Five years in and Homeland 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 Homeland.

Stephan Rabold



What can you tell us about the new season of Homeland?

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.





Season five is set in Germany. Why Berlin?

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.



Berlin has already stood in for Lebanon and Iraq in Homeland. It's posed as different countries before and I'm always awed by our ability to make these places look convincing.

Stephan Rabold



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.

Where would you like to see the character in two years?

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.

Stephan Rabold



What has working on Homeland taught you about politics and espionage?

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.



Do you continue to go to CIA consultants for advice on the show?

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.

Stephan Rabold / Showtime



Why do you think the show is so popular all around the world?

We're talking about international ideas and themes in Homeland. 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 Homeland.

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!



What's your personal musical preference?

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!

Homeland returns to Channel 4 on Sunday (October 11) at 9pm on Channel 4.

Max Beesley joins Homeland season 5 and is going to cause trouble for Claire Danes

Mandy Patinkin: 'Germany is a major character in Homeland season 5'

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





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