‘Homeland’ Drama: Claire Danes In Danger Of Kidnapping, Season 4 Cast Reportedly Protected By Armed Guards On Set

Claire Danes’ “Homeland” character, CIA station chief Carrie Mathison, isn’t the only one putting her life at risk. The 35-year-old star of the Showtime drama herself is also reportedly being kept out of harm's way while filming Season 4 of the program on location in South Africa.

Radar Online is reporting that Danes has her own personal bodyguard to protect her while filming the series in Cape Town, which stands in for Islamabad, Pakistan, on the hit program. A "set insider" claims that the show’s other lead cast members, including Rupert Friend (Peter Quinn), Raza Jaffrey (Aasar Khan) and Mandy Patinkin (Saul Berenson), are also being protected by armed guards while filming in some of South Africa’s more dangerous areas.

“The actors have to be protected against potential kidnapping and theft, especially when they film in known dangerous areas like Salt River,” said a source. “They could kidnap one of the cast and hold them for ransom, but they watch the cast like hawks. We know where they are every minute.”

If the actors were to need assistance, the insider said security teams, employed by the company Pro Events, have batons and other weapons at the ready to protect Danes and the rest of the cast. According to Radar, the guards were recently used after the show was forced to stop production after riots broke out near Cape Town’s airport.

“The entire filming was stopped when riots broke out on Cape Town’s main airport highway and police said it was too dangerous to continue. There was a sudden outbreak of riots with rock throwing, strikes, so we had to change our whole shooting schedule,” an insider said.

E! Online reports that the show is expected to conclude filming its fourth season in Cape Town in November. According to a report from the New Zealand Herald, the network’s first location choice, Turkey, didn’t work out after requiring “script approval." In years past, the show has primarily shot on location in Charlotte, North Carolina, and occasionally in Morocco.

While Danes may be treated with kid gloves while on location, an insider told Radar Online that the actress, who is married to “Hannibal“ star Hugh Dancy, 39, and has a 22-month-old son Cyrus, has enjoyed her time in South Africa.

“She’s very pleasant, but she does her own thing,” a source said. “She goes on a safari on weekends with her family and does yoga every day at a studio.”

“Homeland” Season 5 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EDT on Showtime.