What's next for everyone's favorite angsty 'Homeland' teenager, Dana Brody?

Playing the ever-brooding Dana Brody, crowned by the Internet as one of TV's most-annoying characters, Morgan Saylor's job on Showtime's Homeland consisted mostly of pouting, sulking, crying, playing with her fingers during conversations and some more sulking. (We were always partial to brother Chris Brody, loyal Washington Wizards fan.)



But the 19-year-old, who says no plans are in place for her to appear on the fourth season of Homeland, is moving beyond her world of "ugh," recently snagging a role in the Manhattan Theatre Club's When We Were Young and Unafraid, which opened Tuesday. She's also starring in the upcoming Disney movie McFarland and Sundance-select Jamie Marks Is Dead.

She spoke to Vulture about life after graduating from her Atlanta-suburb high school and taking on her first play once she moved to New York.
"I knew theater was an option if I was here in New York, but I hadn't thought about it seriously until I saw this script. It really stood out — the story grabbed me and I loved Penny. But I had to work really hard to get the role."

She recalls being intimidated during auditions, and even when she booked the role, Saylor had to prove herself.
"They weren't sure if they wanted to hire me because I didn't have the theatrical way of playing a scene — I didn't speak loudly or clearly enough and I wasn't as consistent from take to take. So they said first I had to work with a vocal coach, Deborah Hecht. And I worked so hard on each thought and each moment."

And she gets slapped in the face every night of the show, which she wanted to be real. But then she was wisely told why that wasn't such a good idea.
"Everyone said you'd get a bruise across your face from doing it every night."