Claire Danes’ parents kept her down to earth

Claire Danes has praised her parents for keeping her “feet on the ground”.

The award-winning actress began her career in teen drama My So-Called Life and has since landed countless successful roles, notably her turn as CIA agent Carrie Mathison in drama TV Homeland.

But Claire hasn’t let her fame go to her head – crediting the support of her mother and father, Carla and Christopher, for keeping her grounded.

“I have to credit my parents for keeping my feet on the ground,” she told Candis magazine. “They weren’t stage parents by any means – I was the one interested in this career, not them – but they didn’t try to intervene, or keep me from doing it either. But they were also very concerned that I remained safe in this very demanding, potentially scary industry, so they were always with me on sets, checking to make sure I was OK.”

They also made sure she went to college, something the 38-year-old is extremely grateful for, even if she did end up dropping out after two years.

Claire still lives in her hometown of New York today and now has her own family with husband Hugh Dancy and their son Cyrus, born in 2012. The couple met while shooting their 2007 movie Evening and have managed to keep their marriage relatively private over the years.

“We’re not as infatuated with each other as we were when we first met, and thank God because that’s just exhausting!” Claire laughed. “But I really love being married to Hugh. We are each other’s best friends, and our trust in each other is deepening as we go along. We’re very supportive of each other professionally and personally. I feel safer with Hugh than I ever have with anyone, and that allows me to give more energy to other things, like my job.”