Keri Russell On Motherhood: 'I Have A Whole World That Happens To Me Outside Of That'

Keri Russell may be a devoted mother nowadays, but she doesn't want you to think that's all that defines her.

Speaking to The Daily Beast in conjunction with Wednesday's premiere of her new FX show "The Americans," Russell draws a clear comparison between her own motherhood and that of her character on the show, saying they both have distinct lives that exist outside of their children.

“You see the character of Elizabeth fucking that guy in the hotel room, doing this very aggressive, sexual, deceitful thing with this guy,” she said. “But then you also get to see her the morning after, making the school lunches … I make the school lunches and I show up and bring cupcakes to preschool and drop the kids off at a play date. But I have a whole world that happens to me outside of that.”

Russell said "getting to see the two worlds" is what makes her character -- and her own experience -- "relatable."

“Wouldn’t it be lovely if [mothers] were all just combing hair, doing braids, dropping cupcakes off and buying bras with their daughters?" she asked. "But guess what? That ain’t the way it goes.”

On "The Americans," Russell portrays Elizabeth Jennings, a 1980s Soviet sleeper agent, which she says is a "far cry" from her iconic role on "Felicity."

She gave birth to her second child, daughter Willa, in December 2011. Her son River was born in June 2007.