A Young Woman Finds A Role Model in Damian Lewis: Carolin’s Story

Hello, everyone! Damianista welcomes you to a new fan story!

Today’s story comes from Germany! Carolin is a published writer, a blogger, and a long-time Damian fan! BIG thanks go to her for taking the time to write her story both in English and German. We start with the German version as a surprise for our German-speaking readers and please scroll down for the English version. ENJOY!

Carolin (on the right) and her friend Simone with Damian at The Misanthrope Stage Door, 2010, copyright: Carolin

In German

Als echter Fan kennt man auch die Fan-Blogs im Netz. Früher war es noch “Damian’s Dominion”, heute ist die erste Adresse “Fan Fun with Damian Lewis”.  Damianista fragte schon vor Monaten, ob ich nicht Lust hätte einen Beitrag für ihren Blog zu schreiben – sie hatte die tolle Idee, Fans ihre Geschichte erzählen zu lassen, wie und wann sie ein Fan von Damian Lewis wurden. Ich lehnte ab, weil ich meinen Englisch-Kenntnissen nicht traue und Angst hatte, nur unverständliches Geschwurbel von mir zu geben. Nun habe ich sie getroffen (abgefahrene Geschichte, dazu später mehr) und doch Lust bekommen, es zumindest zu versuchen.

Damian Lewis sah ich das erste Mal im Kino, das war 2003; Dreamcatcher. Das muss ich mir selber erst Mal klar machen, so lange begleitet mich DL schon. Krass.

Vierzehn Jahre. Damals gab es kaum Beiträge im Netz, und nur eine kleine aber feine Fanseite. Ich habe Stunden damit zugebracht, das Netz zu durchsuchen, nach Beiträgen, Filmschnipseln, Interviews. Erst nach Dreamcatcher entdeckte ich Band of Brothers und dachte staunend: Was? Das ist der gleiche Typ? Wow.

Aber der Reihe nach. Ich sah Dreamcatcher. Das Buch zum Film (von Stephen King) heißt Duddits und die Geschichte geht der Frage nach, was passiert mit einem menschlichen Bewusstsein, wenn der Körper von einer außerirdischen Lebensform in Beschlag genommen wird. Jonesy (Damian Lewis) hat ein Erinnerungslager und, was noch viel cooler ist, ein Geheimzimmer. Dorthin zieht er sich zurück. Mr. Grey übernimmt Jonesys Körper, bedient sich fröhlich im Erinnerungslager, holt sich alle Infos, die er braucht um seine Invasion voranzutreiben. Aber an Jonesy in seinem Zimmer kommt er nicht ran. Es gibt da diese Szene, Jonesy und Mr. Grey begegnen sich kurz, bevor Mr. Grey in Jonesy Körper eindringt. Ich hatte diese Szene im Trailer gesehen. Jonesy fragt: “What do you want?”. Das hat mich wahnsinnig gefesselt, angesprochen und interessiert. Ja, was will er?

Später unterhält sich Mr. Grey mit Jonesy und man sieht Damian Lewis, auf einem Schneemobil fahren, und dauernd den Dialekt wechseln. Der Außerirdische klingt sehr britisch 🙂 Ich hatte enorm viel Spaß mit dem Film. Ich mochte die Vierer-Konstellation der Jungs, die Duddits in ihre Mitte aufnehmen. Dieser Film war wie ein kleiner Stein, der in mein Bewusstsein plumpste. Mein Bewusstsein ist in diesem Fall ein kleiner, ruhiger See. Das Bild von Domino-Steinen passt an dieser Stelle nicht, weil Dominosteine nur umfallen, wenn man sie in einer Reihe aufstellt und dann ist die Richtung vorgegeben. Ein Stein, der in Wasser fällt, macht kleine Wellen in alle Richtungen, es ist an mir, zu schauen, was daraus wird. Und aus diesem Stein wurde eine Menge! Angefangen mit Reece Thompson und Giacomo Baessato. Letzterer spielte den jungen Jonesy. Beide Jung-Schauspieler erregten meine Aufmerksamkeit. Nicht in dem Maße wie Damian Lewis, aber genug um mich zu fesseln. Ich verfolge heute noch, was die beiden treiben. Leider arbeiten sie nicht in dem Maß wie Damian Lewis. Der ist ein Arbeitstier, macht Filme und Serien, spielt Theater, spricht Hörbücher, modelt noch zwischenrein und ist eine eierlegende Wollmilchsau.

source: Getty Images

Als ich ihn entdeckte, steckte ich gerade in einer wichtigen Phase meines Lebens. Ich wollte schon immer Schriftstellerin werden, aber 2003 meldete ich mich auch für ein Fernstudium an, um es endlich zu tun: Das Schreiben. Wirklich zu tun, und nicht nur darüber zu reden. Es zu tun bedeutet aber, lernen, üben, werden. Und das geht langsam. Damian Lewis wurde mir zum Vorbild. Sein Talent, sein Arbeitseifer, und der Umstand, dass er nur Sachen macht, auf die er wirklich Bock hat. Ich habe den Eindruck, bei anderen Schauspielern/Innen, dass sie machen, was sie angeboten bekommen, unabhängig davon, ob der Drehbuch-Stoff etwas taugt oder nicht, oder was noch wichtiger ist: Ob die Geschichte zu ihnen passt. Aber ich bin noch nicht fertig mit den kleinen Wellen.

Zurück zu Dreamcatcher. Ich las das Buch von Stephen King. Mein erstes King-Buch, und ich war angefixt. Auch er ist ein Arbeitstier, kreativ, voller Ideen. Ich habe kein Buch gelesen, dass mich irgendwie an ein anderes erinnerte, ich hatte nie den Eindruck, er widerholt sich. Und nach Duddits las ich ca. 20 King-Bücher hintereinander. Ich hatte eine King-Phase, angestoßen von Damian Lewis. Vielen Dank an der Stelle, weil, auf dieser Welle surfte ich direkt zum dunklen Turm. Sieben Bücher und Roland und dann: Edith. (Winkerle, an der Stelle.) Wie sehr “Der dunkle Turm” mein Leben verändert hat, kann ich kaum in Worte fassen. Das gehört hier aber gar nicht hin.

Die Welle geht weiter. Damian arbeitete wie ein Verrückter. Und heiratete. So lernte ich auch noch Helen McCrory kennen, die mindestens so talentiert ist wie Damian Lewis. Vielleicht sogar… ach, lassen wir den Vergleich. Sie sind beide wunderbar. 🙂

Ein Fan von Damian Lewis zu sein, ist etwas Besonderes. Ich lernte tolle Leute kennen. Beispielsweise lernte ich im Netz eine Holländerin kennen, die so sehr Fan war wie ich. Bis dahin hatte ich Micky Love noch nicht gesehen, Damians erster Film, laut Imdb, in dem er eine winzige Rolle hatte. Die Holländerin schickte mir ihre Videokassette mit dem Film drauf. (Erinnerst sich irgendwer an VHS?) und ich schenkte ihr meine DVD von Posh´s & Becks Big Impression. Später freundete ich mich mit einer Amerikanerin an, die mir die Serie Life auf DVD aus Amerika schickte. Region Code 1.

source: NBC

Konnte ich auf dem Computer anschauen und verärgert feststellen, dass bei der deutschen Variante der Serie die komplette Musik geändert wurde. Als die DVD-Box  (Wucher!) in drei Teilen für teuer Geld in Deutschland erschien, hatte DL schon wieder eine andere Synchronstimme als bsp. bei Band of Brothers oder Warriors. Die US-DVD-Box ist mir die Liebere, weil der Soundtrack besser ist. Jedenfalls. Ich habe heute, bis auf wenige Ausnahmen (Bsp. Life Force) alles von und mit DL gesehen. Und da waren tolle Sachen dabei. Brides, oder The Situation, als Beispiel. Homeland oder Billions sind großartige Serien, die ich mit Genuss und Spannung sehe, aber etwas wie Foryste Saga ist eine ganz andere Hausnummer. Soames, mein Gott.

source: ITV studios

Ich habe beschlossen Schriftstellerin zu werden. Ich glaube, da war ich gerade mal sieben Jahre alt. Der Weg hier her war lang. Ich musste anfangen, scheitern, dran bleiben, besser werden und mir überlegen, was ich will, was ich nicht will, (es ist viel mehr als die Frage Ernsthaft oder Unterhaltung) und ich brauchte Vorbilder bei dieser Reise. (Ich habe genug schreibende Vorbilder, keine Sorge.) Ich habe Damian Lewis zugesehen, was er macht, und die Ausschläge nach oben und unten bemerkt. Das er Your Highness gemacht hat, verstehe ich bis heute nicht. Es ist ein dummer Film, wirklich schlimm. Ich vermute, er hat eine Wette verloren oder jemand hat kompromittierende Fotos von ihm, keine Ahnung. 😉 Und dann hat er Sachen gemacht wie Keane. Wer ein Fan von DL ist und Keane nicht gesehen hat, der hat auch keine Ahnung, wozu der Mann in der Lage ist! Dank Keane gibt es Homeland.

Als ich Homeland sah, dachte ich: Endlich mal eine Serie/Storyline, die seinem Können gerecht wird. Endlich kann er mal einem großen Publikum zeigen, was er kann. Keane war nicht (kommerziell) erfolgreich, sollte es IMAO aber sein. Keane vermittelte mir den Eindruck, dass DL macht, wozu er Lust hat, weil er es kann. Etwas, dass ihn reizt, weil es eine gute Geschichte ist. Geld und Ruhm sind Dinge “Nice to have” aber nicht Hauptpriorität. Zumindest ist das mein Eindruck.

Das waren eine Menge Wellen bis hier her. Lange nicht alle. Was ich sagen will, ist denkbar einfach. Ich bewundere sein Talent, sein Können, seinen Arbeitseifer. Die letzten 14 Jahre hat er ein tolles Projekt nach dem anderen gemacht. Und immer wieder eins drauf gesetzt. Besser, noch ein bisschen besser. Und daneben gab es keine Skandale, kein Ausflippen, wie manch ein Hollywood-Sternchen, das weit weniger geleistet hat, vor dem Ausflippen. Bei ihm gibt es keine Drogen-Geschichten, keine peinlichen Schlagzeilen, nicht mal Arbeitspausen. Er macht sein Ding.

Und nun war ich in London und habe The Goat gesehen. Er kann sich ja gar nicht vorstellen, was es mir bedeutet, ihn live zu sehen, auf einer Bühne. Fernsehen und Film, das ist ja alles gut, schön, und richtig. Aber eine Bühne, sechs Tage die Woche, monatelang. Das ist Handwerk, “richtige” Arbeit. (Nicht falsch verstehen, schauspielern IST Arbeit. Doch eine verpatzte Szene vor einer Kamera lässt sich wiederholen. Hoch konzentriert zwei Stunden abliefern, jeden Abend gleich gut, das ist etwas anderes!)

Am Ende des Abends ging ich zur Stage Door. Englisch ist nicht meine Muttersprache, und man sieht mir das nicht an, aber ich bin schüchtern. Ja wirklich! Ich ging da hin, für ein Autogramm, vielleicht noch ein Selfie. Das ist eigentlich bescheuert. Eine absurde Situation. Aufgeregt da rum zu stehen, einen Fremden um ein Bild zu bitten, mitten unter zwanzig Frauen, die hysterisch schreien “I love you!”. Das fand ich mit 15 bescheuert, bei den Backstreet Boys, ich finde es heute bescheuert und wollte es doch. Kein Mensch käme auf die Idee bei seinem Lieblingsbäcker nach Feierabend an der Tür zur Backstube zu stehen, um sich ein Brötchen signieren zu lassen. Ich tröste mich mit dem Gedanken, dass er auch nur ein Mensch ist, mit Idolen, und bestimmt ebenfalls schon jemanden aufgeregt nach einem Autogramm gefragt hat. Jedenfalls.

Ich habe das Stück vorher gelesen. “The Goat – Or who is Sylvia?”. (ACHTUNG SPOILER).

Ich hätte ihm das gerne gesagt. Das ich vorbereitet war, und wie sehr mir das Stück gefällt. Die Tradition, in der Edward Albee das Stück geschrieben hat, ist ca. 2000 Jahre alt. Die Idee ist nicht neu, Mann und Ziege meine ich. Auch nicht eine verfahrene Situation zu zeigen, in der ein Mann sich so sehr in die Scheiße geritten hat, dass es kein zurück mehr für ihn gibt. Die Ziege muss sein – als Bild, als krasses Bild das Martin abgibt: “Ich donnere mit einer Abrissbirne in mein Leben!”. Man kann verheiratet sein, mit Kind, erfolgreich im Job, samt bestem Freund und allem drum und dran, und doch: allein.

Mitten drin treffe ich Damianista. Auch absurd, die Welt ist klein. Ich frage sie via Twitter:

“Where is the stage door, I can’t find it.”

Und sie: “Are you there? Today?”

“Yes”.

“Me too!”

Und so trafen wir uns. Wir, Alice und ich, saßen auf Platz C7 und C8. Damianista, mit ihrem Mann auf Platz C5 und C6. Ich verfolge ihren Blog seit über 2 Jahren. War das Schicksal? Ich weiß es nicht, aber ich bin dankbar für einen großartigen Abend, für eine neu, tolle Bekanntschaft. Es sagt sich so leicht: Nice to meet you. Ja, wirklich. Manchmal ist es so leicht.

Ich sitze also da, sehe zu, wie Martin und Steve sich anbrüllen. Ich weiß nicht, ob ich je einen Streit zwischen zwei Menschen sah, so konsequent ausgetragen, bis zum Schluss. Speichel spritzt umher, wie die Wut und die Emotionen und das Geständnis: “Ich bin so allein!”

Martin rechtfertigt sich nicht, er redet sich nicht heraus. Aber er will verstanden werden. Von seiner Frau, dem Sohn, dem besten Freund. Immer wieder bettelt er darum: Versteh mich doch!

Stevie versteht es. Sie versteht es wirklich. Sie bringt die Ziege um. “Du hast gesagt, dass sie dich liebt. Also muss sie weg!”.

Ich sitze da, angespannt, traurig, begeistert. Ich weiß nicht, wen ich zuerst bemitleiden soll, die ganze Situation ist unfreiwillig komisch. Das Lachen befreit, anders hält man es nicht aus.

Das hätte ich alles gern gesagt. Stattdessen: “Darf ich ein Foto mit dir machen?”

Das musste reichen. Mir reicht es.

Aber er hat keine Ahnung.

In English

As a true fan, you know the fan blogs on the internet. It used to be “Damians Dominion”, today the first address is “Fan Fun with Damian Lewis“, IMHO. Damianista asked me a couple of months ago if I wanted to write a story for her blog – she had the great idea to let tell fans their story, how and when they became a fan of Damian Lewis. I refused, because I did not trust my English skills and therefor I was afraid of writing something incomprehensible. Now I have met her (crazy story, more about that later) and so I finally decided to try it at least. Here it is. My Damian Lewis Story.

The first time I saw Damian Lewis was 2003 in a movie called Dreamcatcher. I can’t believe that he has been a part of my life for so long! Gosh!

Fourteen years ago there were hardly any contributions on the net, and only a small but fine fan site. I’ve spent hours searching for contributions, film clips, interviews, etc. After Dreamcatcher I discovered Band of Brothers and thought wonderingly: “What? This is the same guy? Oh wow.”

But one after another. I saw Dreamcatcher. The book about the film (by Stephen King) is called Duddits and the story is about the question of what happens to human consciousness when the body is taken over by an alien. Jonesy (Damian Lewis) has a memory warehouse and, way better, a secret room. There he withdraws. The Alien Mr. Grey takes over Jonesy’s body, uses his memory warehouse, where he gets all the information he needs to advance his invasion. But he does not get to Jonesy in his secret room. There is a scene, Jonesy and Mr. Grey meet briefly before Mr. Grey assumes Jonesy’s body. I had seen this scene in the trailer. Jonesy asks: “What do you want?” It was such an intense moment!

So I asked myself: Yes, what does he want? That scene was why I had to watch the movie.

Later, Mr. Grey talks with Jonesy and there is Damian Lewis, riding a snowmobile, and constantly changing the dialect. The alien sounds very British. 🙂 I had a lot of fun with this movie. I liked the four-cons of the boys, surrounding Duddits. This movie was like a small stone that pounded into my consciousness. My consciousness is in this case a small, calm lake. The image of domino stones does not fit at this point, because domino stones ​​only fall over, if you put them in a row and then the direction is given. A stone that falls into water makes small waves in all directions, it’s up to me to follow them. And this stone gave a lot of waves! Beginning with Reece Thompson and Giacomo Baessato. The latter played young Jonesy. Both young actors drew my attention towards them. Not to the same level as Damian Lewis, but enough to bind me. I still follow their actions. Unfortunately, they do not work as much as Damian Lewis. He is a workaholic, he makes movies and series, plays theatre, speaks audiobooks, is modeling sometimes, he is an all-rounder!

source: Getty Images

When I discovered him, I happened to be in an important phase of my life. I always wanted to be a writer, but in 2003 I also signed up for a creative-writing course to finally do it: writing. Really do, and not just talk about it. To do it is to learn, to practice, to become. And becoming a writer is a slow process. Damian Lewis became my role-model as an artist. His talent, his zeal, and the fact that he is doing only things he really wants to. In my opinion some actors are doing everything they get offered, regardless of whether the screenplay is something good or not, or more importantly, whether the story suits them. But not Damian. But I’m not finished with my small waves.

Back to Dreamcatcher. I read the book – My first King book, and I was drawn to him. He is also a workaholic, creative, full of ideas. I have not read a single book of his that somehow reminded me of another, I never had the impression that he was repeating himself. And after Duddits I read about 20 King books in a row. I had a King phase, pushed by Damian Lewis. Thank you, Mr. Lewis, because, on this wave I surfed directly to the Dark Tower! Seven Books and Roland and then: Edith. (Beckon to Edith!)
I can hardly find words on how much The Dark Tower has changed my life. But this story does not belong here.

The waves continue. Damian worked like a madman. And married. So I met Helen McCrory, who is at least as talented as Damian Lewis. Maybe even… oh, let’s leave the comparison aside. They are both wonderful. 🙂

Being a fan of Damian Lewis is something special. I met great people. For example, I met a Dutchwoman in the net, who was as much a fan as me. Until then I had not seen Micky Love, Damian’s first film, (according to Imdb) in which he had a tiny role. The Dutchwoman sent me her video cassette with the movie on it. (Does anyone remember VHS?) And I gave her my DVD of Posh´s & Becks Big Impression. Later, I became friends with an American woman, who sent me the series Life on DVD from America. Region Code 1.

source: NBC

I watched it on the computer and was annoyed to find out, that in the German version of the series the complete music was changed. When the DVD box appeared in three parts in Germany, DL had another synchronous voice than in Band of Brothers or Warriors. The US DVD box is my favorite, because the soundtrack is way better. Anyways, I have seen everything he has done, with a few exceptions (for example Life Force). And there were great things. Brides, or The Situation, for example. Homeland or Billions are great series, which I watch with pleasure and excitement, but Forsyte Saga is something else entirely! Soames, my Gosh. Loving the bad guy at a completely different level.

source: ITV studios

I think I was just seven years old, when I decided to become a writer. The road was long to this point where I am now. I had to start, fail, stay put, get better and think about what I wanted, what I did not want (it’s much more than the question of serious or entertainment) and I needed role models on this journey. (I have enough writing idols, don’t worry.) I’ve been watching Damian Lewis doing what he does, and noticed the eruptions up and down. I don’t understand why he did Your Highness, it’s a silly movie. I guess he has lost a bet or someone has compromising photos of him, I have no clue. 😉 And then he did things like Keane. People who are fans of DL and haven´t seen Keane do not have any idea of what this man is capable of doing. The movie Keane is the reason why Homeland exists with Damian as Brody!

When I saw Homeland, I thought: Finally a series / storyline, which satisfies his acting skills. At last he gets the chance to show a big audience what he is capable of. Keane was not (commercially) successful, but it should have been IMAO. Keane gave me the impression that DL does what he wants, because he can. That he does things, that excite him. Money and fame are things “Nice to have” but not his main priority. At least this is my impression.

There have been a lot of waves up to here. Not all yet. What I want to say is quite simple. I admire his talent, his skills, his zeal. For the last fourteen years he has done one great project after another. And still he is getting better and better. Besides all of that, there were no scandals, no crack up as some other Hollywood stars have, which have worked far less, before the freak out. There are no drug stories, no embarrassing headlines, not even pauses. He does his thing.

And now I was in London and saw The Goat. He can not even imagine what it means to me to see him live on stage. Television and film, that’s all well, beautiful, and right. But on stage, six days a week, a couple of months. this is craft, “real” work. (Don’t get me wrong, acting IS work, but a botched scene in front of a camera can be repeated. On stage you have just one single try. To deliver highly concentrated two hours of work, each evening equally good, that is something different!)

At the end of the evening I went to the stage door. English is not my mother tongue, and maybe you won´t believe it, but I’m shy. Really! I went there, for an autograph, and perhaps a selfie. This is actually an absurd situation. To stand there excited, asking a stranger for a picture, among twenty women, hysterically screaming “I love you!”. I didn’t understand or liked it, when I was fifteen with the Backstreet Boys, I still don’t understand it today, but I wanted it nevertheless – call me crazy. 😉 No one would come up with the idea of standing to the door of his favorite bakery in the evening to have a sandwich signed. I comfort myself with the thought that he is also just a human being with idols. Maybe he asked a musician or another great actor he admires for an autograph like I did. Anyway.

I read the play before I went to London: “The Goat – Or who is Sylvia?”.

(CAUTION SPOILER).

I would have liked to tell him, that I was prepared, and how much I liked the play. The tradition in which Edward Albee wrote the play is about 2000 years old. The idea is not new, a man-goat-love. Also not to show a tragic situation in which a man fails so much, that there is no way back for him. The goat has to be – as a picture, as an extreme picture Martin gives: “I destroy my life with open eyes!”. A man can be married, with a child, be successful in his job, with a best friend and all everything, and yet: alone.

Before the performance started I met Damianista. Also absurd, the world is so small. I asked her via Twitter:

“Where is the stage door, I can’t find it.”

And she: “Are you there? Today?”

“Yes”.

“Me too!”

And so we met. We, my friend Alice and I sat at C7 and C8. Damianista, with her husband sat at C5 and C6. I’ve been following her blog for over 2 years. Was it fate? I do not know, but I am grateful for a lovely evening, for a new, great acquaintance. It´s so easy to say: Nice to meet you. Really. Sometimes it is so easy.

So I’m sitting there, watching Martin and Stevie scream. I do not know if I ever saw a dispute between two people, so consistently carried out until the end. Saliva splashes around like the anger and the emotions and finally there is the confession: “I’m so alone!”

Martin does not justify himself, he does not find excuses for himself. But he wants to be understood. By his wife, his son, his best friend. Again and again he keeps begging: Understand me!

Stevie understands it. She really does. She kills the goat. “You said she loves you. So she has to go!”.

I sit there, tense, sad, enthusiastic. I do not know who I am sorry for, the whole situation is involuntarily funny. Laughing freed, otherwise there would have been no way to withstand it.

I would have liked to say all of that.

Instead I said: “May I take a picture with you?”

That had to be enough. For me it was enough.

But he has no idea.

Damianista’s note: I cannot be happier I met Carolin and Alice that night! I mean, what are the odds we choose to see the play on the same evening and have seats next to each other? Incredible! What is even more incredible is that a complete stranger, who took the picture of the curtain call, has immortalized Damian and the three of us giving standing ovation together in the same shot! Thank you!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUlwtOMjtvo/?tagged=damianlewis

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!

22 thoughts on “A Young Woman Finds A Role Model in Damian Lewis: Carolin’s Story”

  1. Wonderful story, Carolin!

    I am totally in love with the Stone Waves Association! This can reveal many and many of the otherwise inexplicable connections of our consciousness. I have not yet seen Dreamcatcher, nor have I read the book (I also had my Stephen King period as a teenager). Anyway, I think that’s what’s happening to us all the time – waves that are gaining strength or fading away, but we rarely have a clear consciousness to notice it, or to realize when exactly the stone touches our waters. We usually do it either much later or never. I so admire you for your ability to catch these moments. And I’m very happy that Damian is a special stone for you  In that order of thought, have you seen Chromophobia? The movie has several parallel storylines and greatly reveals the invisible links in life, the situations we face the decisions we take and the consequences of our actions. And all this is silver lined with an incredible soundtrack, which precisely strengthens every situation in which the characters are placed.

    “ People who are fans of DL and haven´t seen Keane do not have any idea of what this man is capable of doing.”
    “Keane was not (commercially) successful, but it should have been IMAO. Keane gave me the impression that DL does what he wants because he can.”
    I signed this!!! Keane is a stone that has totally shaken the waters of my lake! (I know this sentence sounds funny and pompous – my English is also not good enough. And… according to The Goat – who cares about grammar and stylistics when it comes to love 😀 )

    “Soames, my Gosh. Loving the bad guy at a completely different level.” – Mr. Damian Lewis, Ladies and Gentlemen! 😀

    Same is here with the “stage door”. I mean – all these things – hysterical screams, asking a stranger for a picture… but I wanted it nevertheless too (for a moment I felt like a Justin Bieber fan 😀 *** ) I’m really shy too, and my English is not good enough to tell him what I would like to tell him. But ultimately, I think the best thing at this situation is just to ask sincerely: “May I take a picture with you?” And I’m so happy you did it!  I’m also very happy about your accidental encounter with Damianista.

    I sincerely wish you to achieve great success as a writer!

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words. <3
      And of course, I have seen "Chromophobia". DL takes good choices which movies and series he does – an he makes great Art in every performance. I love it.

    2. Ha! Chromophobia may not be everyone’s cup of tea – a very “arthouse” movie but I liked it and this note reminds me we still have not done a post on it. Maybe this summer if we have the time!

      Hahaha I love it that you felt like Justin Bieber fan. Damian said at NY Times Talks last year that after Brody he got so popular that he did not know people could be that famous and he felt like Justin Bieber for a second 😀

      1. I did`t know it is a “arthouse” movie, not in the pretentious sense of that “label”.
        For me, “Chromophobia” is much better than “21 Grams” by Iñaritou, for example. It`s JUST my opinion. 🙂 Although the cast is also brilliant, and both films have a similar theme, “Chromophobia” is more witty, with a very sophisticated sense of humor, which is a brilliant way to show that you have messed up things. I think it speaks much more than the excessive drama in “21 Grams”. I can`t stop laughing when I think of that love scene with D L and the incredible Kristin Scott Thomas. The way she puts a cream on her hands and so … the painful gap of ignorance (or neglect – I don`t know which of the two words is more correct. Sorry for that 🙂 )

        So please do a post on it! It’s worth it!

        I stole the Justin Bieber joke 😀

        1. Haha true “arthouse” is a pretentious “label” but I really used it — as someone who is a consumer of mostly independent and foreign (non US) in a positive sense, too 😀 I thought of Chromophobia more or less a sarcastic critique of the “sophisticated” city crowd messing their lives up… but never saw the parallels with 21 grams which I LOVE -WOW what a fab observation!!!! I love Inarritu’s work (except for The Revenant) and I would have loved to see Damian in one of his films (I believe he loves the director’s work, too)

          Well, the love scene in Chromophobia is certainly priceless!!! I don’t know if it is a love scene, either 😀

          Perfect Justin Bieber joke! 😀 😀 😀

  2. ENGLISH: You are so right, some actors do everything they get offered. Damian chooses projects he wants to do, that accentuate his talent. I’m so jealous you’ve been able to see Micky Love and Posh’s & Becks Big Impression – those are 2 of the 7 I have not seen. Like you, I haven’t seen Life Force either. I have so many DVD’s I can share/mail to other fans. Most are European region 2 even 🙂 Any DL fan who would like to borrow my DVD’s, just contact me in the comment section here or reach out on Twitter https://twitter.com/kristaevans

    GERMAN: Sie sind so richtig, einige Schauspieler tun alles, was sie angeboten werden. Damian wählt Projekte, die er machen will, die sein Talent akzentuieren Ich bin so eifersüchtig, dass du in der Lage bist, Micky Love und Posh’s & Becks Big Impression zu sehen – das sind 2 der 7, die ich nicht gesehen habe. Wie du, ich habe auch Life Force nicht gesehen. Ich habe so viele DVDs, die ich an andere Fans weitergeben kann. Die meisten sind die europäische Region 2 sogar 🙂 Jeder DL-Fan, der meine DVDs ausleihen möchte, kommst einfach mit mir in den Kommentar-Bereich hier oder greife auf Twitter https://twitter.com/kristaevans

  3. Another astonishing story! Thank you, Carolin. You’re the first I’ve heard of that got here through Dreamcatcher but there is so much that I haven’t seen. Really some I cannot even find. It may be my searching skills Your story reads very well in English. You are concise and imaginative. Keep it up!
    I’ve only just completed the Forsyte Saga. The scene when he holds his daughter for the first time……. even after all I’ve seen Damian do I said, “How did he DO that!” It seems Soames has learned he’s not supposed to feel yet his mother says”You feel things too much, you always have.” So when it comes out, it comes out like a volcano and all twisted around. Lovely to see him smile at the end.
    Keene is for the ages.
    Your meeting up w Damianista is magical! He does like that white hat, doesn’t he? Thank you again, Carolin

    1. Thank you for your kind words. This day is very special to me. I got a lot of response. Nice people saying nice things. I´m very happy about the chance to tell my story.

    2. I would ask you about The Forsyte Saga and I am so glad to hear you liked it. YES, that scene with Soames holding his baby daughter in his arms… I LOVE IT. And Damian was not a father back then. But this is what acting is, I guess, isn’t it? <3 In the very last scene, when Soames takes off his gloves to shake Irene's hand, I was crying. I looked sideways, and Lewisto was crying, too. Damian has my household completely under his spell...

  4. Truly wonderful story, Carolin! And thanks so much for taking the time to write both in English and German. We have German-speaking readers and I am sure it is a sweet surprise for them!!!

    I love it that you found Damian in Dreamcatcher and he became a role model for you to catch your dreams! <3 And I love the friendships you have made thru Damian over the years --- I have had the same experience and I cherish all those friendships! HUGE thanks go to "our muse" for bringing all of us together!

    By the way, you certainly saw more of his work than I did --- including The Misanthrope on stage --- I envy you! <3 You are absolutely right about what you said when you saw Homeland. I think the show brought a huge NEW wave of fans to Damian, and I really did not know about him until I saw Homeland... and the rest is history... I feel blessed that Damian chose to do Homeland. Brody changed my life. I have never loved a fictional character as much as I loved him and I do not think I will ever love a character like that. The way his art touches lives is incredible and your story is yet another proof for that. Thanks so much for sharing it with us all!

    And, hey, what are the odds that we have chosen to go see The Goat on the very same day and next to each other? My husband says the day is a huge coincidence --- I guess we were meant to finally meet!!!! --- but the seats are not since the fans "like us" always try to buy seats in the front rows! Hehe.

  5. “why he did Your Highness, it’s a silly movie. I guess he has lost a bet or someone has compromising photos of him” 🙂 🙂 🙂

    I wish I have kept my German (blame der die das and the irregular 🙂 ) after investing in it for more than 5 years and could read your story in its original language, but it reads so good in English, too 🙂

    1. I was afraid of writing a joke in a different language… but obviously you got it. 🙂 In german my ironic tone it´s pretty clear. Now I´m happy to see it´s not lost in the translation. 🙂

      1. It is certainly not lost in translation 😀 I laughed out loud when I read that line… Confession: I still have not seen Your Highness. Should I? 😀 Lewisto says I have to see it because if I am doing a blog on DL, I need to see everything DL has done and no exceptions. Hehe.

  6. Great story Carolin! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
    I especially liked your allusion to the Doppler Effect. Seems some of us make so many more waves than others, but the fact is, we all do! Damian is one the rare few that, one hopes, will be making waves for a nice long time.

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