Claire Danes Never Wanted Homeland's Depiction Of Bipolar Disorder To Be A Gimmick

Ever since its inception, "Homeland" has been a complicated show to digest. Not necessarily in terms of story structure, but the thematic elements that accompany it. "Homeland" followed Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer that often found herself at the center of a national conspiracy and/or in the midst of international espionage. Carrie was a gifted government agent whose intelligence and quick wits usually outsmarted anyone in her path. However, Carrie struggled with bipolar disorder and had been medicated since a young age. To that point, her mental condition served as a point of contention in debates surrounding "Homeland."

While some debated the legitimacy of Danes, who is not bipolar in real life, representing the disorder in the fictitious scenario, "Homeland" did not take the opportunity for granted. Carrie's personal story always contended with her bipolar condition, whether it destabilized her life or otherwise. Of course, I can't personally speak to the accuracy of her performance, as I am not a bipolar person. However, the actress made sure to do her homework and not treat it as a gimmick. Danes was always keen on using bipolar disorder as a vital part of the character, and not a strictly narrative device used to create drama.

In an interview with the Guardian, "Homeland" star Claire Danes discussed bringing bipolar disorder to the drama series without using it as a gimmick:

"They've been mostly appreciative, which I feel great relief about and gratitude for. That condition is not dramatised all that often so I think any conversation that's stimulated by it is welcome. I never wanted her being bipolar to be a gimmick or just a convenient plot device, and I tried to be as specific and informed as possible. It's a really fascinating human condition. I developed such respect for people who work as diligently as they do to just make it through a day."

For the better part of the Showtime series, Carrie was shown dealing with her bipolar disorder as she conducted her professional business. In fact, Carrie would at times stop taking the medication prescribed to her because she thought the condition made her mind even sharper. But her bipolar disorder spread into other aspects of her life as well. Carrie struggled to become a mother to her child Frannie, which she had with her deceased lover Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis). 

Those closely associated with the aforementioned mental illness have every right to critique its representation in "Homeland." That said, Danes went knee-deep researching the symptoms of bipolar disorder before playing the role.

During a discussion with NPR before the second season, Danes revealed she went to YouTube to find and watch copious amounts of bipolar videos:

"I had to do a lot of research for this role. And actually, I found great material on YouTube. There was a lot of footage of people who recorded themselves when they were in manic states. I think they were probably up in the middle of the night and lonely and, you know, needed to talk. So they talked to the camera. So I gorged on sort of manic confessionals on YouTube."

There is a discussion to be had in regard to looking to imitate the symptoms of a bipolar person after watching video footage. Of course, no matter what Danes researched, she could not have felt exactly what a bipolar person felt during those manic states in "Homeland." That said, putting in the work, and understanding the gravity of the role, allowed Danes to take into account the character's unique experience as a bipolar person. 

For instance, during the first season, Danes utilized the full spectrum of emotions when outside forces began to discredit her investigative abilities. The season 1 finale scene is memorable because of her harrowing performance and astounding camera work, which never attempted to glorify the bipolar condition. The overall end result — eight seasons in length — can certainly be up for debate. However, it is hard not to admire the moments in "Homeland" that did not try to pass off bipolar disorder as some sort of superpower or portray Carrie as an infallible hero.