Three-time Emmy nominee Keri Russell is no stranger to kicking butt, as she has demonstrated over the last five years on the hit show The Americans. Before she took on her critically acclaimed role as KGB agent Elizabeth Jennings, Russell turned to self-defense guru Avital Zeisler, who taught her all about the art of Krav Maga, a military self-defense and fighting system developed for the Israel Defense Forces.
Russell, 42, trained with Zeisler three days a week, a few hours per session for a month to prep for her role, and the workouts were no joke. "I did get a bloody lip, which I am sort of proud about, in the training. You should see the other guy though," she joked to Shape about the experience. "Working out this way makes you feel fierce. I tend to be internal—getting on the subway and keeping my eyes down. But I would leave those workouts looking people in the eye like, 'sup?'"
As far as her exact workout regimen, Zeisler told Shape that her routine included many fundamentals of self defense so she'd not only look the part of a highly trained Russian spy, but also understand the mechanics behind the intricate punches she'd throw on camera.
Russell learned upper-body strikes, such as straight strikes with variations like the palm strike. “I then transitioned into various elbows, upper gouges, hook punches, and hammer fist strikes, then lower-body combatives including push kicks, roundhouse kicks, and side kicks,” Zeisler added.
Zeisler claims Russell was a natural, training intensely and picking the art up quickly. “It's beyond rewarding to see someone transform physically and emotionally,” she said about her star pupil. “When I learned how to do that for myself, it transformed me.”
Russell isn't the only Hollywood star who has turned to Krav Maga in order to prepare for a role. Jessica Chastain, Tom Cruise and Hilary Swank are just a few famous A-listers who have used it to get into fighting form.
Sadly, Russell will no longer be showing off her training on The Americans, as the show wrapped up its sixth and final season this year. But perhaps we will catch a glimpse of it in her next, mystery role in Star Wars: Episode IX.
