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Claire Danes almost gave up acting prior to Homeland role

Written by . Published: July 16 2013

Claire Danes nearly missed out on a leading role in hit TV series Homeland after almost quitting acting months before landing the job.


The star admits the screen offers started drying up not long after winning an Emmy Award for her TV movie Temple Grandin in 2010 and she began to consider a different career path.


Danes, who wed British hunk Hugh Dancy in 2009, tells Vogue magazine, "It was grim. I was very hurt. Two years of not working was brutal. And a point came where I thought, 'I really like interior design.' Someone suggested, 'Maybe your real success is in your personal life.'"


However, Danes was cast as Carrie Mathison in Homeland in 2011 and the role quickly revived her flailing career, winning her several awards, including two Golden Globes.


She credits her connection to the character for the success of the show, saying, "You just hold out for those rare moments when you feel a real fusion with this imagined person. It's really like surfing. You get that wave and think, 'All right, I can be in freezing-cold water at 5am in the hopes that I will get one.' And maybe you get three of those a year."

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