Author: JaniaJania

TOP Damian Lewis Moments 2017: Philanthropy

What’s the key to happiness? Gratitude. And what’s the key to gratitude? Giving! The great irony of genuine heartfelt philanthropy is that, at its core, it’s just about the most selfish thing one can do. It feeds the soul in ways that nothing else can. And it’s a self-fulfilling cycle: with more giving, comes more gratitude. Really, for most people with beating hearts, after a certain age, when you’re surrounded by all the “stuff”, all the trappings of comfort and warmth, the richest luxury is to able to give some of it back, to your community, to causes you care about.

It seems Damian, in his myriad charitable and philanthropic pursuits, has figured out that formula well. You’ve heard about several of these pursuits already, from his relationship with the Sohana Research Fund to Soccer Match for Grenfell. Here are a few more pieces of evidence that Damian doesn’t take any of his success for granted and gives with all his heart whenever and whereever he can.

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An Englishman in New York 2017 Edition

Contrary to prior seasons spent on our side of the pond, Damian seems to have spent these months of filming season 3 of Billions in New York hard at work. In between takes, he’s been jetting back home just as soon as wheels are able to leave tarmac. He doesn’t have the family with him this year, so he’s very much a commuter.

Thus, not many views of bike rides thru Central Park nor many sightings in various theater productions or sipping lattes curbside, nor papp captures out and about at parties, award shows, and whatnot. Which leaves us to guess that this season filming Billions has been all work and no play for Damian. Either that or he has integrated so seamlessly into the fabric of New York that seeing him around no longer warrants a gawk and not-so-surreptitious selfie. Or he’s invented a clever disguise? Or New Yorkers are themselves heads down in the muck that life has become for anyone who keeps up with the news, so much so they don’t notice the flashes of beauty still walking amongst them.

Whatever the case may be, the paucity of sightings can’t deter us from compiling what has now become an annual tradition: a visit with our Englishman in New York, 2017 edition.

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Somebody That I Used to Know –
Billions Homeland Crossover

How interminable this wait for our favorite Showtime series, Billions, to start! And Homeland too, for me. Here’s a bit of fiction I dreamed up of worlds colliding. Enjoy!

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Damian Lewis as Soames Forsyte

Strange to talk about a series that happened over 10 years ago, but discussing Damian Lewis’ oeuvre without touching on Soames Forsyte and the Forsyte Saga would just be incomplete. Gentle Means, the lovely fanfic we recently published from our talented guest blogger, Mel, got this character back front and center in my mind.

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source: Granada Television/WGBH

Imagine if you will, a 30 year old actor just returned from completing his first “Hollywood” venture, the most expensive series ever produced and shown on HBO, Band of Brothers. It was a hit! Everyone wants him! Everyone wants him to come back over the pond and play….another soldier. Word has it,  that Damian was offered a role in Blackhawk Down and turned it down to stay in England and play Soames Forsyte. One may speculate he told the casting folks that he can’t do it but his good friend and fellow Eton-ite Ewan MacGregor might be free. 🙂 Of course, Blackhawk Down was a great film, but, boy, we’re glad Damian said no. Continue reading “Damian Lewis as Soames Forsyte”

A Lesson in Rhetoric: Damian Lewis as Antony

To be filed in the category of “This is a guy who makes you want to go back to school”, we just learned and reported (on our lovely sister site damian-lewis.com) that Damian’s version of Antony’s funeral speech from Julius Caesar, for The Guardian’s video series Shakespeare Solos, was featured in a seminar on rhetoric. This wasn’t an avenue for literary criticism or drama theory, but a newsletter on effective public speaking.

How is speaking any different from writing and reading, you may wonder? Well, there are components to classical rhetoric, when dissected, can show you what makes one speech different from another. Such an analysis would reach your brain (or at least attempt to). Alternatively, we can talk about how a speech makes you feel. Granted we’re not seeing much great oratory from our current elder statesmen, so examples are few and far between. But, there was a time, wasn’t there? In our not too distant history, when a leader spoke, it did a heart good to hear, didn’t it?

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