entertainment
that it turned out that way,” Taylor
says. “They didn’t know, when they
made the show, that this was going
to become super-relevant in a couple
of years, and people were going to
love it for that. It was all by chance.”
One of the real surprises — not
entirely a pleasant one — is how fans
of The Americans have reacted to
her character’s development. Some
fans, love Paige. But the ones who
don’t are often nasty. Moreover, they
have a habit of conflating the char-
acter with the actress who plays her.
“I don’t know if it’s because she’s a
teenager and people just get annoyed
with teenagers no matter what they
do,” Taylor says. “Some people just
harbor anger toward her that they
can’t seem to shake off, and they also
think that I’m the character in real
life, so when they see me, they’re
like, ‘I hate your character.’ And I’m
like, ‘Well, I’m not her right now, I’m
Holly. I’m not the same person. But
I’m glad you’re invested in the show
so much that you can’t separate the
two.’”
COMING TO AN END
The richness of the Paige charac-
ter, emerging over five-plus seasons,
is a benefit of the new “long form”
television template, that has allowed
for in-depth character explora-
tion over many years. And Taylor
was only allowed to explore those
nuances, she says, because of the
very accommodating Wayne school
system.
Originally from Nova Scotia (the
family moved to Wayne when Taylor
was 3), Taylor is a show business
veteran. When she was 11, she
appeared on Broadway in the original
production of Billy Elliot. She’s also
appeared in TV commercials and
movies. Her next film, The Witch
Files, is due out sometime this year.
But The Americans, set in
Washington, D.C. but shot in
Westchester and Brooklyn, required
enormous forbearance from Wayne
Hills High School. The Americans
shot October to March, all through
her high school years. She was often
DON’T CONFUSE HER WITH HER CHARACTER Holly Taylor is often approached by fans who have
strong feelings about her character on The Americans. “I’m not the same person,” she says.
required to be absent anywhere
from one to five days a week.
“I thank the public schools for
letting me work,” she says. “I know
other towns might not have been
so cooperative. The teachers really
worked with me, and I’m forever
thankful for that.”
This season will ring down the
curtain on Paige, and on the whole
Jennings family. A bittersweet
moment after five years, Taylor says.
“My parents are very proud, and
very happy for me, and they love the
show,” she says. “But now that it’s
over and I’m 20 years old, it’s kind of
weird for all of us to look back on it
and be like, ‘Oh, your puberty
years are immortalized forever
on The Americans.’”
As for viewers, now in the home
stretch of a six-season story arc, what
should they be looking for as the
show builds toward its climax?
Taylor can’t reveal any trade
secrets. Just keep watching, she says.
“The Americans for the past few
years has been so good at mak-
ing every single character have an
in-depth story line,” Taylor says.
“Somehow, some of them are going
to tie together. So, you have to keep
an eye on everyone. Just like a spy
would do.” ■
WAYNE MAGAZINE MAY 2018
27