Damian Lewis in The Silent Storm

I wrote about Norman Harris, probably the most romantic Damian Lewis character, two weeks ago here. And as I was thinking about kind and caring Norman, I was also thinking about Damian’s versatility that he does not have a “screen persona” and he can play any character that comes his way. And I asked myself a question: What Damian Lewis character is the anti-thesis of Norman Harris? Well, the answer came to me in the form of the stern Presbyterian minister Balor McNeil.

source: The Times

Have you seen The Silent Storm yet?

The Silent Storm is slow. It is heavy. It is intense. And, lucky me, that is exactly how I like my movies. So the movie, with powerful performances by two seasoned actors (Damian Lewis and Andrea Riseborough) and a brilliant new comer (Ross Anderson) coupled with the stunning island scenery and psalms sung a capella speaks to me just right. And here is my take on the movie, without any major spoilers, studying Damian’s character more than anything else. Continue reading “Damian Lewis in The Silent Storm”

Billions Homeland Crossover Fanfic: Somebody That I Used to Know

Summer seems to be the time when showrunners are heads-down working on writing next season’s episodes. Seems it may also be the time when those of us awaiting those stories can make up some of our own. I made up the following story last year when we were waiting for Billions Season 2. Enjoy!

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, neither of these characters, nor their history, real or imagined, not the coffee they share, nor New York City, their current home.

collage1

Continue reading “Billions Homeland Crossover Fanfic: Somebody That I Used to Know”

Paul Reynolds : Lizzie Thomas :: Bobby Axelrod : Wendy Rhoades

Of all the compelling themes in Billions, perhaps the most compelling is the relationship between Bobby Axelrod and Wendy Rhoades. We’ve all explored it as some point whenever we’ve talked about Billions. Damianista did a two-part treatise on the relationship between Bobby and Wendy: Part I, Part II. Bookworm saw the story of Peter Pan in them: Fly Away, Fly Away. I focused on their revelatory therapy session in “Magical Thinking”  and imagined their back story as a fanfic: Rubble. Suffice it to say, the relationship has provoked a lot of thought.

Damian took part in a project that focused on a relationship very similar to Bobby and Wendy’s, many years prior to and a continent away from the world of Billions. That film, BBC’s Friends and Crocodiles, centered on a similarly charged platonic relationship between a vibrant man and the practical hard-working woman who could never leave his side, despite herself.  Written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, Friends and Crocodiles was an ambitious production exploring such lofty themes as class, creativity and navigation of British socioeconomic trends over several decades. It was also primarily focused on the possibilities within the passionately-felt work relationship between Paul Reynolds and Lizzie Thomas. Paul and Lizzie, in a way precursors of Bobby Axelrod and Wendy Rhoades, foretold the intricacies of creating and dramatizing such a relationship on screen. (For an excellent recap of the film, refer to Damianista’s TBT summary.)

I’ve alluded to the analogy of Paul and Lizzie to Bobby and Wendy fleetingly in some of my previous posts on Billions. Now, read on as I venture a bit deeper into the comparison. Continue reading “Paul Reynolds : Lizzie Thomas :: Bobby Axelrod : Wendy Rhoades”

“Discovering” Damian Lewis through His Better Half: Martina and Heather’s Stories

Hello everyone! Damianista welcomes you to a NEW Fan Story Tuesday!

Most of us joined Damian Lewis fandom after seeing him in one of his major roles such as Major Winters in Band of Brothers or Nicholas Brody in Homeland. Sure, there are others that “found” him in less likely situations, say, when he played Laertes to Ralph Fiennes’ Hamlet on Broadway 22 years ago or when he hosted Have I Got New for You! And, today, we have two fans who noticed our favorite actor through his better half, beautiful and ridiculously talented Helen McCrory! So, without further ado, here is Martina and Heather sharing with us how they became Damian fans through Helen. ENJOY!

Continue reading ““Discovering” Damian Lewis through His Better Half: Martina and Heather’s Stories”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis in The Baker

“Everybody deserves a second chance.” — Milo Shakespeare

Damian recently tweeted about a movie idea his brother Gareth has that we can all help to make it happen!

What this means, in a nutshell, is that a Lewis brothers collaboration may be on the horizon if Gareth Lewis is able to get The Money Run funded through an indiegogo campaign and have a script written. If The Money Run becomes a movie, Gareth will direct it and Damian will star in it.

Well, do you need another reason to back Gareth’s indiegogo campaign? Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis in The Baker”