musings about the actor and the characters he brings to life
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!
I am sure that, by now, you have got to know me quite well. Yes, I’m a little bit (ok, ok more than a little bit) obsessed with Brody… All roads do not lead to Rome, they all lead to… yes, Bravo, to Brody!
SUMMER is here – a fabulous time of the year where life is typically more laid back than the rest of the year. And we at Fan Fun have come up with a couple of fun projects for summer! Here is one!
Today we are taking you back to December 2014 to re-visit Damian when he was Kirsty Young’s Castaway on BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs (DID).
Here’s the drill if you are not familiar with the program: The castaway comes having done his homework; with eight pieces of music — one of which he will choose as his favorite — plus a book and a luxury item that he will take to his island with him. You hear the music during the program accompanied with a story from the castaway about why he has chosen this particular piece. We focus on Damian’s selections today on the blog, and you can listen the entire Damian Lewis DID here and download it to listen on the go, too!
Today is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Human trafficking is nothing but modern day slavery. It is a multi-billion dollar crime industry where, according to The International Labor Organization estimates, 24.9 million people are deprived of their freedoms globally. What makes this even worse is that 1 in 4 of the victims are children.
Stolen is a harrowing TV drama, made in 2011 for BBC One, that focuses on the problem of child trafficking. Written by Stephen Butchard, directed by Justin Chadwick, and filmed in Manchester, the movie stars a number of very talented first-time child actors along with our own Damian Lewis. The movie received a BAFTA TV nomination for Best Single Drama in 2012.
Damian Lewis was already an internationally known actor before Homeland. Yet, Homeland brought him big stardom, made him a household name, and it turns out some manhandling in the streets, too! Damian talksa bit about his post-Homeland fame in an interview with Buzzfeed: “It can be aggressive, that kind of adulation… People can go a little bit crazy, so there’s quite a lot of manhandling in the streets. Now I know what it must have been like to be Brad Pitt for an entire lifetime, ever since he did that scene in Thelma and Louise where he took his top off — I’m straight and that scene did it for me as well.”
Hmmm… So… you sort of know you have made it when someone tries to… I don’t know… pinch you on the street? 😀 But, seriously, when do you really know your show or your character has really arrived?
“You live in despair for eight years; you can turn to religion, too. And, the King James Bible was not available.” – Nicholas Brody
I was born and raised in a secular family in Turkey, a country that is predominantly Muslim. That is, even though I am not religious myself, I am very familiar with the Islamic traditions, rituals and norms. I am obviously coming out of the culture and have been shaped by it in ways that I am probably not aware of 🙂 Thus, I thought it would be neat to talk about Nicholas Brody, my most favorite fictional character ever on small screen, and his Muslim faith, in celebration of Ramadan!
Now, I am not an expert, not even close, about Muslim characters on TV shows; however, even if there had been a popular Muslim character on TV before Brody came along, I just don’t think there is any way she or he could beat him on any popularity scale. Continue reading “Remembering Nicholas Brody and His Muslim Faith”