Claire Danes makes the wrong choice in new Audi commercial

The commercial, entitled The Smart Performer, follows a Sliding Doors-type of scenario where in one version Danes is driven to her destination by a chauffeur – the luxury option that will see her end up in jail. In the other – you’ll have guessed it by now - she steps into a Audi A6 TDI and arrives at her destination perfectly on time and relaxed.

“Since Claire is known mainly for her serious roles, we thought by shooting this digital short this would be a great opportunity for her to really show off her fun, comedic side as an actress. The director also let the cast improvise quite a bit and she played right along and was a pro with the whole shoot, even letting us throw her in jail,” Audi of America director of marketing, Loren Angelo said in an email to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The manufacturer got Funny or Die director Jordan Vogt-Roberts on board to direct the spot, which was shot over three days in North and South Carolina earlier this summer.

Season three of the hit series Homeland, in which Danes plays a CIA-agent with mental issues who fights against terrorist attacks, will debut in the US on 29 September a week later in the UK. The actress is currently in the midst of filming the last three episodes of the upcoming season.

“This wasn’t a huge leap for me imaginatively,” Danes herself told the WSJ, “however I had to experiment with a different tone and rhythms.

“It was a really welcome departure from what I’m currently in the midst of. I love our show and I’m so grateful for the work it affords me but it’s a grind and a half and the stakes are relentlessly high,” Danes said.