Trivia

She turned down the role of Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic (1997) as she had just finished working with Leonardo DiCaprio on Romeo + Juliet (1996). Though she described working with him on that film as a "treat", she admitted in an interview later that if she had accepted the role in Titanic (1997), she would not have been able to get away from him.

Her letter of recommendation to Yale University was written by Oliver Stone, her director on U Turn (1997).

Was banned from the Philippines for making derogatory remarks about the country. The President of the Philippines condemned her publicly. (September 1998)

Completed two years at Yale University pursuing a psychology degree but never finished. (2002)

Has two sons with her husband Hugh Dancy: Cyrus Michael Christopher (b. December 17, 2012) and Rowan (b. August 27, 2018).

Auditioned and was the first choice for the role of Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic (1997).

Flew to Los Angeles for the casting of Schindler's List (1993), after she was discovered for the role in My So-Called Life (1994). Steven Spielberg finally gave her the role which she had to turn down, because they were not willing to give her tutoring in the Polish language.

Was eight months pregnant with her son Cyrus when she completed filming the second season of Homeland (2011). Returned to work five months after giving birth to her son Cyrus in order to begin filming the third season of Homeland (2011).

Baz Luhrmann, Danes' director for Romeo + Juliet (1996), referred to her as "the Meryl Streep of her generation".

Danes and her husband, Hugh Dancy, have both played characters with Asperger's syndrome; she in HBO's Temple Grandin (2010) and he in Adam (2009).

Is a certified scuba diver.

Has at least four songs written about her. The Ataris' "My So Called Life" (album: "Look Forward to Failure" EP), Size 14's "Claire Danes Poster" (self-titled album), "The Five Mile Line"'s "Claire Danes" ("Busride Home" demo) and "Claire Danes", a low-fi indi ballad by "John Parker Music" which was released on Subversive Records Limited in 2004.

Auditioned for the role of Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted (1999). The role went to Angelina Jolie which won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance.

The most frequently used title for articles about her has been "Great Danes".

Very close friends with actor Jason Schwartzman.

Engaged to Hugh Dancy as of February 2009. They met on the set of Evening (2007), and in September 2009 they married in France.

She and Billy Crudup became a couple during the filming of Stage Beauty (2004).

As of Fall 2008, the exclusive model for Gucci Jewelry, succeeding Drew Barrymore.

Danes grew up in SoHo, Manhattan with Zac Posen and Julia Stiles. Her mother, Carla Hall, an artist, ran a daycare center in their SoHo loft, called "Danes Tribe". Her father, Chris, is a computer consultant and photographer. She has one sibling, an older brother, Asa, who is a corporate lawyer. She began studying modern dance at the age of six. She played a duck in an avant-garde production involving stilt-walkers. By age 10, Danes was enrolled at Lee Strasberg's Theatre Institute and appeared in films by students attending the acting schools of New York and Columbia universities. For junior high, she briefly attended New York City Lab School from 1991-92 (Morena Baccarin was a classmate) but graduated from the Lycée Français (Los Angeles) in 1997 after her family relocated to California.

Is mentioned in the title segment of the series episode Fart Porn (2016).

She was considered for the title role in Lolita (1997), which went to Dominique Swain.

Was four months pregnant with her son Rowan when she completed filming the seventh season of Homeland (2011). Returned to work six months after giving birth to Rowan to begin filming the eighth season of Homeland (2011).

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. (1997)

She is of German, English, and smaller amounts of Irish, Northern Irish, Scottish, Croatian, and Polish descent.

Ranked #20 in Ask men's top 99 "most desirable" women for 2013.

Named Harvard University's 2012 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year on January 23, 2012.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) was the first film Danes did the DVD audio commentary for.

She was awarded the Nova Award at the 2007 Maui film Festival.

Is mentioned in actor Canyon Prince's song "Life" from his album "Live and Funked Up" (2003).

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6541 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 24, 2015.

Was in attendance at the wedding of Mamie Gummer to Benjamin Walker on July 16, 2011.

She welcomed a daughter with her husband Hugh Dancy in 2023.