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.

After Federer’s 50th ATP Master Series Championship, Cincinnati 2007, copyright: Nancy

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!

source: Showtime

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.

source: Showtime

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.)

source: abc.com

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.

source: Showtime

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!

source: fanpop.jpg

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.

source: denofgeek.com

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!

4 thoughts on “How That Brief Cut to Brody’s Expression Did It: Nancy’s Story”

  1. Thank you for sharing your fan story with us, Nancy. I quite enjoyed it! I am a huge fan of Damian’s role in Life. One of my favorite characters he’s played.

  2. love it! beautiful story! one of the greatest fan lines ever: “I transformed from fan to absolute devotion”. And could not agree more with “Damian is the Roger Federer, the Keith Richards, the Beethoven, the Monet of acting.” And a million dollar smile really, so sweet, lucky you!

  3. Fantastic story! Thanks again so very much for taking the time to share your story with us, Nancy!

    Many of us are in this second wave of Damian Lewis fans through “Homeland.” And it is fascinating how we all have different moments where Damian does his magic and makes us fans for life. Your moment is when he stops jogging and looks at the Capitol building when you come back to that scene after you know Brody turned. It seems it has taken more time for me to know he was THE ONE. Second Season, Episode 5, Q & A: close-up theatre where Carrie breaks Brody — and then I was at the point of no return. Who the hell is this guy? And the rest is history 😀

    The fact that Damian did Band of Brothers a decade before Homeland alone is mind-blowing to me. How mature an actor he is as Dick Winters and he is barely 30! Well, what can I say other than he has it at a different level? YES, he is the Roger Federer of acting – and coming from you…. it means 1000 fold than anybody else saying it! Much much love! <3

  4. “Damian is the Roger Federer, the Keith Richards, the Beethoven, the Monet of acting.”

    So well said, and I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for sharing your fan story 😀

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