Nimrat Kaur – Homeland

By starrymag | February 9, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

 

A) Actually, my new home. I have a new home I’ve taken up and I’ve been crazy busy setting it up. “Homeland” took up almost eight months of last year. I just felt like I needed a little bit of a breather and then the new home came up. So, I’ve been busy setting that up.

 

Q) What can you tease is new on Season 8 of “Homeland?”

 

A) It is a culmination of the journey that began for the lead actors, writers and directors about a decade ago. It is undoubtedly the most important season of the journey because this is where it ends. It had to be thought through with storytelling in terms of how the character arcs wind up. It is, I feel, an emotional sort of a culmination for everyone on it. I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of their journey with Season Four and now I was asked to come back on Season Eight. It was a really great surprise for me. It’s been wonderful to see how everything wraps up. In the world we are living in right now, a show like “Homeland” is so relevant and so telling. It is a great mirror to the society and to the events of the world that we witness.

 

Q) What has continued to challenge you about your portrayal of Tanseem Qureishi?

 

A) It was a very interesting character for me. I’m Indian by origin, so to play a Pakistani ISI agent is a very crazy juxtaposition to where I come from. India and Pakistan have had a very tumultuous history and it’s a very on and off relationship. We were one country and then split into two partitions. So, there is always a lot of friction. It’s a character that I have to really imagine from fiction and coming from a point of view that I have to be able to not judge her at all for the decisions she has made. She is just tough and a very assertive in a man’s world and she moves up the ranks and she is in a very important position now. So, it’s a very difficult spot for any woman to be in and I had to humanize that and find a reason behind all that she takes up.

 

Q) How did it make you feel being asked to return to the series?

 

A) Everything kind of ended for me in Season Four. I never anticipated for a day that I would come back because it was never written as a recurring character. It was a one season character and it was a great surprise when Alex [Gansa]got in touch and they wanted to know if I was free and available to be a part of Season Eight. That’s kind of how it came back. So, it’s been a really great curve to come back in Season Eight.

 

Q) Going into Season Eight were you hoping to share a scene with someone in particular?

 

A) Well, I had most of my work across from Mandy Patinkin, which has been such a great gift. There has been so much to learn from him. It was hard sometimes, for me, to not be an audience and be a co-actor because I would get lost in his work and he’s so immersive and so passionate about everything that he comes to the table with. So, it was a very electrifying energy on set. It’s hard to say my favorite scene, but I’d have to say my biggest takeaway from the experience of being on Season Eight and all of the scenes I got to share with Mandy. It was such a big gift for me and something that I will keep close to my heart for a very long time.

 

Q) What were some of your favorite or most memorable moments from filming this season of “Homeland?”

 

A) We filmed about 90% of my work in Morocco and it was my first time there. One gets to live like a local when they are relocated. It was such an incredible experience to be in the company of such warm and loving and amazing local crew and people from Morocco. We got to travel and live with them and eat what they eat. And they were so close to the Indian culture and warmth and hospitality and the kind of things that rules their hearts. So, it was a really great experience for me to get to know the Moroccan culture while I was working on “Homeland” and in Casablanca. We traveled in and around Morocco for work and personal trips as well. It was really such a great, great time to have been there, absorb the culture and just experience a different life. Working on “Homeland” is truly special to me in so many ways. I have just the best memories of working with such incredible directors and minds like Lesli [Linka Glatter], to name one. She’s truly special and so spectacular to work with. They really know how to bring out your best. It’s hard to pick a favorite time really because all in all, the experience has been so special and so enriching.

 

Q) What message do you hope viewers take away from watching “Homeland?”

 

A) Well, the authenticity and the commitment to the ability to mirror the world we live in today, that the show comes with and the truth the characters bring to the table – I feel like that is the biggest takeaway from the journey of “Homeland.” I know that it will be a part of audiences’ hearts and memories for decades to come. Again, with the times that began the world of alternate entertainment (not just with the movies) … “Homeland,” all in all, has been a genre defining show.

 

Q) What kind of mementos did you keep from your time working on the show?

 

A) I have this lovely jacket the crew gave me that says “Season 8 Homeland” on the back of it. I’ve kept a couple of things from the character I played and all her accessories. I’ve used my mother’s pearl necklaces and accessories throughout the show, so I’ve kind of given it a personal touch because it was very emotionally interesting for me to bring in those flavors to the character’s life and the way she wore what she wore. It’s culturally very close to the Indian sensibility and the aesthetic. So, it was very interesting that I could use some of my personal stuff for the character. Then, it comes back with me. It’s very lovely.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of the show “Homeland” and your work?

 

A) Well, I would begin with immense gratitude and love towards everyone who send me their thoughts and well wishes relentless. Without their encouragement and acceptance of the work I’ve been a part of, life wouldn’t feel half as enriched. And I’d also urge them to watch out for “Homeland” and what Tasneem Qureshi back with her. It’s been a really interesting journey and one of the most rewarding characters I’ve played on screen. She’s by far been the most badass, unapologetic character I’ve had the chance to sink my teeth into. I hope they enjoy watching and loving to hate and then love Tasneem right back on Season 8 as much as they did on Season Four. Fingers crossed! [laughs]