Category: Wolf Hall

Happy Birthday, Henry VIII: Revisiting Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall

“Henry VIII is a monster, but he’s our monster. No other nation has a king who had six wives and cut the heads off two. We’re perversely proud of Henry.” – Hilary Mantel

source: BBC
source: BBC

Welcome to year 1535! In the most delightful deleted scene in Wolf Hall,  King Henry declares his age to the women in Thomas Cromwell’s household: “45 in June…”

Well, Henry is 528 years old today and popular as ever — to quote Damian Lewis:

“Henry, as a brand, is right up there with Coca Cola!”

I don’t think anyone can deny the recent contributions of Hilary Mantel’s brilliant work Wolf Hall & Bring up the Bodies — the books, the play and the TV drama to Henry’s as well as Tudors’ popularity in general! We have recently got word that Mantel is finally finishing The Mirror and The Light, the third and final installment of her Thomas Cromwell series. And BBC has already confirmed they will adapt The Mirror and The Light  as a sequel to the Golden-Globe winning Wolf Hall. We are hoping Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance will resume their roles as Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, respectively, in the new mini-series.

And now, in celebration of King Henry’s birthday, it is my utmost pleasure to re-visit the most memorable Henry moments in Wolf Hall TV Drama.

Long Live the King! Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Henry VIII: Revisiting Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall”

Damian Lewis Created a Monster

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I’ll admit to not being the most educated person. I spent most of high school just trying to pass the time and get out with a diploma. I wasn’t a bad student, but when you decide on beauty school in your sophomore year, suddenly AP History and three hours a night of homework seem kind of like a waste of time. And I certainly didn’t spend my two study halls a day reading up on history, math or science. Now, as an adult, I am revisiting these subjects with a newly-found appreciation. I am learning things as a 36 year old woman that most people learn in high school. The history of The Tudors has been my newest interest, and I have Wolf Hall to thank for opening me up to something new. Continue reading “Damian Lewis Created a Monster”

Following Footsteps of Damian in London

Taking inspiration from Vicky’s fun retelling of walking in the footsteps of Milo Shakespeare, here’s me walking in some of the footsteps taken by Damian in his home town. Enjoy!

Gotta love it when a passing thought from one post leads to an entire new fully-fleshed-out post. I had remarked, during my two-week tour in London, I was reminded often of places I’d seen Damian in images and film. In particular, when I was walking from Shakespeare’s Globe west towards Blackfriars Bridge along the Thames Path I looked down to the river and saw the moss covered walls where Damian and Helen leaned and loafed for a photoshoot, as well as the pier under which Hector made a phone call in Our Kind of Traitor.

That bit of Proustian mind-wandering lead Damianista to the thought, “Hey, why not do a post where we follow along in Damian’s footsteps throughout London?” “Isn’t that a bit stalkery?” I worried. “Nah,” we both concluded. Happily, Damian knows we are the most harmless variety of stalkers he could ever have. So, here it is, a catalog of all the places and sites where we “saw” Damian, characters he’s played, and stories he’s been a part of in his beloved home town.

Continue reading “Following Footsteps of Damian in London”

“Discovering” Damian Lewis through His Better Half: Martina and Heather’s Stories

Hello everyone! Damianista welcomes you to a NEW Fan Story Tuesday!

Most of us joined Damian Lewis fandom after seeing him in one of his major roles such as Major Winters in Band of Brothers or Nicholas Brody in Homeland. Sure, there are others that “found” him in less likely situations, say, when he played Laertes to Ralph Fiennes’ Hamlet on Broadway 22 years ago or when he hosted Have I Got New for You! And, today, we have two fans who noticed our favorite actor through his better half, beautiful and ridiculously talented Helen McCrory! So, without further ado, here is Martina and Heather sharing with us how they became Damian fans through Helen. ENJOY!

Continue reading ““Discovering” Damian Lewis through His Better Half: Martina and Heather’s Stories”

Following the Footsteps of our Resident Londoner

Gotta love it when a passing thought from one post leads to an entire new fully-fleshed-out post. I had remarked, during my two-week tour in London, I was reminded often of places I’d seen Damian in images and film. In particular, when I was walking from Shakespeare’s Globe west towards Blackfriars Bridge along the Thames Path I looked down to the river and saw the moss covered walls where Damian and Helen leaned and loafed for a photoshoot, as well as the pier under which Hector made a phone call in Our Kind of Traitor.

That bit of Proustian mind-wandering lead Damianista to the thought, “Hey, why not do a post where we follow along in Damian’s footsteps throughout London?” “Isn’t that a bit stalkery?” I worried. “Nah,” we both concluded. Happily, Damian knows we are the most harmless variety of stalkers he could ever have. So, here it is, a catalog of all the places and sites where we “saw” Damian, characters he’s played, and stories he’s been a part of in his beloved home town.

Continue reading “Following the Footsteps of our Resident Londoner”