Happy 11th Birthday, Homeland!

Homeland premiered on Showtime on October 2, 2011, exactly eleven years ago today.

Happy Birthday!

None of us on Fan Fun had any idea about the show when it premiered. However, it is Damian Lewis’ mesmerizing portrayal of Nicholas Brody that brought “almost” all of us to the fandom at some point. And, well, the rest is history!

I know that Season 3 finale was the series finale for many Brody fans who protested Homeland and quit watching the show after Brody died. And I am not going to lie to you, I was desperate enough to jump on the “No Brody, No Homeland” bandwagon in my own way when Season 3 was over and stayed there until a certain ginger told me to keep watching it 😀 So I did, and thanks to the healing powers of time, and Damian tackling other fantastic roles in Wolf Hall and Billions, I came to accept that, as Brody told Carrie, it was over. It still makes me happy to know no one can take Homeland Season 1 and 2 away from me, but I also recognize the fact that Homeland is a show about the CIA and, in particular, about one CIA agent, Carrie Mathison, one of the best written female characters on TV. And I cannot agree more with Damian who praises Claire Danes’ portrayal of Carrie in an interview with Hunger Magazine:

“Can you imagine if the part had been played by any other Hollywood actress, anyone with an ounce of vanity about them as a performer? Claire has no vanity. She’s committed to making sure she represents the story in the best possible way. Her performance is totally and utterly committed, terrifyingly so at times.”

Continue reading “Happy 11th Birthday, Homeland!”

Catching Up with Damian Lewis at Film at Lincoln Center

I said it before. I will say it again. August 2022 marks, after three years of famine, a month of delicious feast, a Damian Lewis one to be precise, for me! In early August, I was so privileged to be in the audience at Damian’s very special first gig at Omeara in London. And I feel very lucky that I was also there at the newly 4K restored Keane screening followed by a lively Q&A discussion with director Lodge Kerrigan and Damian himself. Continue reading “Catching Up with Damian Lewis at Film at Lincoln Center”

Throwback Thursday to Brody and Carrie Reunion at Variety’s Actors on Actors

“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. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Brody and Carrie Reunion at Variety’s Actors on Actors”

008 – The Spy Who Replaces 007: Karen’s Dream Role for Damian Lewis

Meet Karen. She is an actress living in Los Angeles and her most favorite actor ever is Damian Lewis! Big thanks go to her for taking the time to write about her dream role for Damian. ENJOY!

Continue reading “008 – The Spy Who Replaces 007: Karen’s Dream Role for Damian Lewis”

Remembering Nicholas Brody and His Muslim Faith

“You live in despair for eight years; you can turn to religion, too. And, the King James Bible was not available.” – Nicholas Brody

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

I was born and raised in a secular family in Turkey, a country that is predominantly Muslim. That is, even though I am not religious myself, I am very familiar with the Islamic traditions, rituals and norms. I am obviously coming out of the culture and have been shaped by it in ways that I am probably not aware of 🙂 Thus, I thought it would be neat to talk about Nicholas Brody, my most favorite fictional character ever on small screen, and his Muslim faith, in celebration of Eid al Fitr that is celebrated at the end of Ramadan!

Now, I am not an expert, not even close, about Muslim characters on TV shows; however, even if there had been a popular Muslim character on TV before Brody came along, I just don’t think there is any way she or he could beat him on any popularity scale. Continue reading “Remembering Nicholas Brody and His Muslim Faith”