Mandy Patinkin of Showtime’s ‘Homeland’ and Creators Lead Program at 9/11 Museum

Revealing behind the scenes details of the thrilling drama, “Homeland,” Tony Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin and show creators Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon spoke last night to a packed auditorium at the 9/11 Museum.

The speakers emphasized that extensive research is behind the success of the show, which balances entertainment with its realistic portrayal of a post-9/11 world steeped in espionage and terrorism. “Homeland” writers routinely travel to Washington, D.C. to interview intelligence officers, White House staffers and journalists to understand hot-button issues surrounding counter-terrorism efforts.

The “Homeland” creators first traveled to Washington, D.C. for research before the show premiered in October 2011.

“A lot of intelligence officers give us grief on how much we get wrong, but they are very kind when they say we get the spirit of these people correct,” Gansa said. “And the spirit is that they are incredibly patriotic and that they really do want to keep us from getting hit again.”

Patinkin was in New York on 9/11 but he had not returned to the site of the attacks until he toured the 9/11 Memorial Museum before the program. He was struck by the exhibition space, which brought back memories of how New York, and the world, came together after the attacks.

“My wonderment as I walk through this museum and relive these memories is does it take an event like this to bring us together?” he asked. “And if that’s what it takes, then we have some distance to go as a people.”

“Homeland” will return to Showtime for a sixth season on Jan. 15, 2017. To learn more about upcoming public programs at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, visit our website here.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

UPDATE: Clip from Homeland: TV in the Post-9/11 World