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.
The folks of Billions had their first table read in September, and that was, apparently, the time to throw back some Billions-worthy whiskey in celebration. Cast were seen imbibing in Michter’s limited-production whiskeys, including the rare $5,000-plus-per-bottle “Celebration Sour Mash,” which you may remember played a role in an episode of Billions last year. Read more here.
October seems to have been the month with the most sightings. Early in the month, Damian did manage to get some NY theater in, a musical this time. Instagammer stylesfour spotted him in the audience for The Band’s Visit at Ethel Barrymore Theater.
We know our guy likes to get and stay physical. So what’s a crisp fall day without a bike ride? Some ladies from Montreal captured him flying about on two wheels.
Also in October, Damian had a night to spare for the opera.
https://twitter.com/kristaevans/status/926422436744253440
What’s an Englishman away from his National Theatre to do? Why, see a travelling production of his National Theater in New York of course. Damian had a bit of a reunion with fellow Londoner and cast-mate from The Goat, Sophie Okonedo, at the October 24 staging of People Places and Things at St Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BanfuCsgvx0/?tagged=damianlewis.
Long-time friend Anna Wintour hosted an after party where we learned that the starring role in this production was played by Denise Gough, who happened to be understudy for Helen McCrory in As You Like It when she and Damian were dating. Small world!
Speaking of reunions, Damian reconnected with one of the writers of Band of Brothers, John Orloff, in “upstate New York farm country.”
Well this was a surprise in upstate New York farm country! pic.twitter.com/9YMLumlqri
— John Orloff (@johnorloff) October 29, 2017
While upstate, Damian was caught by an interpid movie guy, Lights Camera Jackson, at the Film Columbia Festival in Chatham NY.
You never know who you're going to meet at #filmcolumbia. Last night it was Emmy-winner @lewis_damian, far from his Homeland. Great guy! pic.twitter.com/rdVGJFKEzK
— LightsCameraJackson (@LCJReviews) October 29, 2017
Finally, November revealed some great behind the scenes shots of Damian filming with his cast mates.
We saw as-ever impeccably accessorized Wendy and Axe in blue having a pleasant walk and talk.
Then bundled up Lara and Axe braved the chill for their own tete-a-tete, sans smiles.
The arctic freeze seemed to have lifted when Dollar Bill drops his drawers in the middle of the sidewalk outside a parking garage in front of an apparently distraught Axe. Natural assumption is that Bill’s disrobing is meant to exhibit his non-wired up loyality. We’ll have to wait and see! Then Axe looks for signs of rain or snow (or pigeons?).
Latest is a share from Rob Morrow, Billions’ Adam, with Bobby and Wags. The suit and manicured coiffure? Either Damian is headed to a party or Bobby is headed to court, you decide!
#Billions Bad Boys Be Brilliant #DavidCostabile @lewis_damian @sho_billions pic.twitter.com/125LCrM3hY
— Rob Morrow (@RobMorrow_) December 6, 2017
Wherever filming vans are parked, fans get photos. Here’s Damian with a fan in Chelsea:
Another fan on her way to the movies:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaU5zCBlosg/?tagged=damianlewis.
This run-in made good fodder for dinner conversation with the kids for this fan.
@lewis_damian thank you for the chance to take a pic! Billions are great and was a chat of the dinner with my son! pic.twitter.com/2xccOXhUHy
— FuadM (@Dadofgreatkids) November 18, 2017
And last but not least, our very own uber fan Damianista.
Whether Damian’s tweet to British Airways was sincere or evidence of knife-edged Brit sarcasm, we don’t know.
Thank you @britishairways for one charming experience after another as I fly back and forth to NY. Always friendly and helpful.
— Damian Lewis (@lewis_damian) October 22, 2017
We do know he stays seated politely in coach, in time to be captured by a giddy fan, till the airline bumps him up a class.
You know, looking back over this post now that it’s all done, it seems Damian’s pretty predictable. And low key. A bit of sports, a bit of theater, a bit of hanging with friends, graciousness towards fans, working hard. Just like last year and the year before. Could it possibly be? He’s just a regular guy living a regular life? Nah.
No word yet on when Billions Season 3 will start, but color us giddy with the prospect of having this Englishman back our screens!
Thanks, Jania for the fun companion to my morning coffee! Is Damianista holding out on us? Or do I just not recall seeing this pic before?
Love the airline photos but that doesn’t look like coach seating of MY experience.
I’m so excited I’ve already got my tickets for The Bands Visit in April.
It’s so nice the way Damian accommodates his many fans.
Big thanks go to JaniaJania for putting Damian’s recent NYC adventures together! And how nice you are reading Fan Fun with your coffee in hand! You know what? I just did the same thing. Well, close… I had tea instead of coffee 🙂
I’m so excited I have tickets for The Band’s Visit for… next week! I will report back! 🙂 I also saw People, Places, and Things. Best play I saw in a while. No wonder Denise Gough got the Olivier with it. Incredible play, even better acting and crazy good set design.
I had shared the pic only on Twitter since there was no post accompanying it. It was a very very brief meeting mid-October but now that I am thinking I may write a paragraph or two about it sometime in the near future. It could be fun!
Oh my bad (shame face). Of course thank you Jania, your great work is not taken for granted!
I’m going to look into People Placement etc. on your recommendation!
Your bad? Where did it come from? Nothing’s bad, all is good <3
I think People, Places, and Things has already closed 🙁 It came from London only for an extremely limited run. But the actress, Denise Gough, will be in Angels in America on Broadway in the spring. And Mark Rylance is returning to Broadway in Farinelli and The King! Ed Harris will also be in a play with Amy Madigan but I can't remember the name of the play. Let me know when you are coming to NY, who knows maybe we will overlap, spring is my busiest at school since I am teaching more in spring than in fall but who knows? 🙂
I thought I hadn’t thanked Jania but I had. Getting old is a bitch.
Thanks Lina! I was wondering about those coach pics too, but it’s an international flight, so world of difference! Coach is actually pretty comfy on some international flights. And first class..forget about it! Pure luxury.
I’ve caught the theater bug too from Damianista (not to mention from Damian!) and reading up on the must-sees. We get some of the good shows out here is rustic PNW and I’m about thisclose to splurging on season tickets. Looking forward to when my daughter is a bit older and more appreciative of grown-up stories. We can make it a thing we do together.
I believe the plane pics were from Virgin Airlines. Have you ever flown Virgin? Once our UA flight from London was cancelled and we made a scene because we had to work the following day and they put us on a Virgin flight. OMG. Both the seats, the food and the service in economy class were incredible! And this was back in 2005!
Love the theater talk! 🙂 My one real splurge in life!
It be something to cherish, you and your daughter. Saw my first EVER theater production with my daughter, the Nutcracker. And then saw my first ever NEW YORK production with my daughter, the Angry Inch.
We have a good regional theater Indianapolis; Chicago is 3 hrs away but here in rural Florida it’s a community theater wasteland. No, I lie the Hippodrome in Gainesville is good. They’re pros. I’ve lived in the SF Bay Area. The ACT was good but Broadway…… there’s a reason they make (and I pay) the big bucks!
Oh, we have an ACT in Seattle too. Never been to it. Same here, bigger Broadway shows. And we have several combination venues for music, shows, and readings. My local fav for theater though is Seattle Rep. Cozy, great crowd. Just saw The Humans recently. Loved it! And community theater here is not too bad. Saw a local production of Into the Woods recently…fun!
Damian always great and kind to share pics and time with fans and colleagues! 🙂 I imagine Damian cycling listening to Sting…
Haha. I LOVE THIS! An Englishman in New York is cycling and listening to “An Englishman in New York” 😀
I didn’t get the connection at all! Very clever, Eli and Damianista
Thank you! That is how we came up with the title of our now traditional “An Englishman in New York” series 😀 One of my favorite Sting songs!
….and my tweet back when we first saw him walking around New York with a hedge funder book in his hand. Hehe. (some of the best ideas come from impulsive tweets :))
Wow it seems we both did similar tweets back in January 2015! We did not even know each other back then. It was meant to be ❤️❤️❤️ I will try to find them but they are probably hard to locate!
You’re probably right. You know nit-picky me. You have a much better head for dates than I do, that’s for sure. (I don’t even know when exactly we met!)
The blog started on January 5 in fact just a few weeks before they started shooting Billions. I think we met sometime in February on Twitter and the rest is history