Popular TV show 'Homeland' scouting for Israeli actors

Dozens of Israeli actors have recently auditioned for a role on the sixth season of the hit TV series "Homeland," Israel Hayom has learned.

Cast Israel, an Israeli nonprofit organization that promotes Israeli actors abroad, has been actively involved in the scouting process on behalf of the show's producers, and it appears that most of the Israelis will play the roles of Mossad agents when the shows returns on Jan. 15, 2017.

According to Cast Israel, two Israeli women will play Mossad agents operating in Arab countries who mask their identity by working as call girls. Another Israeli will be cast as a Mossad technician. The producers want Israelis to play other nationalities as well: a Palestinian police officer, an Emirati cab driver who is actually a Mossad agent, and a successful Iranian entrepreneur.

The first season of "Homeland" was adapted from the Israeli series "Prisoners of War," with actor Claire Danes playing the role of a CIA case officer who suspects a former American captive is planning a major attack on his country. The following seasons focused on Danes' troubled relations with the CIA, even as she continued to hunt down terrorists. Parts of the show's second season were filmed in Israel, with many Israelis serving as extras.

The casting, much like the CIA operations depicted in the series, is shrouded in secrecy. All of the Israelis who participated in the auditions were asked to sign nondisclosure agreements, as did their agents, which means there is no way of telling which Israelis will appear on screen.

This is not the first time Israelis have been scouted for the Golden Globe-winning series but it appears that this time, Israelis will have a more high-profile role. Filming for these scenes is set to take place between Oct. 14 and 21 in Morocco.