From Dick Winters to Steve McQueen: The “American” Damian Lewis

“This sounds absurdly pretentious, but the American Damian, I’m sort of oddly comfortable with him.” – Damian Lewis

A Guardian article from July 2015 talks about Brits versus Yanks in Hollywood:

The invasion of British and Irish leading men in Hollywood has now gone beyond a joke for many in the American entertainment industry. First noticed some time in 2011, the trend was initially dismissed as a novelty: an interesting phase that would pass, rather than as a threat. But this summer actors and directors are calling for action to mobilise American drama teachers and schools to counter it.”

So Hollywood has finally taken notice and is now somehow mobilizing to defend its territory against the British invasion 😀 Well, maybe it is too little too late at this point? I mean, it is not that the Brits are coming, but they have already arrived. Besides, Vanity Fair says “victory is assured” in the video clip below, with fabulous ginger alert at 0:29, about which I blogged about earlier here! Continue reading “From Dick Winters to Steve McQueen: The “American” Damian Lewis”

Damian Lewis as an Onscreen Dad

Dad is a word which can evoke a minefield of emotions simply because the word is personal to each of us and our personal circumstances will affect whether the word evokes positive or negative emotions.

Being a Dad (in real life) can be all kinds of difficult and rewarding. With Father’s Day approaching we take a look at Damian Lewis as an onscreen Dad.

Damianista

“Love is the strongest power there is.” – J.K. Rowling

Probably because I lost my dad at a very young age, I am a true sucker for loving father-daughter relationships in fiction. So here goes a few of my favorite moments with Damian Lewis as an onscreen dad. Even though the characters in each relationship are quite different, there is an overarching theme: A lost soul who finds meaning in life through his love for his daughter.

Continue reading “Damian Lewis as an Onscreen Dad”

Guitar Man: Damian Lewis’ Music Journey Part I

“I’m looking forward to getting out there and playing the songs I’ve written and been recording for my debut album. Be good to be back on stage, this time with a guitar in my hand.”

—Damian Lewis

photo credit: Rhys Frampton

You know what I did in the title, don’t you? If you know a certain ginger man who thinks he is the “second coming of Elvis” that is returning to stage with a guitar in hand, you go and title your related post after a lesser known Elvis gem 🙂

So… if you are not living under a rock, you know that Damian returned to stage, this time, with a guitar in hand turning his fantasies into reality. I have already reviewed his first three London gigs at Omeara, The Tabernacle and Hoxton Hall. Damian also took stage at Wilderness Festival, World Economic Forum in Davos and Cheltenham Jazz Festival. And not just that but he has already dropped three singles that you can hear/download: Down On the Bowery, Zaragoza, and Makin’ Plans. There is also a double-sided special 7-inch vinyl that he released on Record Store Day UK which you can order online now. Damian’s album Mission Creep is coming out on June 16 and you can pre-order it here. And it does not end there… Damian is scheduled to participate in the critically acclaimed song-writer sessions at Black Deer Festival on June 16, a stripped back set and signing of his record Mission Creep at Rough Trade East  in London, and his biggest gig to date at Union Chapel on July 11. I am sure more gigs will follow. You can visit our Damian Lewis Music Page to find out about Damian’s live gigs, ticket information, reviews and more. Continue reading “Guitar Man: Damian Lewis’ Music Journey Part I”

Damian Lewis and My Homeland

If you have been following this blog for some time,  you certainly know about my obsession with Homeland and Brody in particular. And so you probably think this post is yet another one about my all-time favorite fictional character…

Well, you’re wrong! 🙂

This post is about Damian Lewis and My Homeland – the country that I was born and raised in: Turkey. I have been inspired to write this post in London this summer when Damian signed the set list I stole from the Omeara stage in Turkish:

“Tesekkur, Bahar.” (“Thanks, Bahar.”)

Continue reading “Damian Lewis and My Homeland”

Throwback Thursday to Nicholas Brody and His Muslim Faith

“You live in despair for eight years; you can turn to religion, too. And, the King James Bible was not available.” – Nicholas Brody

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

I was born and raised in a secular family in Turkey, a country that is predominantly Muslim. That is, even though I am not religious myself, I am very familiar with the Islamic traditions, rituals and norms. I am obviously coming out of the culture and have been shaped by it in ways that I am probably not aware of 🙂 Thus, I thought it would be neat to talk about Nicholas Brody, my most favorite fictional character ever on small screen, and his Muslim faith, in celebration of Ramadan!

Now, I am not an expert, not even close, about Muslim characters on TV shows; however, even if there had been a popular Muslim character on TV before Brody came along, I just don’t think there is any way she or he could beat him on any popularity scale. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Nicholas Brody and His Muslim Faith”