Even though German actor René Ifrah played the terrorist Bibi in "Homeland" season 5, Ifrah still tried to find a moral ground for his character because he strongly believes that each person has some good in them.
"Every person, regardless of how loathsome they may seem, is a person and another human being," he told Design & Trend.
However, Ifrah did acknowledge that "it's particularly hard when you're asked to play a character that represents the hard and difficult-to-digest points of view we see represented today with the most horrific consequences imaginable."
To recall, Bibi is a jihadist leader who planned on killing thousands of innocent people using Sarin gas. He led a group of jihadists, including his own cousin, to do the atrocious act. When his cousin had a change of heart and tried to stop him, Bibi chose to murder him instead.
To understand why his character would go to such evil depths, Ifrah tried to ask himself - maybe Bibi was acting out of hurt or revenge? Or maybe he is just completely blinded by his cause?
Whatever the case, he was glad that "Homeland" piqued people's curiosities about the characters' inner turmoil.
"We can come to our own conclusions about what we think is right or wrong and how we want to live. Even if we disagree with a particular point of view, if art raises questions (and) forces us to confront ourselves, it did its job," he said.
"Homeland" did that successfully during season 5, and he feels very grateful to be a part of a show that delivers brave storytelling.
According to Ifrah, "Homeland" was able to infuse relevant issues and give it a tinge of drama. He raved that "Homeland" is the only show that is "so ahead of the curve on global security issues with an immediacy not remotely approached by any other show."
What he appreciates about the narrative is how it helps people deal with the alarming news that greets them day in and day out.
"I think shows like this can help people process some of the scary and horrific things they are bombarded with. Constantly being fed information about things we seem (to) not be in control of can be overpowering," he admitted.
"I'm not claiming a show like 'Homeland' can fill that information gap, but all drama at its best deals with moral themes that can seem utterly overwhelming and insurmountable to the individual," he added.
