Damian Lewis and Cricket

The thing about following an autodidact, a renaissance man, a man for all seasons, is that you tend to become a bit of those things yourself (if you weren’t already). If Damian were just an actor and did nothing else between acting gigs except hide out with the family somewhere far away from cameras and people and prying eyes, we’d have a pretty easy (and boring) time of it, wouldn’t we. But, no, this guy has to do lots of other things, namely a lot of other sporty things, pretty much the entire time he’s not working on the sport of his profession.

Damianista’s done a fine job telling us about Damian’s summer. And here, I’ll touch a bit more on one of those summerly interests, the one that may be, arguably, the most foreign to us Yanks: the game of cricket.

Damian was slated to play at Authors v Entertainers on September 12 to benefit Chance to Shine, an organization geared towards “spreading the power of cricket.” Whether he did in fact play or not, we can’t confirm. Nonetheless, here are some ponderings on some ins-and-outs and themes of this strange-to-us game, bits from his attendance at other cricket matches this summer, and some glorious shots of the Authors v Entertainers event at Wormsley.

Spoiler alert: Authors won over Entertainers in this match so chances are that Damian may not have been there afterall. πŸ˜€

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Damian Lewis: “I am going to have a
summer.” And, he DID!

Happy Labor Day! It means this is the last chance for most of us to make that last trip before the summer ends…Β It also means we will have our Englishman back in New York shortly for Billions Season 3 shoot. It goes without saying we will follow the shoot very closely and think and talk about our hopes, wishes and fantasies about Season 3 in the coming weeks and months.

source: Showtime

But, today, we will talk about Damian’s summer, the first summer he has fully enjoyed in the last six years. There were obviously weekend escapes especially during Homeland shoot in North Carolina which Helen makes sound wonderful in an interview with Evening Standard…

“We went to the Appalachian Mountains, skinny-dipping in the white waters, camping…”

…but, still, Damian has constantly worked all summer since he started shooting Homeland in spring 2011. So, when asked by a fan at The Goat stage door back in May about what he would be doing between The Goat and Billions, he responded promptly:

“I am going to have a summer.”

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summer.” And, he DID!”

From Locker Room to After-Party:
Damian Lewis at Game for Grenfell

source: Getty Images

Well, he may call himself a muppet but Damian plays more like a professional baller in Game for Grenfell!

Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer, two former football stars, put together Game4Grenfell, a football match between two amazing teams of football stars and non-football stars at Queen Park Rangers’ (QPR) Loftus Road Stadium “to raise funds and inspire hope for those affected” by the Greenfell Tower fire that caused at least 80 deaths and more than 70 injuries back in June. Continue reading “From Locker Room to After-Party: Damian Lewis at Game for Grenfell”

Bend it Like Damian Lewis, Part I *UPDATED*

Yes, it is REAL. Yes, it is Zidane!

Damian Lewis loves football. He regularly plays for Anvil FC, an amateur football team in King’s Cross, and has taken part in several charity football matches including the celebratedΒ Soccer Aid. Our guy shares in a recentΒ interviewΒ withΒ The Evening StandardΒ he sees the sport as a form of therapy:

β€œI enjoy the total absorption in a white ball and 10 other guys and the focus, and the way it releases everything else from your mind. It’s brilliant, it’s the best occupational therapy I can think of. You run around and get fit and it releases any anger or tension that you have. I used to play at 7.30 on Thursday mornings in New York. I’d haul myself out of bed, even if I’d had a night shoot that finished at 2am and go and play. I love it.”

Well, I cannot agree with him more because I feel the same about running and swimming, particularly the β€œit releases any anger or tension you have” part. And we cannot be happier Damian will be playing the game he loves for a wonderful cause this weekend:Β Game for Grenfell is aΒ charity football match organized by former football stars Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand “to raise funds and inspire hope for those affected” in the devastating Grenfell Tower fire that caused at least 80 deaths and over 70 injuries. Continue reading “Bend it Like Damian Lewis, Part I *UPDATED*”

Throwback Thursday: Damian Lewis owns Midfield, England Wins 3 – 2: Soccer Aid 2016

Our sporty bloke may have been spotted perpetrating some immaculate swings on the golf course a few days ago, but around this time last year, we were privy to seeing Damian knock around a ball for a bit and show the rest of the world his prowess in the game of footie at Soccer Aid 2016. Here’s a look back at that match and the three of us meeting up virtually to watch the game.

My personal favorite of all the pictures of this event, and, perhaps, my favorite picture of him from all of 2016…how he’s so far above the ground, so focused on the task at hand. A visual metaphor, really, for an entire career.

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