Category: Helen

Nice interview with Helen with some mentions of Damian:

Helen herself hardly seems to have put a foot wrong, both in work and in what sounds like a splendidly sorted private life. She first met her heart-throb husband Damian, memorably described by one critic as ‘the sexiest redhead on the planet’ and now a Hollywood high-flier, in 2003 when they shared a love scene in the play Five Gold Rings at London’s Almeida Theatre. Describing him as ‘the one’, she said he was the first man to make her feel broody. ‘Am I going to have any more children? You sound like my husband,’ she says, laughing. ‘Not at the moment – life has just reached a great equilibrium and I’m very happy.’

But it’s clear that family is very important to Damian, who flew Helen and the children to America to join him for six weeks during the filming of Homeland last summer. And not only does he like to spoil Helen with treats (that Dick Barton coat) but they also keep the flirtatious sparkle going in their marriage with nonstop teasing – so much so that she says they dream of appearing opposite each other as those wittily sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. ‘Let’s get paid for the banter we enjoy together so much,’ she chuckles.

She and Damian share the childcare as equally as possible, though she admits that they couldn’t do without the ‘indispensable Charlotte, our live-in nanny. And I realise how lucky I am, having talked to other mothers, that Damian gets involved in his children’s day-to-day lives. In two months of filming Homeland, he’s flown back home four times in his few days off. Although that’s tough on him, it makes such a difference. But thank God I’m freelance, so I’ve never been given the choice of either my career or my children – because I genuinely don’t know what I would choose,’ she says.

Read the full interview at the Daily Mail.

How does your weekend start?

There is never a habitual regime, but there is delight in the household because my children, Manon (5) and Gulliver (4), understand that there’s no school. This means that their horrible mother allows them to watch television because they are not allowed during the week. The first thing they want to do is glue themselves in front of the TV. We also have cinema night and we all make our own popcorn and we make pizza. It’s a real treat. They both love seafood like octopus and calamari. We all sit down and watch a film or something.

Do you ever go out just with your husband?

Yes. [Actor] Damian [Lewis] and I go out a lot. I like the theater a lot. I like anything if it’s live… from Country and Western [to] Chinese opera. The last piece of theater I went to see was “Anna Christie” at the Donmar Warehouse with Jude [Law], Ruth [Wilson] and David Hayman. They are friends of ours. After the theater, we would then go to a restaurant.

Do you have a favorite restaurant?

I really love the Salt Yard. It’s got very good tapas and a great wine list. If you don’t have much time, you can just get some cheese, ham and a bottle of red wine. Or, if you want to go there earlier, you can have a big, long meal.

Will you sometimes cook at home on a Friday night?

A lot of the time we would actually just cook. The kids are in bed and I will come downstairs and cook. We have a record player in the kitchen and we always find a new vinyl. We would put it on and listen to new records. And to actually listen to a whole album is great. I got the [reggae band] Burning Spear and we listened to that. We had a glass of wine and Damian made some fish cakes. We sit and chat and just hang out.

What’s your Saturday routine like?

We usually go out to the Heath [in Hampstead]. We live quite near there. We are outdoorsy and we would often go out with other gangs of children.

In the area we live, there’s a large show of children who run from one house to another house to another house. That’s lovely because it means all the children play together, and all the adults get to sit around and have coffees and read the papers or go to the park. We can all sit and chat, and they can all run riot.

Do you have some time for yourself?

The only time I ever spend alone is when I am working or when my husband is away filming. I put the kids to bed and have an hour and a half in the evening for myself. I listen to Radio 4 all the time. I didn’t go to university, so that’s my further education.

What would you do more of if you had time?

It’s nice to sit down and read the whole of whatever magazine I am reading with a cup of coffee. Then you are like: Wow! I actually read the whole magazine.

But to be honest, my husband and my children are my best friends. I am just aware that these are the golden years. There’s a time in your life when you are incredibly happy and then are times that are s—. And the s— will come again, because that’s life. I am aware that this is a good time. So I am celebrating that. I am the happiest I have ever been.

Source: WSJ