Claire Danes Says All Different Body Types Are Criticized By Hollywood Bullies

Claire Danes is raising her voice in the chorus of women bringing issues of gender inequality out for public scrutiny, but, unlike many of her peers, Ms. Danes isn’t just speaking about her own personal experiences. In fact, Claire seems more concerned for others affected by the issue than she is for her own situation, though Ms. Danes does reveal that she is also bullied and criticized on set.

“I feel like my body is monitored and commented on infinitely more than my male counterpart,” Homeland‘s Ms. Danes admitted.

Claire also speaks of feeling embarrassed for a co-star and, though it was years ago, Ms. Danes still feels affected by the incident.

“I remember a couple of Emmys ago, Lena Dunham and I were on the carpet together. We were singled out and criticized for having different body types – I was too skinny and she was too big,” recalled Claire, now 36 years old. “She is a dear friend of mine, and it made me angry because this is just how we are.”

Danes says that, although the body shaming mentality has been an ever present issue, she feels it’s time to stop tolerating that kind of mentality.

“We just take it for granted that it’s acceptable and we really internalize that as normal and fine, and it’s not.”

Although Ms. Danes just recently received her sixth Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her role as Carrie Mathison on Homeland, Claire admits to feeling pressured throughout the show’s second season. Danes was pregnant with Cyrus, now two-and-a-half years old, and she felt that she needed to maintain her body’s figure even throughout the pregnancy.

“I was very anxious about my pregnancy because I was responsible for this huge show, and I didn’t want to let anyone down at work, but I had this other major project of growing a person,” says Danes. “I was mindful of what I was eating because I didn’t want to look pregnant.”

Now, Cyrus enjoys spending his days on the set of Homeland with his mother, admits Claire.

“He loves it, a set is such a playground for a kid,” said Homeland‘s Danes. “He loved the ops room in the last season because he loved the lights and the screens and the levers to pull. That was also a bit of a joke – little tiny Cyrus in the ops room, saving the world from Armageddon!”

The season premiere of Homeland will air on Sunday, October 4 on Showtime.

[Featured image: Claire Danes courtesy of Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]