In ‘The Essex Serpent,’ Claire Danes dives into a mystical mystery

Claire Danes describes her transition from playing a CIA officer to a grieving 19th century British widow in the new mini-series “The Essex Serpent” as both “amazing” and “frightening” after nearly a decade on the smash drama “Homeland.”

For her role as intrepid bipolar protagonist Carrie Mathison in the 2011-2020 drama, the 43-year-old actress earned multiple prizes.

“The Essex Serpent,” based on Sarah Perry’s best-selling novel, stars Danes as Cora, who travels from London to Essex, England, to investigate rumours of a mythological serpent.

She befriends pastor Will (Tom Hiddleston), but she soon faces the fury of locals who hold her responsible for a tragedy.

“It felt wonderful… I loved finally being able to play somebody who was in relationship with other human beings because Carrie really wasn’t,” Danes told Reuters in an interview.

“I kind of thought of her as like Edward Scissorhands, weirdly… she understood her volatility and she was very inclined to protect other people from that and so she isolated herself. Cora doesn’t have to, she was allowed to enjoy intimacy of varying kinds… That was fun but it was also kind of scary to be in uncharted territory.”

While the mysterious serpent is feared by locals, Cora is intrigued to learn more about it.

“I think the serpent is a symbol for people’s anxiety, for all of the myriad unknowns that plague us and worry us,” Danes said.

“All of the characters are wrestling with quite a bit of internal tumult and this is a way for them to attempt to make sense of that and to fixate on something seemingly tangible and concrete.”

The story focuses on the debate of science versus faith, with the characters believing different reasons for the creature’s existence.

“I find it a very nourishing debate…the interconnectedness between faith and reason, science and religion. As a society and as communities, we need belief systems in order to make sense of our lives and to understand how our lives are meaningful,” Hiddleston said.

“And at this particular time… the end of the 19th century, there was so much change in terms of the way people understood their lives. And I think the conversation continues.”

“The Essex Serpent” premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday.