When characters get together on screen, it's almost inevitable that their chemistry will translate into a real life relationship at some point. Such was the case for Golden Globe-winning actressKeri Russelland actorScott Speedman.
TheFelicityco-stars met and dated in their early 20s. During a jointappearance onJimmy Kimmel Live!in 2017, Speedman told the late-night host he was "a disaster of a boyfriend" while starring on the coming-of-the-age drama.Although the two didn't work out romantically, the exes have remained friends. Russell described her friendship with Speedman fondly, telling Kimmel that her ex would "fight someone for me." Speedman even joined Russell when she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.
The Americansstar has gone on to have three children — son River and daughter Willa with ex-husband Shane Deary and son Sam with her former co-star and current partnerMatthew Rhys. Meanwhile, Speedman welcomed a daughter, Pfieffer Lucia, in 2021 with his fiancée Lindsay Rae Hofmann.
Here's a look back at Keri Russell and Scott Speedman's relationship.
1998: Keri Russell and Scott Speedman are cast on Felicity
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-160319436-a08c631984314d6ea42a5b373f039e5f.jpg "TBT: Scott Speedman Said He Was a \"Disaster of a Boyfriend\" to Keri Russell (1)")
Fans have The WB to thank forFelicityand the lead actors' off-screen coupling. The series focuses on a girl who changes her college plans to follow a boy from high school across the country. Russell, at 22 years old, was cast as the titular lead. The boy in question was Ben Covington, played by then-23-year-old Scott Speedman (though Scott Foley,Felicity's Noel, was first awarded the role,according toEntertainment Weekly).
"I remember seeing this big mop of hair, and I was like there's no way [that's Felicity]," Speedman recalled decades later in an interview for PEOPLE TV. "I thought she was supposed to be this nerd … You were a very beautiful girl, and I was like, that girl cannot be Felicity."
2000: Keri Russell and Scott Speedman take their relationship from the screen to real life
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-96561934-2000-a03fa4cf75194b26aaec1909464384bb.jpg "TBT: Scott Speedman Said He Was a \"Disaster of a Boyfriend\" to Keri Russell (2)")
It's unclear exactly when things turned romantic for the pair off-screen, but by 2000, it seemed somewhat of an open secret, when she praised her castmate.
"He's great. I think he's a great actor, and I love the character," Russell said of Speedman ahead of the season 3 premiere,per ABC News. "I love that [Felicity] followed him to New York, and … that this fantasy person is now becoming a real relationship — and what that means."
Speedman was particularly private when it came to his relationship with Russell.
"We don't go anywhere together," hereportedly toldUs Weeklyat the time. "Sure, we're dating," he allowed, "but that's ours."
2013: Keri Russell and Scott Speedman remain friends after split
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-690237890-2000-73effd966b98475fa3ca00140f0f3abd.jpg "TBT: Scott Speedman Said He Was a \"Disaster of a Boyfriend\" to Keri Russell (3)")
In 2013, Russell sharedthat Speedman was still one of her go-to friends in a moment of crisis.
"The other day, I was crying because I had this huge issue," sherevealed toUs Weekly. "I texted my close girlfriend and Speedman. He called back first! He was like, 'What's going on?' When I need a great friend, he's there."
We stan a post-romantic friendship.
