The Crush: Claire Danes

No one cries like Claire Danes. The Homeland actress is so good at welling up that a blog documenting her every on-screen tear has gone viral.

It even inspired a spoof on Saturday Night Live, in which Anne Hathaway did a wobbly-lipped impression of Carrie and someone declared: ‘Her whole face looks like it’s chewing gum.’

But Claire’s crying is not a joke to us: every time she gets sad on screen, we’re with her all the way. Our emotional attachment to the great Danes started back when Crush was an angsty teenager and her portrayal of 15-year-old Angela in My So-Called Life was, like, sooo us. Angela had a floppy-haired lover, a gay best friend and a velvet waistcoat. Swoon!

Since then, it was like Claire chose her roles especially for us — just when we were getting really FML she played Juliet to Leo’s Romeo; she was all indie at the same time we were in Igby Goes Down; and then there was her star turn in Shopgirl, which was funny because we’ve always had a thing for Steve Martin, too. Now Crush is a thirty-something professional struggling to navigate life, love and a career, EXACTLY like manic depressive CIA agent Carrie in Homeland. Pass the Kleenex — series three starts on Sunday.