“Homeland” viewers who grew antsy last season when Nicholas Brody went missing aren’t alone: At least one of that show’s stars felt the same way. “I think some of that story had gotten a little tired,” concedes Morgan Saylor, 19, of all those episodes of teenage rebellion and angst she played as Brody’s daughter, Dana. As the show gears up for Season 4, she says, expect to see far less of the Brodys and more of Saylor elsewhere: The 19-year-old just made an impressive stage debut in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s “When We Were Young and Unafraid,” opposite Cherry Jones and Zoe Kazan. “I love reading scripts,” she says. “As soon as my agent sends them to me, I can’t wait to read them!”
Here’s what else she loved reading.
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
This was recommended to me by David Harewood, who played [CIA Deputy Director] David Estes in “Homeland.” He couldn’t believe I hadn’t read it, and when we were hanging out together in LA, he went out and bought me a copy. This version talks about what was going on in Shelley’s life when she wrote it and how it was created, so it’s a real treat.
Just Kids
by Patti Smith
I didn’t grow up listening to Patti Smith’s music or anything, but the title intrigued me, and once I started reading it, I fell in love with it. It’s inspiring to read how she went from being practically a hobo who moved to Brooklyn with nothing and went on to be a rock star, and it all happens over a few hundred pages.
Fool for Love and Other Plays
by Sam Shepard
I was turned onto this by Patti’s book — she talked about her relationship with Sam. One of the seven plays here, “Cowboy Mouth,” was written and performed by Patti and Sam when they were having an affair. Zoe Kazan lent me her copy. I think she worked on these plays in her acting class.
Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes
I think I got this at a garage sale when I was in the third grade. I’ve reread it over the past 10 years, and it always amazes me — how a crazy medical experiment helps Charlie go from being mentally challenged to being a genius. It always amazes me how well this is written, and it always touches me. I think it’s a masterpiece.