How That Brief Cut to Brody’s Expression Did It: Nancy’s Story

Hello, everyone! Welcome to a new Fan Story Tuesday!

We have said time and again this blog has been a very rewarding experience and one major reward has been the beautiful friendships we have built over the almost two and a half years that we have been live. And Nancy is no exception. She and I “met” on Twitter and clicked almost immediately. And even though we “met” through our admiration for our favorite guy, an introduction to Nancy requires a mention of another guy whom you all probably know and admire, too: Roger Federer. Now, Nancy is a big Damian Lewis fan and you will truly love her story. Having said that she is first and foremost a Roger Federer fan. She does not only follow Roger’s career very closely but has also been extremely lucky to see some of his most important championships! And, yes, Nancy has a lovely big smile but I do not know if she ever smiled bigger than in this picture.

Nancy, I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to have met you and we cannot thank you enough for sharing your fan story with us. Cheers!

Homeland, Season 1, Episode 1. My husband, daughter, and I were mesmerized by this refreshingly different and emotionally evocative show. I was immediately drawn to Carrie and once again blown away by Claire Danes’ talent. Carrie’s intensity and commitment were the most compelling part of the show.

And then there was Brody. I honestly didn’t know what to think and, although I knew that Damian Lewis was a British actor, I wasn’t familiar with his work. The scenes (I don’t recall which episodes) that caused the light bulb to switch on are related to Richard Ermitage’s performance as Lucas North in “Spooks.” After eight years in a Russian prison, Lucas couldn’t sleep in a bed, hit his pillow, and wound up on the floor; there were horrifying flashbacks to water boarding. Because “Spooks” is one of my all-time favorite shows, I related to the sense of being completely alone in a familiar yet completely strange “normal” world. I became so caught up in the characters and story lines, that I don’t recall giving much thought to how incredibly talented and compelling Damian is; the way he becomes his character; and his ability to hold his own with and be the perfect foil to Claire Danes’ Carrie. I loved the show and was thrilled when Claire and Damian won the Emmy. (I also have a major girl crush on Claire.)

The moment when I realized that I was witnessing a major talent: I watched the first episode of Homeland again after we knew that Brody had, in fact, been turned. That last scene, when Brody stopped jogging and looked at the Capitol Building.

I missed it the first time, but now saw the subtle expression on Brody’s face and the look in his eyes. I knew; it had been right there in front of me, but now I knew. That brief cut to Brody’s expression: an acting tour de force by the one and only Damian Lewis.

That was when I began looking for everything he’d been in and watching whatever I could stream or get on DVD. At that time, I was suffering from severe lung problems and couldn’t do much more than lie in bed and stream TV shows on my laptop or TV. I’m doing a lot better these days, but the silver lining of that time was finding some great TV shows (mostly British). I found “Life” … a joy!

I’d missed “Band of Brothers” when it was first released: we didn’t have HBO and I was also working 60+ hour weeks (the life of a litigator). I started watching it and, after the first episode, told my husband that he had to watch it with me. We were simply blown away by Damian’s performance. In my opinion, “Band of Brothers” is the best or one of the very best miniseries ever made for television and I attribute that in large part to Damian’s performance.

Damian stood out but obviously didn’t try to usurp the limelight from the amazing ensemble cast. I can’t overstate how unbelievably great his performance was and my admiration for Spielberg and Hanks increased because they cast him in that role. Even though I was already a fan when I started watching “Band of Brothers,” Damian’s performance has stuck with me even more than his portrayal of Brody. I transformed from fan to absolute devotion.

My mother grew up during the Great Depression and whenever a classic was shown on TV, she’d have me watch it, so I grew up on great films from the 30’s and 40’s. I did the same with my daughter – passing on the legacy my mom had given me. I love film and am thrilled by the quality TV we now have. I greatly appreciate art in its many forms and have the utmost admiration for artists as well as athletes, those who make the impossible look easy. Of course this applies 1,000 fold to Roger Federer, who is forever my number one and who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and watching play live, including being on Charter when he won the French Open in 2009. Damian is the Roger Federer, the Keith Richards, the Beethoven, the Monet of acting. He resides with true virtuosos and I’m incredibly grateful for the gifts he has given me through his craft and talent.

Author: Damianista

Academic, Traveler, Blogger, Runner, Theatre Lover, Wine Snob, Part-time New Yorker, and Walking Damian Lewis Encyclopedia :D Procrastinated about a fan's diary on Damian Lewis for a while and the rest is history! View all posts by Damianista