Some stories just keep getting better with time.
After a fabulous weekend in Lake Como, Damian Lewis shared one of those moments that made me stop and smile. Rhuigi Villaseñor, the fashion designer of street wear RHUDE, whom Damian was hanging out with over the weekend, texted Jay-Z to say they were sitting with “Brody from Homeland”…
…and Jay-Z replied:
“no waaay”
I mean—can we just take a second?
Because this actually goes back years.
In 2013, on his album Magna Carta… Holy Grail, Jay-Z dropped the track F.U.T.W. (Fuck Up the World) with the line:
“Feeling like a stranger in my own land
Got me feeling like Brody in Homeland”
And just like that, Nicholas Brody crossed into a completely different world.
Not just TV. Not just prestige drama.
But hip hop. Pop culture at the highest level.
Damian has always been so genuinely delighted by that moment—and honestly, that’s part of why it’s so fun.
Damian jokingly revealed on the Jonathan Ross Show that he knew he made it “across the pond” when he found out about the Jay Z song:
“He referenced Brody in one of his songs which was, I don’t know, if you want to arrive anywhere, that’s where you want to arrive isn’t it? In a Jay Z song.”
When asked if he had spoken with Jay Z about the song, Damian joked:
“It’s ‘Jay’ now between us two but no, no I haven’t.”
You can see the exchange between Jonathan Ross and Damian at 4:09 below.
Earlier, in 2013, Damian spoke to Esquire about the Jay Z track in. When asked about whether he was aware of FUTW track in the Jay Z album Magna Carta… Holy Grail, he said:
“I was aware of that, yeah.”
“That’s quite a cool thing, isn’t it?”
“It’s one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to me.”
“Are you serious? It’s pretty good, right?”
“My natural habitat is quite a long way from, you know, a gangster rapper. So the fact I’ve somehow straddled popular culture to find myself name checked… From the RSC…”
“To the Jay Z?”
“To the Jay Z. I did actually walk around playing it on-set to anyone who’d listen: ‘just in case you might be interested… have you heard this?’” 🙂
“My natural habitat is quite a long way from a gangster rapper… so the fact I’ve somehow straddled popular culture to find myself name-checked…”
From the Royal Shakespeare Company
to Jay-Z.
Because that’s exactly what happened.
A classically trained actor, deep in theatre, suddenly becoming that character—Brody—who cuts across audiences, countries, and even music.
And now, all these years later, he’s sitting by the most beautiful stadium in Como, watching football, laughing with friends… and that same connection pops up again.
Only this time, Jay-Z texts back.
“no waaay”
It still feels just as cool now as it did back then.
And if you want to hear the moment that started it all, the track is out there (just… fair warning, very explicit lyrics).
