KERI RUSSELL LEARNS THE CELLO

Keri Russell had to learn the cello to play an accomplished classical musician in August Rush.

In August Rush, Keri Russell plays an accomplished cellist who meets the love of her life, a burgeoning rock star played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Their one night of passion produces musical prodigy Freddie Highmore whom they both never see again until 10 years later when they all reunite at an outdoor concert for the New York Philharmonic where Keri’s character is the guest cellist.

Keri grew up with dancing and music all around her so she can certainly appreciate a beautiful or sad song, but when it came time to learn the instrument that creates those haunting melodies she was terrified.

“I don’t know if I would call it a thrill. I would call it homework, four hours a day. There were many times my girlfriends were going, ‘we’re gonna go meet for dinner,’ and I’m going, ‘I can’t, I have to do da, da, da, dun, dun.’ My husband still because I had played that thing over and over he’s like, ‘oh my God that’s the song!’ I had to also which was no easy feat play my solo in front of the New York Philharmonic, the actual New York Philharmonic so that was slightly frightening.”

Keri got her frustrations out by ribbing her co-star Highmore who also had his own musical complaints learning to play the guitar.

“I would tease him every day because Freddie and I would sort of commiserate over having to learn these instruments. He had to learn guitar and I had to learn the cello and I would see him and he would say, ‘oh my gosh it’s so hard,’ and I was like, ‘Freddie it is not so hard, you have to fake guitar, like slamming a guitar.’ I have to learn cello, two hands, Bach solos. On your worst day it’s not nearly as hard as mine. I was berating a 13 year-old by the way.”

Keri is not quite sure if she will ever pick up the cello again. In fact director Kirsten Sheridan sent Keri a funny note right after her son was born with a picture of someone playing the cello which said, ‘yours is probably thrown in the garbage by now.’ August Rush is currently playing in theaters.