A Young Girl Reads The Forsyte Saga in Prague: Veronica’s Story

Hello, everyone! Welcome to a NEW Fan Stories Day!

One of the things that we love the most about our community is that Damian Lewis has fans from all over the world. That is why we have made an effort to have different nationalities represented in our fan stories series and it is our utmost pleasure today to have Veronica who is sharing her lovely fan story from Prague, Czech Republic! She is a young fan and it is beyond me that she discovered Damian when she was even younger. Hats off, Veronica 😀

source: Veronica with a South American Tapir!

Hello my name is Veronica and I would like to tell you how I became a fan of Damian Lewis.

When I was 14, I read a book called The Forsyte Saga.

source: ITV studios

I loved the book and my teacher recommended me to watch the TV series with a young, ginger and talented actor in the leading role. She was right that Damian Lewis was talented and I was thrilled when I found out that he was also a theater actor.

I started watching his movies and saw that Colditz was filmed in my country. Colditz was filmed in London but also in the Czech Republic. And, in the Czech Republic, it was shot in Kutna Hora and Prague.

The scene where corporal McGrade (Damian Lewis) arrives in London (27 minutes into the movie) was filmed in Prague’s main railway station.

source: Veronica

source: Thanks go to Veronica for going to the station to take these pictures!

If any of you visit Prague and would like to see this place you should go to the station HLAVNÁ NÁDRAŽÍ on the red line (believe me you can not get lost). When you come out of the subway stairs you must find the escalator and an information board. Then you go down the hallway and take the first exit right after another escalator to the platform number 2 and you’re there. I know my instructions may sound difficult but you can always ask the information center.

Another place Colditz was filmed is Kutna Hora. It is a town in the Central Region, less than an hour from Prague. Believe me you will not regret traveling to Kutna Hora where they created the interiors of Colditz in a medieval monastery.  And the scene with Nick McGrade on the square is my favorite. Kutna Hora is on the UNESCO world heritage list and when you come in summer you have a choice of many festivals and cultural events.

Prague is a popular place to shoot films: Casino Royale (2006), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (2005), Oliver Twist (2005) AVP: Alien Vs. Predator (2004), Euro Trip (2004), Van Helsing (2004) Underworld (2003) Blade II (2002), From Hell (2001). And if you’re a fan of Claire Danes Les Misérables (1998) was filmed in Kutna Hora. I would like to mention one more film, The Brothers Grimm (2005) because I was there at filming as a little girl with my dad who did stunt work for Matt Damon.

Later I came to watch the series from Band of Brothers to Billions. I can not wait for the second series of Billions which begins in February. But, most of all, I love Damian Lewis in the role of Brody in Homeland, Soames Forsyte in The Forsyte Saga and, of course, corporal Nick McGrade in Colditz.

That’s how I became a fan of Damian Lewis. And I have been reading Fan Fun with Damian Lewis into which you put too much work and I am grateful for that.

Thank you for the opportunity!

Veronica

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!

6 thoughts on “A Young Girl Reads The Forsyte Saga in Prague: Veronica’s Story”

  1. What a lovely entry! Thank you for sharing it Veronica. It is so nice to know our favorite actor is known and admired in so many parts of the world.

  2. Hallo Zusammen,
    diese Fan-Geschichte finde ich toll.
    Vorallem die Tatsache, dass gerade das Buch Forsyte Saga bei Veronica der Auslöser war. Ich bin gerade dabei, diesen Wälzer zu lesen, weil ich eben von der Verfilmung mit Damian so begeistert bin, wollte ich es auch nochmal nachlesen.
    Der Film Colditz war nach “Homeland” das 2. Werk was ich von Damian gesehen habe.
    “Und die Szene mit Nick McGrade auf dem Platz ist mein Favorit”, diesen Satz kann ich nur unterstreichen und bestätigen. Außerdem finde ich den Blick von ihm in der Schlussszene, in der er “..?!?…” ( will nichts verraten, falls jemand den Film noch nicht gesehen hat ), phänomenal und im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes “teuflisch” gut.
    Freue mich jeden Tag auf die Beiträge über Damian und seine Arbeit.

    1. Dear Lucky Fellow, we are so happy to have you here, please keep your feedback coming! I LOVE it that, with Google Translate, language is not a real barrier anymore! 😀 I wrote earlier here that Nick McGrade is my secret crush. You might like it <3 Yes, he's flawed and yes he does some appalling things, but at the end of the day, he is not a bad person. Or... I just find something to like about every Damian Lewis character :D https://www.fanfunwithdamianlewis.com/?p=7533

  3. Dear Veronica – I cannot tell you how much I LOVE your story. And I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to go to the Prague Train station to make those pictures. Prague is one of the place I really REALLY want to visit and I will make sure to add Kutna Hora to our itinerary when we go! McGrade on the Square is a wonderful scene – my favorite, too, in Colditz! And, as much as I think, yes, McGrade does appalling things — he really loves Lizzie <3 I always say Brody is my favorite, and he is, and McGrade is my secret "bad boy" crush 😀

    But the most impressive part of your story for me is that you chose to read The Forsyte Saga - not an easy book - when you were 14! I am of course much older than you and I am seeing that the younger generation is reading less and less these days, so I just love it that you first came to the book and then came to the TV show and got to meet our favorite actor! And, hey, how about discovering Damian in your teenage years? I think Vicky did that, too - you are clever young women but also I have to say you are lucky since there was no way I could "discover" him when I was 14! Damian was 15 when I was 14!!! 😀 😀 😀

    Much Much love to Prague, and many thanks for sharing your lovely story with us <3

  4. Hi Vernoica. Lovely story! I’m another fan of Nick in Colditz 🙂 He’s in my top 5 Damian characters. <3

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