writing: “If I may- in my estimation- #WidowsBay may very well be the best streaming series in a long time… and hands down one of the most mesmerizing acts of narrative prestidigitation in Horror.”
Betty Gilpin, who earned an Emmy nod for her guest-starring role in one episode of the series, said that the show has become a breakout hit because it exemplifies “what people f***ing want.”
“They made the most brilliant thing I’ve ever seen,” Gilpin told IndieWire earlier this month. “The show as a whole feels like the ultimate f*** you to safe, algorithm-friendly, ChatGPT, copy/paste television. And yet, it’s found such mainstream success, and that’s what people f***ing want. It’s just so satisfying.”
