Claire Danes Is Really Enjoying Pregnancy While on 'Homeland' Hiatus: 'I Welcome All of the Food'

"Pretty soon I get to retire for a little while and just be pregnant, which I look forward to," Claire Danes said Tuesday at a Homeland screening in L.A.

Unlike the first time around, Claire Danes has the luxury of taking some time off of work for her second pregnancy.

“I feel pretty knocked up at this point. I am definitely with child,” the 39-year-old Homeland actress said Tuesday night at the FYC screening of her Showtime series’ season finale in Beverly Hills, California.

“I feel okay,” she added. “I’ve been doing a bit of traveling and tap dancing, as I call it, which is my term for letting people know that I’ve been making work and encourage them to see it. Pretty soon I get to retire for a little while and just be pregnant, which I look forward to.”

And it’s a departure from what happened last time. “It feels like a huge luxury,” said Danes, who’s expecting baby No. 2 with husband Hugh Dancy. “When I was pregnant with my first son [Cyrus Michael Christopher, 5], I worked until I was in my eighth month, so this feels like a huge gift, to have a chance to kick my feet up a little bit.”

The star was sporting a black-and-white plaid Nina Ricci dress with a fringe hem that she accessorized with strappy heels. When asked how she walks in them, Danes joked, “Years of practice!”

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Claire Danes

Danes’ son Cyrus has also spent some of his five years of life so far on set with his mom. “Cyrus, her 5-year-old, I’ve grown up directing with him in my arms,” said Lesli Linka Glatter, executive producer, show runner and director of the final episode for the season.

“He’s a super-smart, fun young man, but there are points where he will say things,” she added. “He’ll turn to Claire and say, ‘Back to one,’ which means go back and do it again. It’s that weird film language that you only hear on set — you’d never say that in real life. He’ll turn around and go, ‘On a bell,’ which is another thing that you would only say [on set]. He was doing this at, like, 2½, which is hilarious.”

Unlike the character Danes plays on the show, she is known as a pretty fantastic mom. “Carrie Mathison is one of the worst moms and how ironic,” said Glatter. “Claire, on the other hand, is an amazing mother. She is so loving and fun, and they are so close together. It’s amazing to see them together.”

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Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy

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Dane’s pregnancy didn’t play out in the show. It was something they had to hide, but only for a few episodes at the end of the season when she started showing.

“We saw it just at the end of the season but we were hiding that,” said Glatter. “We’d have to do what we call belly passes, meaning we’d have to cast an actress with her body type and then have her do all the wide shots and then we would take Claire’s belly away.”

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As for whether or not this would be Danes’ last season, Glatter remained mum. “I think it’s still unclear. There are certainly more stories to tell and I think we’ll all find out.”

Regardless, the actress has really been enjoying her time off work during this pregnancy. When asked if she was having any cravings lately, she just smiled and said, “Not really. Just all of the food. I welcome all of the food.”