Claire Danes Discusses Facing Off Against Matthew Rhys in Psychological Miniseries ‘The Beast in Me’
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, Claire Danes, the two-time Emmy-winning star of Homeland, opened up to IndieWire about behind-the-scenes moments from her two favorite scenes in the psychological thriller miniseries The Beast in Me. Both scenes, which are streaming on Netflix, highlight her intense and compelling acting dynamic alongside co-star Matthew Rhys.
The acclaimed actress and executive producer revealed that the initial concept for the project came from her longtime friend, Jodie Foster, who serves as an executive producer. The storyline follows a prominent author who, struggling with writer’s block and severe grief after the tragic death of her young son, finds her life upended when a wealthy, enigmatic neighbor (played by Matthew Rhys) moves in next door—a man suspected of murdering his first wife. To develop the project, Danes brought on trusted past collaborators, including Howard Gordon, the co-creator and showrunner of Homeland.
In describing her two favorite scenes, Danes explained that both sequences function almost like standalone, uninterrupted short plays. The first is a lunch scene tracking the characters’ initial formal meeting in the premiere episode, where the dialogue flies back and forth between them like a high-energy tennis match. According to Danes, Rhys had to tackle this lengthy, dialogue-heavy scene on just his second day of filming, and their natural on-screen chemistry was instant. Her second favorite sequence is a party scene where the two characters get heavily intoxicated, featuring a surreal moment where Rhys’s character dances wildly to Talking Heads’ iconic track, “Psycho Killer.” Danes noted that playing a character who so boldly challenges societal norms felt incredibly liberating and exhilarating.
Concluding the interview, the television and film star mentioned that she recently wrapped production on her upcoming project, an A24 and Hulu crime drama titled The Spot, starring opposite Ewan McGregor. The series presents a dark portrait of a marriage unraveling under the weight of a hidden crime, following a successful surgeon and her schoolteacher husband who suspect she may be responsible for a tragic hit-and-run. The miniseries The Beast in Me is currently available for streaming globally on Netflix.
