Entertainment

Rich & shameless: Damian Lewis on the return of TV's Billions

Damian Lewis is back as hedge fund billionaire Bobby 'Axe' Axelrod in the second series of Sky Atlantic's Billions. The actor talks about re-uniting with Paul Giamatti as his nemesis, US attorney Chuck Rhoades and why TV is currently attracting big names from Hollywood

Damian Lewis as Bobby 'Axe' Axelrod and Glenn Fleschler as Orrin Bach in Billions
Damian Lewis as Bobby 'Axe' Axelrod and Glenn Fleschler as Orrin Bach in Billions Damian Lewis as Bobby 'Axe' Axelrod and Glenn Fleschler as Orrin Bach in Billions

What's it like working with Paul Giamatti on Billions?

Paul is sensational. He's one of the most delightful men I've ever met and so being on camera with him is thrilling.

He's smart, he's funny and he also brings a physical presence to all his characters, so I think we enjoy the physicality of being in that cage together.

Two lions, if you like, prowling. I think we both get a kick out of that.

What can you tell us about the dynamic between Bobby and Chuck in the second series?

Bobby has made the decision that if he's going to be able to operate freely without government interference, the US attorney Chuck Rhoades (Giamatti) has to be taken down, and the first shot he takes is citing undue harassment and unlawful harassment in the workplace.

So they're right back at it. No one's let up. There's not a moment of peace.

What do you think is the source of Bobby and Chuck's feud?

I think part of Axe's indignation about the whole thing is, you know, 'Dude, why did you get this bee in your bonnet? What's going on? Why did you just come at me so aggressively?'

We were very happy in our own little worlds. Bobby is a full believer in libertarianism and the individual's right to make money, and make something of himself.

Of course Bobby stretches the definitions of that, too, because, as you will see in season two, he cares less about hiding now, about the way in which he gets his information. How you get the edge is up to you, but having the edge is everything.

Bobby's considered 'new money'. Do you think this is going to cause further tension between him and the establishment?

Some of the billionaires around him are new money, like him, but a lot of them come from old, established families. He's still a young pretender by comparison.

He's nouveau riche in that respect and he's still punchy and blue-collar and doesn't yet understand the nuances of that upper-class, aristocratic way of doing things.

He's still slightly looked down upon and this season, that's quite an interesting dynamic.

What do you think is the big appeal of the series?

The thriller element, which I think people really respond to, is there. But the wives [Malin Akerman plays Bobby's wife, Lara] continue to play strong, central roles, so the family elements are there too. I think watching these families fracture is just as gripping as the cat-and-mouse between Chuck and Bobby. But these are two men who will be pushed more and more in extremis and, as with the best drama, it's about the lengths to which they are prepared to go to be king of the castle. Because what's becoming clear is that, there's one castle, and there's going to be one king.

Why do you think so many big names in film are moving across to TV?

So many great directors and writers and actors are working in TV today because it has become very filmic and is now telling these complex stories over 10 or 12 hours, and it gives people an opportunity to paint morally ambiguous characters.

It gives actors a chance to play those characters, which is always fun because it's more like life. As a platform, I think it's very exciting.

You feel like you've just watched a really sophisticated, complete, varied story.

The Sopranos, in my mind, really kicked it off at the exact same time I was making Band Of Brothers. They were right at the vanguard of this new little golden period we're in.

They spent $120m making Band Of Brothers. It was an event series – they shot it like a movie, it was told like a movie and people binged on that in 10 hours.

And The Sopranos had this great new anti-hero: Tony Soprano was a bad guy we loved.

Since then we've had Don Draper and Walter White and Nicholas Brody and here again, we'll have Bobby Axelrod to follow in that tradition.

:: Billions returns on Sky Atlantic and Now TV on Tuesday February 21.