Damian Lewis

Damian Lewis is a name you should all come to know. He is an incredibly talented actor who has proved himself to be versatile in many different roles. Lewis comes from England, he actually lived on the famous Abbey Road. His American accent is so authentic however that you would never think that he comes from anywhere but the States.

I first saw Lewis in his role of Captain Winters in Band of Brothers. If you've read some of my previous posts then you can probably tell that I am a huge fan of Band of Brothers. I read that when the cast heard that Brit Lewis would be playing the hero Winters there was some question as to how he could pull it off. However when he sat down with them and spoke with his American accent no one questioned that he wasn't from the US. Lewis shines in this role and bought authenticity to Winters on screen. It was an incredibly powerful performance, my favourite of all the easy company men.

I then started reading about the show Homeland and thought I'd give it a shot. I watched the first season in three days and am now eagerly anticipating the second. In the show Lewis dons a uniform again as Sgt. Nicholas Brody, a Marine who has returned home after going missing in Iraq eight years earlier. Claire Danes plays Carrie Mathison, a CIA Agent who believes that Brody isn't the hero everyone is making him out to be. Although Lewis looks similar to Winters in this role, he couldn't be playing someone more different. Brody has a dark secret and perhaps Mathison is closer to the truth than she realises. If you haven't seen then show then I recommend you watch it. The writing is brilliant and the story constantly changes and keeps you guessing.

A friend of mine recommended I check out Life on Netflix. I managed to watch the two seasons within a week. Lewis plays Charlie Crews, a detective who was wrongly accused of murder and sent to prison for 12 years. The first episode follows him on his first day back on the force with new partner Dani Reese. Crews was awarded $50 million for his wrong conviction. He lives in a furniture-less mansion with ex-con Ted Earley, who he trusts with his finances. Crews goes through some beautiful cars in the show, one which is run over by a tractor, another which he gives away only to get it back painted in flowers. He then buys himself a Maserati, only to be forced to put bullets into it. The show follows Crews and Reese as they work on different homicide cases. Crews however is also doing his own hunt for the people who put him behind bars in the first place. Lewis' Crews is a lovable character who has a newfound love for fruit after spending 12 years without it. He is all about zen but 12 years in prison has taught him some particular skills, so don't get on his bad side. If you have Netflix check it out, it's really entertaining.

It's a shame they cancelled Life, but we now get to see Lewis in Homeland and so that's definitely a great compensation. I really enjoy seeing him in these different performances and can't wait to see what season two of Homeland brings, and to watch Lewis continue on what promises to be a spectacular career.