Claire Danes reflects on 5 years of Homeland: "I don't feel trapped." 

By using this site you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our cookie policy.

This website uses cookies. Learn more.

Ceefax and Teletext were way better than the...

Clarissa Explains It All: What do they look like...

Ceefax and Teletext were way better than the internet Ceefax and Teletext were way better than the internet

The Tunnel s2 pushed back after Brussels attacks The Tunnel s2 pushed back after Brussels attacks

Jeremy Kyle to replace Piers Morgan on GMB at Easter Jeremy Kyle to replace Piers Morgan on GMB at Easter

Eccleston meets Doctor Who fan with Asperger syndrome Eccleston meets Doctor Who fan with Asperger syndrome

11 of the worst sitcoms of all time 11 of the worst sitcoms of all time

David Letterman looks TOTALLY different these days David Letterman looks TOTALLY different these days

David Beckham joins Kirsty Gallacher to host Sky Sports David Beckham joins Kirsty Gallacher to host Sky Sports

Amy Adams was naked for Batman v Superman bath scene Amy Adams was naked for Batman v Superman bath scene

The Durrells is the ultimate laid-back TV treat The Durrells is the ultimate laid-back TV treat

Ben Affleck opens up about Batman casting backlash Ben Affleck opens up about Batman casting backlash

has had its highs and its lows, but a back-on-form fourth season restored faith in a show that can be one of the most thrilling on television.

In 2015, the hot-topic drama will tackle everything from ISIS to Edward Snowden and Claire Danes, the show\'s troubled lead Carrie Mathison, tells us it\'s this sort of ambition - and willingness to take risks - that has kept her hooked on

This season is very different and there\'s a big time jump of two years. Carrie now works in the private sector. She has a great new boyfriend [actor Alexander Fehling] in season five, too.

Why Bayley loves getting in the ring with Eva Marie

I love Berlin. It\'s very fertile ground for our brand of storytelling. It\'s Spook Central. It\'s got an incredible history of spying and it really does bridge a lot of cultures. Germany\'s fascinating. It\'s a really rich landscape to film and dramatise.

. It\'s posed as different countries before and I\'m always awed by our ability to make these places look convincing.

You\'ve been on the show for five years. Do you feel trapped as Carrie?

I don\'t feel trapped. That was always a concern when I was deciding to do this, but our writers are so gifted and they are also very determined to keep the show fresh and interesting.

There are new themes, there are new cities - and the characters really do change, so I am not playing the same Carrie. She has new facets that are being revealed and explored all the time, so I am not antsy.

I really love what we\'ve made so far. It\'s very ambitious. I\'m very motivated to get to the end and sustain that level of commitment, passion and hopefully excellence because it\'s an inspiring challenge.

I want her to be okay. I want her to have a more sustained happiness. She is powerful and she should be able to assert that power, but one thing that\'s been fascinating to see with the Saul character (Mandy Patinkin) is how he did change when he had more power and how he could afford to be more questioning, more liberal and more empathic when he wasn\'t the boss.

Then he had to make harder choices and be less reflective, and that was damaging in a lot of ways to his personal relationships. He broke up with his wife, Carrie and he became estranged - and that is explored again this season.

I wouldn\'t say that I\'m a naturally political beast. I\'m much more curious about human behaviour and psychology, but this is a political show and I guess I had no idea how sophisticated and robust the clandestine service is. That was a profound realisation for me.

What does your research for the show entail?

I\'ve talked to people from the CIA, which was really illuminating and informative. It\'s been a great privilege to see how interwoven nations are and how incredibly complex these relationships are. It\'s so elaborate. It\'s gotten a lot more abstract and a lot less clear who you\'re fighting and why, which is pretty harrowing to see up close.

We do. I have a \'spy\' big sister who I met through [series co-creator] Alex Gansa just before we started doing the pilot. She took me to Langley [CIA headquarters] and introduced me to her colleagues.

She was very generous and open about sharing her experiences and anecdotes - and we\'ve remained close ever since. If I have any questions, she\'s an amazing resource - but I\'ve been doing this for five years now, so I understand the basics.

We\'re talking about international ideas and themes in

. Unfortunately, terrorism is relevant to everyone - but I also think that there\'s a lot of ambiguity in our show and America is not depicted strictly as heroic.

We see our system fail and succeed, but it\'s an inclusive story. We admit our vulnerability and I think that is probably interesting and appealing to other countries because America often asserts itself as infallible and domineering. We don\'t do that in

In early episodes of the show, Carrie loved jazz. What happened to that love of music?

I\'ve noticed that too. Where did jazz go? I\'ll bring that up. I\'ll bring that up with the writers!

These days, I\'m in the land of techno. I thought that heavy metal and techno were two kinds of music that I had no ear for, but that\'s started to change. That\'s been a surprise to me, but my taste is pretty eclectic.

If it\'s good, I am not bound to any genre in particular - but Hugh [Claire\'s actor husband Hugh Dancy] is actually quite good at finding new material. He\'s my scout. He\'s always hipping me up!

season 5 and is going to cause trouble for Claire Danes

\'s Mandy Patinkin: "You must watch it from the beginning"

Lost: Carlton Cuse reflects on a TV phenomenon 11 years on

NXT Women\'s Champion Bayley: \'I love being in the ring with Eva Marie - the fans hate her\'

David Beckham joins Kirsty Gallacher to host Sky Sports

This could help your Downton Abbey fix. By

Jeremy Kyle to replace Piers Morgan on GMB at Easter

Drunk Matt Richardson saying "Germans" is amazing