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I want to talk first about the fact that the show is ending.
How does that feel?Its a really disorienting moment.
Before this job, the longest job I ever had was four months.
This is six years.
Acting is an odd life in terms of that continuity and consistency and predictability.
Ive never had it.
Now Ive had it for these past six years, and its been really nice.
That intimacy, its a special environment.
I will miss it.
You said youre ready to say good-bye to Stan.
Is that because you feel like there isnt much more to explore?Theres always more to explore.
I would love to do some comedy.
He does seem happy in his relationship with Renee, though.
Obviously, I never imagined playing one character for such a long period of time.
The world of counterintelligence and the FBI is fascinating, but Ive been there long enough.
Stans ready for a job change.
Maybe he can open up a surf shop in Hawaii.
Showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields have said they knew the ending of the show from the beginning.
I was happy not to know because once you know, you cant unknow.
It does inform your sense of character and self in a way that maybe is inappropriate.
I was happy not to know.
And I was incredibly surprised by the ending.
It was not what I expected it to be.
And I love it.
Im really happy with it.
Or both?Both, really.
I think the broader narrative is particularly beautiful and special and appropriate and feels organic to the show.
I think Stans resolution is quite moving and human and feels good to me.
But I dont know that I want Philip and Elizabeth to actually be caught.
What he does with that and what that leads to, theres obviously lots of possibilities.
I wasnt sure what would feel good, what would feel right.
You know, its a tough one because you dont want anyone to die.
It seemed quite inevitable that someone probably would.
As you were doing the show, were you ever frustrated that Stan hadnt figured this all out?
They might be these Russian spies.
He comes to that suspicion through an acute sense of intuition and an intelligence that is extraordinary.
You cant have him completely out of the picture because theres no jeopardy or sense of doom.
You dont want to make Stan into someone foolish.
You want him to maintain his intelligence and his abilities at his job.
I think some people are very frustrated by Stans inability to put the pieces together.
The proximity is not necessarily that illuminating.
For the audience, it is like,Theyre right there!
Do you feel Stan is good at his job?Yeah, I think hes good at his job.
I mean, its hard because I have a myopic point of view on this whole thing.
Im inside of it.
I think his intuition and his instincts have been great.
Hes usually pretty close to right.
And then hes dissuaded himself at the end of the pilot, he thought, What am I doing?
These are my neighbors.
We tend to shoot down those feelings or those instincts because it just seems too implausible.
Because it just seems too ridiculous.
And I understand that.
When I read it in the script, I was like,Wait a minute, what?
I thought he had a happy marriage.It was very surprising to me.
Its quite upsetting, but I dont think it makes him a bad person.
Obviously, the worst thing he did was killing [KGB agent] Vlad in that first season.
But, you know, [Stans] partner was murdered.
This was literally the enemy.
I think he sees him as fair game in a way, but it definitely crossed a line.
Its funny, no one thinks that Philip and Elizabeth are bad people, right?
The weird thing about Stan killing Vlad is its not part of the job.
But funnily enough, I dont see Vlad as an innocent person.
But I get it.
The vibe was like,Wow, youre a murderer.
Sometimes I think, what if you were readingThe Americansas a news story?
How could you possibly be rooting for them?
This season, it feels like theyre on parallel tracks.Ive always seen them as mirror images of each other.
Like theyre doing similar things, oddly.
They have similar secrets and lies.
Its not conscious on Stans part Philip is just the man and a compassionate ear and a supportive friend.
Maybe theres some under-the-surface unconscious recognition of fraternity between the two of them.
As far as Matthew and my relationship, Matthew is a wonderful man.
I always look forward to our scenes.
And sometimes you get to play racquetball.Exactly.
We get to have a little sport too.
They pay us to have fun.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
