Homeland star Nazanin Boniadi has hit back at claims the show is racist after artists hired to paint background graffiti sneaked in slogans accusing it of stereotyping Arabs as terrorists and refugees.
The Iranian-born, London-raised actress, who played CIA analyst Fara Sherazi in series three and four, said it was “frankly not true” that the US spy series demonised Muslims.
Boniadi, 35, said: “You see good guys and bad guys. My character was a ‘good’ Muslim. She was shown as freedom-loving. There’s been good and bad people whatever religion. The CIA was shown doing bad things.
“It [Homeland] really showed the ramifications and the human cost of war. To say it takes a racist stance or, like the graffiti artists claimed, that all Muslim characters are shown as terrorists, is frankly not true.”
Boniadi, who campaigns for Amnesty International, has spoken out for women’s rights and against political repression in Iran. She defended the show — the fifth series of which is currently being shown on Channel 4 — after an episode set in a Syrian refugee camp.
Artists Heba Amin, Caram Kapp and Stone claimed responsibility for Arabic graffiti on the camp walls with messages such as “Homeland is racist” as well as: “The situation is not to be trusted.”
Showtime, the US network that makes the series, which stars Claire Danes as ex-CIA agent Carrie Mathison, did not realise the content of the graffiti until the episode was broadcast.
Boniadi, who was taking part in The Children’s Monologues at the Royal Court last night to support charity Dramatic Need, said she had chosen to speak out against censorship and repression because “artists have a special connection with freedom of expression”.
“Our voices can bring attention to situations and circumstances of disenfranchised people,” she said.
The Children’s Monologues, a one-off performance, was directed by Danny Boyle in aid of Dramatic Need, of which he is a trustee.
An A-list cast including Nicole Kidman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James McAvoy, Kit Harington, Josh Hartnett and Cressida Bonas narrated the testimonies of young children growing up in a South African township.
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The show raised £80,000 to create a movable arts centre to help traumatised children through dance, drama, art and music.
Boniadi added: “Some of these kids have gone through hell. I’ve seen how unifying and healing it can be for them to narrate their experiences and express themselves.”
Follow Rashid Razaq on Twitter: @RashidRazaqES
