Why Keri Russell Thinks It's Time for a 'Felicity' Reunion (Exclusive)

The actress starred in the titular role from 1998 to 2002.

Keri Russell is ready to step back into Felicity's shoes. ET's Rachel Smith spoke with the 45-year-old actress at a special screening of her latest film, Antlers, in New York City on Monday, and she revealed that she'd be down to revisit one of her most iconic roles.

"I'll do it," she said of a Felicity reboot. "People need a feel-good something and that would be a feel-good something."

Russell starred in the titular role from 1998 to 2002, as a high school graduate who follows her crush (Scott Speedman) to college in New York City, and soon finds herself in a love triangle with him and her resident adviser (Scott Foley).

"In the middle of the pandemic I was like, 'You know what? People need something nice. We should just do a really quick, low budget what happened to them, because I just want to feel good for a moment,'" Russell told ET, adding that she "would do" a reboot.

Both of her leading men on the series have also said that they'd participate in a reboot. The cast reunited in 2018 in honor of the 20th anniversary of the show's premiere, and Speedman said he'd "absolutely" do a reboot during the panel discussion.

"A few years ago, the cast got together for a panel discussion on its 20th anniversary. Being around them, being onstage again changed my mind," Foley told ET in April of being open to an onscreen reunion. "I missed working with them and I would give it another shot."

Russell's willingness to return to the iconic role, she said, is largely because it changed "everything" about her career.

"I think it was the first story that I really loved," she told ET. "[Creators] J.J. [Abrams] and Matt [Reeves] together was such a unique pairing. It was the first character that I really cared about... It was a sweet little show."

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Russell's latest project is a far cry from Felicity. In Antlers, the actress stars as a teacher, who, along with her police officer brother (Jesse Plemons), becomes convinced that one of her student's is harboring a supernatural creature. 

The horror flick was an unlikely choice for Russell, who admitted that, though she "grew up" with scary movies and loves them, she's quick to be frightened in real life.

"Matthew, my guy, before he walks into the room he goes, 'I'm walking in,' because I always [scream] and he's like, 'You know I'm here,'" Russell told ET of her partner, Matthew Rhys. "... I am the one that gets afraid."

Nevertheless, Russell was quick to sign on to the project, which was directed by Scott Cooper and produced by Guillermo del Toro.

"I was such a big fan of Scott Cooper's films, especially Crazy Heart, and when I heard he was doing a horror movie with Guillermo, I just thought it was such an elegant way to do a horror movie," she said. "I thought he could pull off that intimate character study piece and fit it into that genre, and I think he did."

Antlers will hit theaters Oct. 29.

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