Family spies: Holly Taylor shines as all-American daughter on FX's 'The Americans'

Learning and keeping secret that your parents are Russian spies would be a lot for any teenager to handle. That's been the heavy burden for Paige Jennings on FX's Cold War-era thriller “The Americans.”

The responsible, good-hearted Paige (Holly Taylor) strikes a stark counterpoint to her parents Elizabeth and Philip (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys), who, behind their masquerade as circa-1980s Americans, are Soviet-born KGB officers doing their undercover best to help bring down the U.S.

Propelled by Taylor's winsome portrayal, Paige has blossomed as the series' moral center. And she represents the series' biggest question mark as “The Americans” races toward its sixth and final season next year: What path will this all-American girl choose as, more and more, she becomes implicated in her parents' mission to make Russia great again?

Now 16, Paige was first seen on the premiere of “The Americans” typing a theme for class on a topic that made her mother seethe: How the Russians cheat on arms control.

“In season one, I was just kind of sitting there,” says Taylor, 19. “It was good the part wasn't really big in the beginning. As they amped it up, that gave me the chance to learn.”

Then, two seasons ago, a suspicious Paige forced the issue.

“I'm not stupid,” she said as she confronted her parents. “I know there's something going on.”

“We serve our country,” her mother said. And that didn't mean the USA.

At her insistence, Paige increasingly has been taken into her parents' confidence. At the same time, she clashes with them - in particular, over her choice of boyfriends. A puppy-love romance has sparked between Paige and the anyone-but-him boy across the street: the son of FBI agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), who lives across the street in their Washington suburb.

“After the scene where they told Paige they were spies, all three of us sat at the table and couldn't even talk, we were just so exhausted from bringing out those emotions.

“But I never feel uncomfortable or nervous doing a really emotional scene in front of them,” Taylor says of her co-stars. “When you have to break down and cry, they're there to help you. They're so open and generous and welcoming. I'm really lucky to have that.”

This season “The Americans” has gained an unsought burst of relevance as America suffers a relapse into Cold War-style heebie-jeebies. Even so, Taylor's show remains laser-focused on the '80s. And so is she.

“All the writers are so talented, just reading the script I feel like I'm THERE,” she says. “And once I get into wardrobe and get on set, I'm in the character who lives at that time.”

“Still, as a viewer, you relate 'The Americans' to yourself and what you see going on around you,” she allows. “That's what people are finding out about our show now. And that's cool.”

“The Americans”

Airs at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on FX