Matthew Rhys, the Emmy-winning Welsh actor known for his role in The Americans, has opened up about the public's surprise when they hear his natural Welsh accent. Speaking about the reaction at award ceremonies, Rhys said, "At first I found it a bit funny when I started hearing more people going, 'Oh my God, Matthew Rhys isn't American, he is Welsh.' But then I was actually quite relieved more than anything else. And they say relief is the greatest form of happiness, but I was getting away with it."
A Departure into Horror-Comedy
Rhys stars in Apple TV's Widow's Bay, a supernatural comedy that has garnered a strong following over its first 10-episode season. The show has already been commissioned for a second season, set to film early next year. Rhys plays Tom Loftis, the mayor of a remote island off the coast of New England who tries to boost tourism despite a dark secret lurking beneath the surface. The series blends horror and comedy, a genre Rhys had not tackled before.
"As much as I was attracted to the script, I was deeply attracted to Tom Loftis, because he's a complex character," Rhys explained. "He's an outsider, but trapped on the island, an island he has a complex relationship with and is not accepted by it."
Comparisons to Jaws
Rhys acknowledged comparisons between his character and Mayor Vaughn from Jaws, who refused to close beaches despite a shark threat. "I think it is an unfair comparison because, yes..., there are similarities between those two mayors in that their hands are forced, right? In Jaws Quint says, 'do you want to spend the winter on welfare?' And the mayor knows that. The mayor knows the island relies on tourism. And Tom realises that's the only way out, for the island to prosper."
The Challenge of Horror-Comedy
Rhys noted the difficulty of balancing horror and comedy, calling it "a very thin line of destroying one with the other." He credited writer Katie Dippold and director Hiro Murai for the show's success. "The challenge of horror comedy was singularly unique, but more than anything, the scripts were just so strong," he said.
Despite his dramatic background, Rhys felt at home with the coastal setting. "It couldn't be more in my back garden because I was like '65% of Wales is coastline and an enormous majority of the population live in small coastal towns!' Coupled with that we are rampant in our folklore, be it sinister or not. And so, Widow's Bay felt very familiar."
Michael Sheen's Influence
Reflecting on his return to the Welsh stage for the first time in 22 years with Playing Burton, a tribute to Richard Burton, Rhys praised fellow Welsh actor Michael Sheen. "Then you look at what Michael Sheen is doing, and it puts us all to shame. I say to myself; 'oh... right, I'm at this age now, Michael says we have a responsibility now to be our own story tellers, we have to define our own identity' and, yeah I suppose I should grow up and do that now."
Rhys added, "What he's doing is so inspirational it's really hard not to be humiliated, and think 'oh my god, I'm not doing anything.' It's really empowering hearing him say now's the time we define our nation and become our own storytellers rather than the government telling us we can't be."
Widow's Bay is now streaming all 10 episodes on Apple TV.
