Four Years with Damian Lewis

Hello everyone!

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis is four years old today!

Here we are, a bunch of inspired fans, 1461 days, 890 blog posts and over 1.1 million views from 211 countries later… absolutely thrilled and totally beaming about how far we have come thanks to YOU!

Four years may not be a very long time in a  blog’s life, but it is a real milestone in its own right — at least a very good excuse to thank YOU, our readers, for the overwhelming love and support you have given us over the years! As we are collectively sharing Damian Lewis FUN, you are making our dream come true! Here is a BIG thank you to each and every one of you for reading us, following us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram, giving us feedback and spreading the word. 

It is a true pleasure to turn the inspiration Damian constantly provides into words. And we so hope you stay with us and keep sharing the FUN!

Love,

Fan Fun Team

Damianista *chokes with emotion*

Time flies. I vividly remember the conversation I had with Lewisto as I was trying to decide, in the last weeks of 2014, whether it would be worth keeping an online fan diary about Damian Lewis. Lewisto told me he knew I would do a fantastic job but I should do it only if I believed I could make a commitment for two years.

2 years?

We have just doubled that! 😀 😀 😀

I am deeply grateful for all the love and support that have kept this blog going and going, so please bear with me as I make a few personal thanks 🙂

I remember it felt just right when I made the first ever post here four years ago. I somehow knew I would have fun doing this and meet like-minded fans along the way to team up with. What I did not know was we would have the BEST TEAM one could ever hope for! We absolutely have the best chemistry ever as partners in crime and you cannot imagine how many blog posts come out of our casual conversations. I will liberally steal a quote from Damian to describe my partners because I would not be able to put it into better words: “Everyone is smart, witty, and a little bit better than the last person.” 🙂 Thank you, sisters, I love you, YOU ROCK! 

Lewisto, my number one guy and our Fan Fun tech guy, who has been supporting the blog since its inception, deserves special thanks! I would never ever have started a blog should Lewisto have not encouraged me. I will never forget him saying: “Some people love golf. You love Damian Lewis. What’s the difference?” Right?!?! Lewisto, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. Thank you for everything!

Some love playing golf. I love Damian Lewis playing golf 😀

We are indebted to Linda from Friends of Major Dick Winters Facebook page  and Emina from Billions Facebook Group for their generosity in sharing our posts with their followers. It is a true pleasure to know them!

We are thrilled some of our readers have kindly taken the time to write posts and fan fiction this year. Huge thanks go to Lina, Linda, Mel, Paul and Vicky for their brilliant contributions to the blog. We are thrilled to report Lina (NotLinda), Paul (The Tail That Wags The Dog) and Vicky (Dark Horse) have now joined Fan Fun as occasional contributors! We hope their writing inspires more fans to come forward and write about Damian and the characters he brings to life.

I sometimes jokingly liken the blog to a baby (now a real toddler!) in terms of the attention it needs. You need to feed her (we constantly produce content!), take care of her (who knew I would study how to remove render-blocking javascript and CSS in WordPress? Exactly!), have to be there for her (I find myself planning life around the blog: no social life on Billions Sundays!) and she leaves you sleep-deprived at times (I am looking forward to my all-nighter Billions Sundays!). And, exactly like a little one’s firsts, it delivers some priceless moments to brag about! 😀 

Here is a few of our favorite 2018 Fan Fun moments! 

March 14, 2018:

When I met Damian at stage door after his brilliant performance in The Goat in May 2017, I told him about our “Fan Stories” project and gave him one story as an example. This was Agnes’ story because firstly, the story is beautiful, and secondly, Agnes planned to travel to London see The Goat but had to cancel due to illness and so I wanted to have her and Damian “meet” in a different way. And, more importantly, Lewisto added, the story attested to how Damian’s art touches other people’s lives. Well, I will NEVER forget Damian’s reaction. He did not say much more than he was humbled every time he heard something like this but his eyes told it all.

source: Damianista

A NEW idea was born at that very moment. Wouldn’t it be FUN if we collected all fan stories in a book and surprise Damian with it when the opportunity arose?

I was lucky to find a wonderful “blog to book” service that I did not even know existed: Blookup. The company basically pulls the posts you want to have in the book from your website and publishes a personalized book for you. You also get to title the book and design the book cover. I highly recommend them for any “blog to book” project you may have. Their customer service is exemplary.

Now say hi to the outcome of our collective effort! We created this book together for Damian: It is 265 pages and every fan story we published on Fan Fun is in it! 

source: Damianista

Once I had the book in my hands, the new challenge was to track down Damian before he was done with Billions shoot in New York and left for London. While I could mail it to Damian’s personal assistant in London, since this project has been such a personal journey for many of us, it was important to present it in person and say a few words about how I felt about it. 

Now, all credits go to Gingersnap for giving me a brilliant idea! When we found out Damian would appear on Today Show, Gingersnap asked if the show was live or pre-recorded. I did not think about it much at that very moment, but then I revisited her question: “Wait! What if the show is live?” And it turned out that it was live! And while I never get to watch morning shows live because they are really early in the morning, even I know about the Today Show studio at the Rockefeller Center! And this short You Tube video from nine years ago helped me to locate the door visitors get in.

Voila!

Massive thanks go to Lewisto for the logistics! What man would get up at 5am only to go and wait in front of Today Show studios entrance for an hour or more at freezing temperatures? No man but my man!  

It was lovely to say “good morning!” to Damian who got out of a car in a big black coat! And I knew he had to go in and prepare for his segment on the show, so even though I REALLY wanted to see him open the package, I did not think we would have time for that.

I was WRONG! Damian invited us inside! So here we were in Rockefeller Center and I was able to remind him our Fan Stories project and tell him how he inspired me to turn them into a book for him. 

source: Damianista

Damianista: “There are 55 stories from 21 countries. It means this fandom has no borders. We may be from different generations, geographies, cultures and languages, but we all speak the same language when it comes to you.”

Damian: “You are very sweet.”

Damianista: (extremely humble) “I am.” 😀 😀 😀

Damian: “We have to take a picture of this. Damianista (he says my real first name here) here you are again wearing your purple coat.”

Damianista: “I have other coats but this is my lucky coat. And I like my 6 year old look.”

Damian turns to Lewisto: “Buy her a new coat. I’m worried about her.”

There is an on-going joke among us, Fan Fun girls, that if we found ourselves in Damian’s walk-in closet, we would feel very much at home since we probably know all his shirts, jackets and coats (it may sound scary, I know!) But I had no idea Damian was paying attention to mine! 😀 Well, message received! As much as I adore my 6 year old look, I will wear one of my stylish coats next time! Still, I do not look so bad for someone who got up at 5am, do I?

source: Damianista

Damian had to go to make up so he would not miss his slot in the show. As we said our goodbyes, he thanked again for the book, and told me he was checking the website and reading the blog and they were great. Maybe he reads more now BECAUSE Damian is now following Fan Fun on Twitter!

source: Damianista

 

June 1, 2018: 

Lady Trader, The Tail That Wags The Dog, Lewisto and I attended Split Screens TV Festival at IFC Center in New York to see David Costabile in an interview with critic and author Matt Zoller Seitz. David was very kind to make time for us, in particular for The Tail who is his high school buddy, after the event.

We found out David taught acting at NYU, he did not know what he was talking about when he spoke Japanese at Sushi Nakazawa in Billions Season 2, and that it was his cousin who gave him the t-shirt with Damian’s picture on it as a joke for Christmas! 

June 7, 2018: 

I cannot thank enough for the personal invitation I received to attend Billions Super Fan Season 3 Finale Screening, and believe me, I rescheduled my Harry Potter on Broadway tickets for this! 😀

Billions creators and show runners Brian Koppelman and David Levien take their viewers seriously and they are incredibly down-to-earth people. They very kindly took the time to say hi and mingle with fans before the screening. And it was lovely to see Lady Trader and Brian Koppelman chat about Black Sabbath! I admit I did not get a word of it but seeing the two of them speak the same language was a true joy! 

December 17, 2018: 

In case you missed it in December, I am delighted to report I was extremely lucky to catch up with Damian on Billions Season 4 set in New York! Since I have been sworn to secrecy by the man himself, I am keeping mum about what is going on in the show but I am thrilled to bring a special message from Damian to us, the bloggers at Fan Fun with Damian Lewis, and to the entire fandom. ENJOY!

So the last but definitely not the least thank you goes to the man who names this blog. Thank you, Damian, for making us the fans we are, sometimes “frolicking” sometimes “fanning” and sometimes “forensic” 🙂 We are honored to hear you say “I read you” and describe the work we do as “amazing” and “stimulating.” We will keep doing it. 

Gingersnap

Happy 4th Birthday to Fan Fun with Damian Lewis and the wonderful team we have.  It has been a joy posting the news over at our sister site damian-lewis.com, blogging here with my blog mates, interacting with the fandom on social media and commenting with all of you readers. I am grateful for this community and its continued patronage because we wouldn’t be here without loyal readers like you. Here’s to a FUN upcoming year at Fan Fun with Damian Lewis and I look forward to what’s to come! Wishing everyone an “Axeceptional” 2019 and what better way to ring in the new year than a sneak peek photo of Bobby Axelrod from Billions season four:

Lady Trader

Happy 4th Birthday FanFun!

Has it really been 4 years? Time flies when you are having FUN, and that certainly is what we here at the blog are having, and is what this blog is all about: the FUN of our “sisterhood”, the FUN of all of us writing and interacting with each other and our readers, but most of all the FUN of writing and exploring the amazing acting and philanthropy of Damian Lewis!

2018 had all the ingredients to make our blog diverse, thought-provoking, and entertaining. 

“Billions” has opened up such debate and discussion on our blog, and it was wonderful. Looking at the show, and of course Bobby Axelrod, from so many different angles in S3 took us from just discussing our favorite show, to basically doing in-depth analysis of these characters we have grown to love (or hate!!).  The trailer for S4 only adds to the excitement of whats to come, and to write about in 2019! 

It never goes without saying say how much I appreciate all the hard work that everyone puts into this labor of love. We all have lives: jobs, families, and other commitments that everyone must attend to; but the attention, level of commitment, and enthusiasm of everyone who is involved with this project is amazing. Damianista is our brilliant “boss”, and she continually astounds me with her writing, her organization, her encouragement and her tireless support that makes this blog what it is today. Thank you Fearless Leader!

March 17, 2019 gives us Season 4 of “Billions” and I just can’t wait!! “From the Trader’s Desk” will continue to give you my perspective of the show and the characters from the financial point of view (and of course the metal side of things!). I’ll also be here to explain any “Fin-speak” that can sometimes be a tad confusing for the non-Wall Street viewer!

On a personal note, I had a very serious health issue in the summer/autumn of 2017. Being able to get back to writing “From the Trader’s Desk” and “Axe and his Music” in 2018 helped me recover and get my life back to normal. Thank you to all the readers (and my fellow Sisters!!) who commented and engaged in the discussions! You were a help beyond words!

So Happy 4th Anniversary! Just like a fine wine, we are getting better with age!!

Holliedazzle

Four years.  That’s a long time!  I found the blog shortly after the launch, and was really impressed at the respectful tone and thoughtful content being generated.  Fandoms can, at times, be toxic, whether the subject is an actual person, a fictional character or world.  This space was really different.  Damian is never dehumanized, or reduced to merely a sex symbol, or conflated with the characters he brings to the screen or stage.  In our fan fun world, he is whole person.  He is a father, an actor, a spouse, a son, a man.  Respecting and honoring everything about who he is seems to be a code with which we all live by, as contributors, and I really admire that.  Celebrities are often treated as commodities, and that’s just not something tolerated here.  

The only time Damian is ever an object!

The first time I contributed to the blog, in March of 2016, I wasn’t sure where it would go.  I’m not the most prolific contributor, but the crew here never makes me feel in any way less than an equal part of the team.  We’ve supported one another as writers and as people, kinda the same way we support Damian in his work.  The world we all live in offers little in the way of safe places to be loved and encouraged, but whether you are a writer/contributor, a reader, or Damian himself, this blog is a paradise in the middle of an otherwise cruel world.  I can’t wait to see what 2019 brings for us all. 

JaniaJania

Wow, what can I say that hasn’t already been said? Does indeed feel like yesterday when I snapped up Damianista’s invitation to write for her fan blog. I can’t really write “promo” stuff, I said. I can’t really write impersonally either, especially about something I’m passionate about, I said. But, she quickly put me at ease (her particular expertise!) and let me have a go anyway. And, after giving up blogging for the immediacy of twitter, I took the dive back to (sometimes wordy, often esoteric) longform writing again. I am so grateful to all the fans who visit us and read us and comment and interact. Our biggest Muse is, of course, Damian, but all the fans here absolutely play a major role in adding fuel to the fire.

*Clink* to many more years together sharing our love with you all!

Here’s my own flat Bobby with a message to you, dear readers.

DRD7pS-V4AA8dEm

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!

26 thoughts on “Four Years with Damian Lewis”

  1. Congrats Damianista (and all you other fine ladies/gents)! You do such fine work that I will expect not 4 years more, but about 20 years more!

    1. Thank you, Connie! We’re grateful for your constant support, encouragement and very kind words! Well then cheers to 20 more! 🙂

    1. Awww! Thank you so much, Analia! I am so happy to know you and thank you so much for your constant support! Love you! Can’t wait to see what the new year will bring!

  2. Wow! 4 years! I still remember the first time we met to just talk all things Wall Street in prep for Billions! Thank you for bringing me into this wonderful fandom! I’ve learned so much from our readers and writers! We have had so many great discussions, and laughs. Onward to the next 4 years (and S4 of Billions!!!)

    1. I know! It’s a total WOW situation! Time flies… I still remember our first meeting, too… I was very excited to meet a woman that actually knew what was going on at Axe Capital like the back of her hand! The feelings are mutual, and I’ve learnt a lot from you — and not only about markets! And you know what we really need to get together sometime soon. I am so sorry we have not been able to meet over the holiday break but how about sometime in February? And YES onward to the next 4 years, or maybe as Connie says, to next 20! Love you!

  3. Love, love, love this site. I am so jealous of how you are able to run in to Damian and see them filming form time to time. Almost makes me want to move from DC to New York – almost. I just hope once they would film a Jeffcoat scene in DC so I could crash the party. Can’t wait for more!

    1. Thank you for your kind words! And we’re so glad you’re a part of the group!

      I know I am extremely lucky because I am sort of a part-time New Yorker (which amazes DL: “How can you spend so much time in NY?”) and so can sometimes be at the right place at the right time. Ah I would move to NY in a heartbeat if I could… I really hope you’ll catch them in DC or in NY. Or better yet they do an event in NY and we will all meet up in the city like at Split Screens Fest – fingers crossed! Cheers to Season 4 and beyond…

    2. TheTailThatWagstheDog, I am not sure if moving to NYC alone would do the trick, I am always in NYC whenever Damianista is in NYC, but being in NYC does not seem to work for me. there must be something else that you and I don’t know about.

  4. Golly 4 years! How long have I been here D’ista? It’s been such a joy to read and write for this blog! I’ve learned so much about social media by participating. One important thing is what a treasure we’ve created here. Thought provoking as well as thoughtful. We’ve had the occasional ruckus but nothing that makes less than thrilled to be in such good company. This space is unusual in that regard. For as long as it lasts may we always have the best fanfunwithdamianlewis!

    1. Thank you! We’re so glad you’re part of the group!

      I think we can track you down in comments — I will look it up to see when you made your first comment 🙂 When did you watch Homeland again? You probably started to search for Damian related stuff sometime after you “met” Brody!

      This blog has certainly brought a lot of happiness to me. I feel like I am able to express myself freely here without thinking what others would think of me. As Lewisto likes to say, I have found my voice here 🙂 And the community we’ve been able to build around the blog is a true treasure. I have met some of the best people I’ve ever met in my life thanks to the blog. And Damian genuinely appreciating the work we do is the cherry on the pie. You know all the work done here is voluntary, and we are not expecting anything in return, but it is super nice to get some feedback from the man to whom this blog is dedicated. And I am extremely grateful for that.

      About the occasional ruckus: Well, I think it just shows we’re all human beings 🙂 Hope we keep sharing the fun for long, long years together!

  5. I remember now; I had read a review of the upcoming season of Homeland – season 6. Curious, I watched S1 and met Brody. So that would be 2017, right? Damn

  6. Way to go to all of you! I’m happy to have been along for most of the 4 years. And also happy to tell anyone new to the blog – these are extremely talented and dedicated bloggers. I don’t know if I’m looking forward to the start of Billions or the start of your analysis of Billions more! Just know I can’t wait!

    1. Thank you Nancy for being with us for most of this journey and for your very kind words! Looking forward to watching and discussing Billions Season 4 together soon. March 17 cannot come fast enough!:D

  7. Hallo liebe Damianista.
    Dein Lewisto hat mit dem folgenden, absolut philosophischen Satz meine Welt ein ganzes Stück weit bereichert und freier gemacht: “Einige Leute lieben Golf. Du liebst Damian Lewis. Was ist der Unterschied? “Richtig?!?!” Tausend Dank dafür. Tausend Dank Dir, das Du uns diese Weisheit nicht vorenthalten hast.
    Wenn man bedenkt, was aus Deinem Mut entstanden ist, dann kann ich nur sagen, herzlichen Glückwünsch und meinen allerherzlichsten Dank für die vielen anscheinend mühelos entstehenden Seiten. Einfach immer wieder grandios und einzigartig.
    Es grüßt ganz herzlich Lucky Fellow.

    Google Translate:
    Hello dear Damianista.
    Your Lewisto has enriched my world a great deal with the following, absolutely philosophical sentence and made it freer: “Some people love golf. You love Damian Lewis. What is the difference? “Right?!?!” A thousand thanks for that. A thousand thanks to you that you have not withheld from us this wisdom.
    Considering what has been born of your courage, all I can say is congratulations and my heartfelt thanks for the many seemingly effortless pages. Just always terrific and unique.
    Greetings from Lucky Fellow.

    1. Thank you my dear Lucky Fellow for reading us and for your kind words! It feels very good to be married to such a wise guy 😀 I am serious though when I say the blog would never have existed if Lewisto had not supported me all the way. I am very lucky. Hoping to share Damian Lewis love together for many many years to come. Cheers!

  8. Joyeux Anniversaire to the blog :]
    I wish more years to come.
    Thanks to all of you, for your work, your analysis on Damian’s work, so much quality, research in everything I can read on this blog, I wish I could write like all of you with such a quality.
    This blog is the best place to discover and exchange with people about Damian <3.
    Damianista I'm always amazed about your ideas of gift for Damian, like the book, and your determination to find way to give to him yourself, your meetings with him seems like a meeting between old friends and that's great, and what is better is that you are sharing this with us <3 <3

    So thanks again, to all of you, to lewisto who convinced you start this wonderful adventure.

    Is it March yet ?

    1. Thanks so much for reading us and for your very kind words, Laetitia! And you know, whenever you want to write a piece about Damian or any character he brings to life, the door is WIDE OPEN. I honestly never knew I had this in me before this blog!

      I know I have to find some “creative” ways to find Damian when a gift is concerned because I really want to present it in person!The fun part is that Damian never gets surprised when he sees me, well, anywhere, I have caught him 😀 And I also take this as a reminder to write about the last meeting in December. Coming soon!

      Oh, yes, Lewisto is to blame for it all; his encouragement everything especially at the beginning and he is still the biggest supporter of this crazy endeavor!

      Hugs and Kisses!

    2. Laetitia thanks, knowing Damianista I knew from the start it would be great, but to tell the truth, I did not expect such great writers to join so quickly. Hats off to them all!

  9. Wow! Four years! Hats off, Ladies!

    What you have created here is totally unique, totally delicious-to-read!!! The level of quality, the amount of information, analyses, investigative writing, and most importantly putting all this in a fun fashion, there is absolutely no match to this! And you have been doing this for four years, what a lucky bastard Damian is!

    I’ll confess though, I enjoy the comments as much as the posts themselves. So, from a fan who does not contribute to the comments section much to the fans who actively join the fun, a big thanks to you, and congratulations! And finally, if I am enjoying this blog today after four years, it is because of the community of the followers of this blog, I know first hand how that motivates the folks here, so thank you, too!

    Congratulations!!!

    1. Thank you! This blog would never have existed without your support and encouragement. So you put the first brick, if you will, THANK YOU! And, hey, you’ve finally made Damian’s nickname in our household public 😀 😀 😀

  10. Lewisto! So nice to hear from you – the power behind the throne. Thank for your kind words and for your logistical support of our Damianista. We’re a strange band of gypsies united by Fun! Love you

    1. thanks Anonymous (or shall I say notAnonymous?), but Damianista and Gingersnap have become tech gurus themselves, I am passing most of the credit to them. and love you back!

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