‘Homeland’ season 3: Damian Lewis on May start, controversial season 2 scene

Does anyone else feel like the “Homeland” hiatus feels even longer right now courtesy of the fact that “Dexter” has already started to film its eighth season? That is certainly what it feels like on this end. The change in the schedule for Showtime has thrown things completely out of whack, and after creating the massive cliffhanger ever to close off season 2, anticipation for even the slightest season 3 morsel is something that is in high demand.

Here’s what we do now right now: story is being constructed, the writers’ room is currently a very busy place, and that in two months the actors will be back to work. While we cannot say that Damian Lewis will be in every episode as Nicholas Brody, he is certainly still a part of the show. The actor recently gave a fantastic interview with the Telegraph about the show and more, and he was cagey about his specific start date thanks to the timing that the interview was conducted (vs. when it is actually being posted). However, he did confirm that May is when he will indeed be back for more on the show.

What was equally interesting about this interview was his description about his family’s reaction to him playing a controversial character like Brody, and how there was a scene for the second season that was extremely shocking, and ultimately was left on the cutting room floor:

“I think my wife was more concerned than I was. She was worried that … There was a scene written for the [second] season – I’m not going to tell you what it was – but it was very controversial. And it was the one time that we would have been seen doing something overtly provocative because of the imagery. And it involved Islam. So finally at the eleventh hour that was withdrawn.”

Lewis lives in Great Britain when not doing “Homeland,” so the rigors the show puts on him are far more excruciating than for the standard actor. Nonetheless, we’re sure that another fantastic performance will be upon us when the series returns to Showtime in late September.

If you want to read some more about the changes going on for “Homeland” behind the scenes, you can do so over here.

Photo: Showtime