"RE-RELEASE: Matthew Rhys"

The episode opens with the hosts discussing the Smartless on the Road documentary coming to Max, featuring guests like Will Ferrell, Conan O'Brien, and Kevin Hart. Sean shares the news that his longtime friend Jeremy from Toronto has passed away, reflecting on the importance of telling loved ones they matter.

Matthew Rhys enters as the guest, and the hosts immediately compliment his talents and good character. Matthew discusses growing up in Cardiff, Wales, where Welsh was his first language. He explains how Welsh is an ancient language predating English by centuries and that Tolkien based the Elvish language in Lord of the Rings on Welsh. He describes Wales as having only 3.5 million people but producing notable actors like Christian Bale and Anthony Hopkins.

Matthew recounts his theatrical background, explaining how Wales has a strong tradition of competitive performance arts going back pre-Christian times, where children are encouraged to perform from an early age. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, an exclusive school with only 30 students per year (15 men, 15 women). He was the only Welsh student in his year.

Matthew shares an embarrassing theater story from his role in a stage adaptation of The Graduate with Kathleen Turner. While performing a sex scene with a head cold, he attempted to clear his nose in a crucial moment, which Turner interpreted as him sniffing inappropriately. A paparazzi photographer also captured a flash photo during Turner's robe removal, an incident that haunted him.

He moved to America for pilot season after an American agent saw his play, leading to his first film role in Julie Taymor's Titus with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. Despite this promising start, he didn't work for a decade afterward, illustrating the unpredictability of an acting career.

Matthew met Kerry Russell at a kickball party in Rustic Canyon years before they worked together on The Americans. He left her a drunken answering machine message she never returned. They reconnected on set during The Americans' first season, initially trying to resist their attraction. Director Tommy Shlami noticed their chemistry during a sex scene, and they were eventually discovered when their house was robbed and police returned belongings on set with a photographer.

The couple has three children together—Matthew's youngest is six, and Kerry has two older children (15 and 11). They follow a rule where one parent works while the other stays home with the kids, though this rarely works perfectly in practice. Matthew expresses his love for fatherhood and the chaos that comes with it, preferring to address rudeness rather than general misbehavior.

Matthew discusses his work on Perry Mason with Robert Downey Jr.'s production company Team Downey. He was initially skeptical about rebooting such a revered property but was convinced by Susan Downey's argument that entire generations have no memory of the original show. The show shoots in 1930s Los Angeles and required him to master an American accent, with "murderer" being particularly difficult to pronounce naturally. The second season was significantly delayed due to COVID but is now airing Monday nights on Max, requiring meticulous production with hundreds of extras.

The hosts discuss the logistics of large film and television productions, with Matthew sharing his brother-in-law's amazement at how many components must come together perfectly during filming. Matthew also mentions the challenges of shooting in New York, where location departments face constant interference from locals wanting to be in the movie.

The conversation touches on Matthew's fashion sense, with him revealing he typically wears the same black t-shirt and beaten-up Carhartts daily, so much so that a school parent questioned whether he actually works for a living. Despite this, he's often asked if he colors his hair, and people assume his hair color in Perry Mason is a wig.

Matthew is currently performing in a Broadway show (implied to be in previews) and shares an anecdote about a woman stopping him on the street to compliment the previous night's performance with understated New York enthusiasm. The episode ends with a brief visual appearance from Kerry Russell, who doesn't speak but appears to be picking up children.