Matthew Rhys calls on Americans to ‘pay Wales back’ by celebrating St David’s Day

He played an American in a recent Netflix hit and won an Emmy for his performance as a Russian spy in ‘The Americans’. But Matthew Rhys is Welsh – and he has a favour to ask.

As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, ‘The Beast in Me’ star Rhys – nominated for best actor at Sunday’s The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA in Los Angeles – has a message for America: you might not realise it, but Wales helped make it happen.

As he reveals in a new tongue-in-cheek film for Wales.com, despite living and working in New York and many Americans assuming he is one of them, he is in fact, proudly Welsh, and jokes America owes the small but mighty nation a favour.

In the film, Rhys reminds audiences that the Welsh explorer Prince Madoc was said to have discovered the Americas in 1170, 300 years before Columbus, and that the Welsh diaspora’s contribution to America spans centuries, from early signatories of the Declaration of Independence to cultural, civic and philanthropic figures who shaped major cities like Los Angeles.

Welsh settlers played a significant role in early American history, so much so that Abraham Lincoln canvassed settlers from Wales in 1860, printing up to 100,000 election pamphlets in the Welsh language to target immigrant communities in Utica, New York and in Pennsylvania.

In Philadelphia, Americans can travel around Wales to this day – with subway stations from Narberth, Bala Cynwyd, Bryn Mawr and St. David’s all giving a hint of the area’s strong Welsh roots. Basketball legend Kobe Bryant started his path to greatness at the city’s Lower Merion High School, its name inspired by a historic Welsh county.

Trailblazers like the Llandudno-born suffragist and public health reformer Dr Martha Hughes Cannon – the US’s first female state senator- through to President Barack Obama can claim Welsh ancestral links, while Michelle Obama’s early education took place at Bryn Mawr Elementary School in Chicago.

Perry Mason star Rhys is now inviting Americans to mark March 1, St David’s Day, Wales’ national day, in celebration of their shared history and deep cultural connections.

St David’s Day, or Dydd Gŵyl Dewi in the Welsh language, is traditionally marked by people in Wales and around the world with ‘gwneud y pethau bychain’ – doing the little things, the motto of Wales’ Patron Saint, David, to celebrate Welshness.

Encouraging Americans to join in, Rhys said: “Wear a leek, eat a leek. Wear a daffodil. Eat a Welsh cake. Share a cwtch (a cuddle). Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus iawn, have a very happy St David’s Day.”

The Wrigley Building in Chicago is taking Rhys’ lead, lighting up red, white and green on 1 March in a celebration by the Chicago Tafia Welsh Society, while the Welsh Society in Philadelphia holds their 298th reception and banquet.

In East Windsor, Connecticut, the Welsh Society of Western New England are hosting a full day of events, including a leek eating contest and a clog dancing show, and in Iowa, Columbus Junction hosts a parade with people carrying flags to identify their Welsh family heritage, with a hymn service taking place in St David’s Anglican Church, Durant.

And it’s not only Americans that are being encouraged to find out more about the vibrant contemporary culture that continues to shape the world stage. From Berlin to Bel Air, Conwy to Cardiff, Wales’ national day is set to be celebrated through a series of events and projects showcasing culture, language, sport, creativity and community. Clwb Cymraeg Berlin is hosting a party with music and poetry, while in Los Angeles, Americans with a link to Wales- including Wrexham FC co-owner Rob McElhenney- are getting together ahead of The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA, where Matthew Rhys is also nominated.

From Paris to Philadelphia, Welshophiles will be getting together to mark the day; flying the draig (Wales’ iconic red dragon flag), wearing a leek, singing the anthem in one of Europe’s oldest languages, Cymraeg, and other Random Acts of Welshness. An app has been created meaning anyone with a smartphone can summon a VR dragon to appear wherever they are in the world.