Damian Lewis has revealed that he nearly turned down the role of Nicholas Brody in Showtime's Golden Globe-winning series Homeland.
The Band of Brothers star confessed that his experiences working on NBC series Life had made him wary of signing up for another major American TV role.
"[Life] was at quite a lot of personal cost, from a family point of view - that sounds a bit melodramatic, we're all still together! - but it was long hours working with [my partner] Helen sitting in the house with the kids," said Lewis.
"I wasn't prepared for quite the workshop hours you work on some American TV shows. So I said to my agent 'Only if it's extraordinary, and if it's on cable TV, so it's a five-month commitment rather than a ten-month commitment'.
"Unbelievably fortunately, this thing came my way, and I very nearly said no to it, for all the reasons I've just explained."
Explaining what changed his mind, he added: "The pilot - which was all I read - had political ambition, it was psychologically detailed and specific, dark in places, and so ambitious. It was tapping into conditions that interest me - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and men returning from war, and bipolar disorder in Claire's character.
"While tackling these rather serious issues, it also managed to be a page-turner. And it also managed to be a political show at the same time, posing the question, 'In our pursuit of terrorists, have we gone about it in the right way?'
"It just seemed brilliantly representative of a slightly uncertain, paranoid world we live in now. It's a bold claim for one hour of TV, but I spoke to them, and they convinced me that these were all themes that they wanted to pursue. And they sustain it.
"They're brilliant, and I'm unbelievably lucky to be working with them. Thank God I said yes to it."
Homeland, which was a ratings and critical hit for Showtime last autumn, will air in the UK later this month on Channel 4.
