“Danesy!!”
With that the Variety Actors On Actors segment featuring Damian Lewis and Claire Danes begins. She’s locked down in her New York apartment while he is roaming the English countryside in search of a signal. Thank God he found it! For the ensuing 34.05 minutes (with commercials 🙁 ugh) we are transported back to CarrieBrodyland.
Their friendship irl is as palpable as their chemistry was in Homeland Seasons 1-3. It’s remarkable to observe how closely Damian listens and how emotionally open Claire is with him.
“I missed you so much when you left…(S)eason 4 was about Carrie grieving the loss of Brody and I was grieving the loss of you. My friend.”
“You were great, Claire. Carrie did so many questionable things (but) You acted her without any sentimentality, any vanity!”
They spend a good deal of time talking about Billions, which Claire refers to as, “your robust afterlife.” She enjoys watching him play this Marvel (Comics) character and notes especially his physicality and sense of play.
“Billions is a study of men and their fathers. (It’s) pre-Freud. It’s Shakespearean. It must be played with an Avengers-like relish.”
“The dialog is so much fun to play!
“People love assholes being assholes.”
I think my favorite thing Damian says about Billions is
“It’s really a gangster show”
Claire’s achievement in completing Carrie Mathison’s story arc in the 8th and final season of Homeland , of course, is what brings the two actors together again. Damian congratulates her on “bringing it home” and asks if she was happy with how it worked out. Yes, she was. He adds
“It was great to be in it again!”
Claire replies that the twist of putting Carrie in Brody’s shoes was a natural unfolding.
“She’s always been tethered to you, to Brody and this was a way of acknowledging that.”
Of Brody Damian admits. “Poor Brody. I always felt sorry for Brody. He was always a victim in a larger game – always.”
I really loved watching them reminisce about working together on Homeland:
The “intense couple of days” filming The Weekend (S1 E7), meeting with Gansa and Michael Questa to “thread the needle” of who was playing whom and when.
Arguing in the trailer on set about the craft acting .
That time his sense of fun was not so appreciated during filming of The Weekend.
“You lost your shit with me!”
No, no you’ll have to watch to learn more!
The fact is, it’s so affirming to me to hear Claire Danes’ view of the relationship
“I, as Carrie, was always looking back to you, Brody. She has other ..relationships, sort of, but that was the central one… It was much more real than she had any awareness of.”
Sorry, baby.
I’ll give Mr. Lewis the last word.
“That’s the fun, isn’t it? You always remember the intensity. Homeland always felt so important.”
Watch for yourself! Do it for you!