Entertainment

Claire Danes: A long distance relationship was difficult

The stars were previously separated because of work.
The stars were previously separated because of work. The stars were previously separated because of work.

Claire Danes says a long distance relationship with husband Hugh Dancy was “tough”.

The Homeland actress, 40, and Hannibal actor, 44, previously spent time apart because of work.

“That distance is corrosive, and I’m just bad at it,” Danes told Net-A-Porter’s digital title, Porter.

“I don’t particularly want to get good at it.

“We learned along the way how essential it is for us to be physically together as often as possible.”

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy
Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy (PA)

The US star said they are both “nerds.”

“When we first started sorta-kinda-dating for real (ish), I had an ornament-making party for Christmas, and he helped organise it,” she said.

“Then he made an ornament of cowboy paper dolls, and I thought, ‘and he crafts?’ That was it. ‘You have me for the rest of our lives’.”

The new season of Homeland will be the last of the long-running thriller, starring Danes as Carrie Mathison.

“I’ll miss playing such a brilliant, intrepid, impulsive, flawed hero,” Danes said.

“She’s a pain in the ass, but she is always right in the end.

“She tends to prevail in her own perverse way.”

Dancy appears in the last series and Danes said watching a partner do something they are good at “is so hot”.

She added: “That was such a nice way to end the show.

“I didn’t have a single scene with him, but on my days off I would go to his set.

“He’s very good.

“I don’t exactly forget that, but we don’t talk about acting much, so it was a really nice reminder.”

In her next role, Danes said she “would like to play…  somebody in a relationship, someone in a marriage,” adding: “Carrie was so isolated…  It would be nice to play a regular old person now, more of an actual human.”

The interview is at Porter www.net-a-porter.com or download the NET-A-PORTER app for iPhone, iPad and Android.