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Chalke Valley History Festival
by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | June 16, 2021
To mark Band of Brothers 20 year anniversary, History Hit WW2 podcast brought back Chalke Valley History Festival’s brilliant talk with Damian Lewis here or click on the player below. Twenty years after it first aired, Band of Brothers continues to be remembered as a remarkably accurate portrayal of a US parachute infantry company in the European Theater during the Second World War. Damian Lewis is an English actor and producer who played U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. At the Chalke Valley History Festival in 2016, he discussed the making of this series, portraying a soldier in the Second World War and meeting the veterans.
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Series Airs on History Channel
by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | November 26, 2020
The History Channel US will be airing the Band of Brothers series on Friday, November 27, 2020 beginning at 7:00 a.m. CST / 8:00 a.m. EST. Be sure to check your local listing. Currahee!
Visit History Channel website to view schedule of episodes here.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Every HBO Miniseries Ranked – Nov 25, 2020
Band of Brothers
by Noel Murray and Scott Tobias | Vulture | November 25, 2020
Some of the network’s best, most daring work has come in the form of a limited series.
As HBO miniseries started developing in the mid-’80s and early ’90s, the “It’s Not TV. It’s HBO” tagline would not have applied. With a notable exception of Robert Altman and Garry Trudeau’s Tanner ’88, early efforts like The Far Pavilions and All the Rivers Run — the latter unavailable for us to include — had the scope of a typical two-night network event, with little of the ambition and artistry (and premium-cable pruriency) that would come to define the network. Even some of the more lauded, award-winning benchmarks from the mid-2000s, like the star-packed Richard Russo adaptation Empire Falls or the lavishly appointed historical drama Elizabeth I, hadn’t evolved past a more traditional model.
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Charity Appeal and Digital Learning
by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | September 29, 2020
Just this past September 11, Damian brought awareness to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF-UK) for The Hall School Triathlon Charity Appeal with this video message. It’s not too late to give, if you can, here. All money goes towards JDRF – UK’s leading Type 1 Diabetes charity.
Earlier in June of this year, Damian participated via Zoom in The Hall School’s “History Matters” series as part of their digital learning program, which focused on the boys’ curriculum. The school was honored to welcome Damian and hear him discuss his love of history.
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Accents and How He Handled Overnight Fame
by Joel Keller | Industry Mag Staten Island | July 19, 2020
He may be an officer of the British Empire, but the London native is best known for playing Americans, including Bobby Axelrod in Billions.
Damian Lewis has been playing American characters on and off (mostly on) for 20 years, since he was cast as Maj. Dick Winters in the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. He’s played so many American characters that people are genuinely shocked to hear his natural west London-accented voice. He’s so used to it that sometimes he forgets to go back to his natural voice.
“I go get my groceries in an American accent,” he told ABC News in 2016. “And I get halfway through paying and I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry. I’m British, and I have no idea why I’m talking in an American accent to you, but I’ve been doing it all week.”
His American roles have been so prominent in his career that BBC America’s website actually has a listicle with the title “7 Roles Featuring Damian Lewis’ Real Accent.”
Suffice to say, playing American characters has been very good to Lewis. He won an Emmy in 2012 for his powerful turn playing war hero-turned-terrorist Nicholas Brody in the first season of Homeland, and since 2016, he’s played scheming billionaire Bobby Axelrod in another Showtime series, Billions. “Hello, I’m Damian Lewis, one of those pesky Brits,” he said somewhat apologetically when he went up to accept his Emmy.
We are thrilled to bring you a series of interviews with the cast of the epic TV series, Band of Brothers. From a target of five participants, we ended up with more than twenty! In four segments, you can hear all about casting, auditions and the hilarity/horror of bootcamp with Dale Dye. Be warned. Actors like to swear. A lot. Especially when it comes to bootcamp.
With thanks to: Nick Aaron, Philip Barantini, George Calil, Ben Caplan, Michael Cudlitz, Dexter Fletcher, Rick Gomez, Scott Grimes, Nolan Hemmings, Robin Laing, Mark Lawrence, Matthew Leitch, Ross McCall, James Madio, Tim Matthews, Rene Moreno, Jason O’Mara, Peter O’Meara, Bart Ruspoli, Matt Settle, Richard Speight Jr, Rick Warden and Peter Youngblood-Hills.
Win lunch for two with cast of Band of Brothers in Los Angeles. All proceeds support injured Veterans via @homesforourtrps. You and a guest will have the opportunity to break bread and enjoy riveting conversation in one of LA’s favorite restaurant establishments with the following cast members:*
Colin Hanks
Scott Grimes
Ron Livingston
Ross McCall
Frank John Hughes
Jimmy Madio
Rick Gomez
Richard Speight Jr
Damian Lewis
Michael Cudlitz
Neal McDonough
Dale Dye
*Names are subject to change
The experience includes lunch for you and your guest on a mutually agreeable date. Must be used within 12 months of the auction. No age restrictions. Click here to bid.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Apple Launches In-House Studio, Sets Band of Brothers Follow-Up Series – Oct 11, 2019
Masters of the Air
by Will Thorne | Variety | October 11, 2019
Apple is set to produce its first in-house series.
The show in question is Masters of the Air, a follow-up to the Band of Brothers and The Pacific series executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The legendary duo are on board once again, which comes as no surprise given that Spielberg was a prominent figure at the Apple TV Plus launch event in March. Masters of the Air will also be a limited drama and represents the first series greenlit with Apple serving as the studio. The tech giant has placed worldwide video heads Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht in charge of overseeing its new studio.
Based on the book by Donald L. Miller, Masters of the Air is said to follow the true, deeply personal story of the American bomber boys in World War II who brought the war to Hitler’s doorstep. The series is being written by Band of Brothers alumnus John Orloff, who is also a co-executive producer. The critically acclaimed Band of Brothers miniseries aired on HBO back in 2001, and featured Homeland and Billions star Damian Lewis in one of the lead roles. The show won a handful of Emmys and a Golden Globe, while its successor The Pacific was also an awards season success.
Spielberg is exec producing via his Amblin Television banner, alongside Hanks and Gary Goetzman for Playtone. Graham Yost, also an alumnus from Band of Brothers, will co-executive produce alongside Amblin TV’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey and Steven Shareshian of Playtone.
Masters of the Air will stream exclusively on Apple TV Plus and represents the second project for Apple to hail from Spielberg’s Amblin Television…
Surprise! Some cast members of Band of Brothers reunited on Saturday, September 14, 2019 for some good food, good company, a little croquet, and some piano playing at a private BBQ held at a private residence in London, England. The event was organized by a Band of Brothers cast member and those present were, Damian Lewis (Dick Winters), Nolan Hemmings (Charles E. Grant), Christian Black (Hendrix), Tim Matthews (Penkala), Bart Ruspoli (Tipper), Dexter Fletcher (Martin), Nick Aaron (Popeye Wynn), Marc Ryan-Jordan (John Julian), Peter McCabe (Hoobler), Peter Youngblood Hills (Shifty Powers), Rick Warden (Welsh), actor Ross Owen and more.
Ross Owen’s Facebook page announced:
“Band of Brothers fans. As you all know, Mike Cudlitz hosts a Band of Brothers cast reunion at his LA home every year. For years the UK actors have been hoping to do the same in the UK. So today…after 18 years, the very first ‘behind closed doors’ UK Band of Brothers cast reunion and BBQ takes place at Nolan Hemmings home in London. Looking forward to seeing everyone.”
To view more photos of the event, please visit our Gallery here
We would like to thank Linda who runs the Friends of Major Dick Winters Facebook page for the contribution to this post!
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The Billions Star Tells Playboy About Wealth, Mixed Morals and Playing Steve McQueen For Tarantino
by Daniel Barna | Playboy | April 16, 2019
Damian Lewis is not American, but he plays one on TV. In fact, he’s played many. Since breaking out as the gutsy U.S. soldier Dick Winters in Steven Spielberg’s sprawling World War II miniseries Band of Brothers, the London native has almost exclusively built his career on exploring this country’s rich history of heroes and villains. After the singularly heroic Winters, Lewis muddied the moral waters with Homeland’s Nicholas Brody, another Army man whose allegiances were tested after returning home from an extended stint as a prisoner of al-Qaeda.
Showtime had originally planned to kill Sgt. Brody off in season one, but Lewis’ role as the POW-turned-terrorist became so integral to the show’s DNA that the network decided to keep him around until season three, no matter how many rules of logic they needed to bend along the way. The performance earned Lewis an Emmy and a Golden Globe, and made him one of television’s biggest stars. It also showcased Lewis’ preternatural ability to play men steeped in moral ambiguity.
So when it came time to cast the lead for its glossy new prestige drama set in the high-stakes world of hedge funds, the network didn’t flinch. Now in its fourth season, Billions stars Lewis as Bobby “Axe” Axelrod, a self-made Wall St. billionaire with the hubris of Kanye West and the ruthlessness of Vladimir Putin. The show, which pits Axelrod against Paul Giamatti’s U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades, has become an obsession for Wall Streeters and wealthy athletes like Kevin Durant (who made a cameo in season three), who identify with its depiction of the luxurious kind of lifestyle that comes with being obscenely rich.
But as Lewis tells Playboy, Billions is about more than very fast cars and really big boats. Lewis believes that at its core, Billions is a story about the intersection of money and power, which is especially timely given that the wealth gap in America is wider than it’s ever been before. “There’s no question that some of these billionaires operate like nation states. They have the ears of prime ministers and presidents around the world, and they influence policy,” he says. “It’s a problem that the gap between the wealthy and the poor has increased, when the political project for the last 20 to 30 years has been to reduce that gap. I’ve got no problem with individuals amassing enormous amounts of wealth. The critical questions are, How did they make it, and how do they use it?”
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The Real Dick Winters: The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers
by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | January 31, 2019
Dick Winters: Hang Tough is the story of the building and dedication of the Richard D. Winters Leadership monument in Normandy, France in June of 2012. The film focuses on the leader of World War II’s Band of Brothers. Narrated by 2012 Emmy Award-winner Damian Lewis, who played Dick Winters in HBO’s Band of Brothers, and available for FREE streaming at wwiifoundation.org here, on Amazon Prime Video or for DVD purchase here.
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Help! I’m Meeting Hanks
by Weekend Reporters | Daily Mail | October 19, 2018
Some of today’s biggest stars have written for us in the past – including Damian Lewis, who wrote this hilarious diary about his big break in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s WWII TV series Band of Brothers. Weekend Magazine shared extracts from Damian Lewis’s diary as a rising star:
Late August 1999 – Call from my agent, Stephanie Randall. Hollywood’s coming to town. Hurrah. Another chance to record myself on a tape for some big blockbuster which will gather dust on a shelf in LA. ‘This is different,’ Stephanie stresses, ‘It’s Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. They’re seeing everybody, and they want you to play an American. It’s gonna be huge.’
Day of audition – I head off on my motorbike. It rains on me, I arrive, soaked and walk down some steps into a colourless Soho basement.
