Claire Danes channeled a "weird" incident with her friend Gaby Hoffmann for Primal "Fleishman" Scream

[Editor's Note: The following story contains spoilers for FX and Hulu's "Fleishman Is in Trouble".]

Claire Danes tapped into a primal moment in her 20s to raise this heartbreaking cry on FX Episode 7 and Hulu's "Fleishman Is in Trouble."

The limited series, adapted by Taffy Brodesser-Akner from her own novel, just wrapped its eight-episode run this week. But TV Twitter chatted last week when, with Episode 7, Brodesser-Akner and his team flipped the script on what had previously been a series mostly about Toby Fleishman's (Jesse Eisenberg) free fall amid divorce and of the disappearance of his wife Rachel (Danish).

Danes was largely absent from Episodes 1-6, save for flashbacks to her first courtship with Dr. Toby Fleishman and moments of bitterness and resentment that set their New York marriage tony on fire. But in Episode 7, it's revealed that Rachel, a seemingly steely agent who we thought was just running away from her husband and children, actually suffered a nervous breakdown related to the trauma of her first pregnancy.

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After being found on a sweaty park bench holding a bagel, a now-ebullient Rachel recounts the events leading up to her disappearance to series narrator Libby (Lizzy Caplan). That included a now-viral moment at a yoga retreat with her post-breakup fling, Sam Rothberg (Josh Stamberg). There, a masseur asks him to let out a primal and cathartic cry channeling all his rage.

The two-time "Homeland" Emmy winner is no stranger to playing women with debilitating mental illnesses, as this Showtime series demonstrates. And as Danes recently said, she tapped into a "weird" encounter in her twenties to deliver this barbaric "Fleishman" yawn.

"I remember one time when I was in my early twenties – it's a weird story – but I was playing a board game at Gaby Hoffmann's house, she's a very dear friend and the a friend of his from college was pretty annoying. . He was just disruptive for fun," Danes said. "And something happened where I just looked at him and yelled. I didn't protest. It was just this animal cry. And once it happened, I was like, 'Oh, I think I just have to commit to it.' so inappropriate and I don't know why it happened, but it did. I think it probably helped me because I surprisingly had a point of reference for it.

"The scream I really enjoyed. The scream didn't worry me much because when can you do it? It's like, not a thing," Danes added. It's not one of those scenes that you're going to compare to another version. I love his baldness. I also like the way it is put together. That she is completely resistant; she laughs nervously. She works very hard to escape and avoid him. And then it allows this kind of insane catharsis."

Danes is now nominated for Supporting Actress honors at the Critics Choice and Golden Globe awards for her performance - and no doubt for this particular episode.

Read IndieWire's review of "Fleishman Is in Trouble" here.

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