Damian Lewis in character as King Henry VIII: would you hit it?

FFN_Lewis_Damian_FFUK_exc_060514_51444937

This post is dedicated to my mom, who loves Damian Lewis. Today is her last day of teaching! She’s retiring and she’s super-happy about it. So I thought this would be a nice gift for her, a post about one of her favorite gingers.

Damian was photographed a few days ago in Wiltshire, England in full royal regalia. Like, old-school regalia. He’s playing Henry VIII in a new miniseries/TV show called Wolf Hall, using Hilary Mantel’s book of the same name as source material. Apparently, the show is all about the political struggles of Henry VIII, with Mark Rylance playing Cromwell and Jonathan Pryce (I LOVE Pryce) as Cardinal Wolsey. Claire Foy will play Anne Boleyn and Mark Gatiss (Mycroft!) is in there somewhere too. As is Jessica Raine, best known as Jenny Lee on Call the Midwife (Raine recently quit Call the Midwife!).

So, what are your thoughts on Damian as Henry VIII? The real king was a ginger, and it’s always nice when films and television at least get the historical figure’s hair color right (remember Eric Bana as Henry VIII? That was… weird). But in this point in history, when he was dealing with Anne Boleyn, wasn’t he already a pretty big/fat man? I thought so. Maybe Damian needs more padding.

Damian was free to take on this new TV project because (SPOILER from last year) Nicholas Brody died last season of Homeland. I’m genuinely worried about what they’re going to do next season without Brody, but Damian seems relatively happy that he’s off the show. Although… he recently told the NYT that he “misses Danesy! I miss her.” Aw… he misses Claire. That’s sweet. He’s also considering a return to Broadway in a revival of Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana.

Last thing – Damian took part in The Hollywood Reporter’s TV Actors’ round-table discussion and his part of the interview was really good. Go here to read.

FFN_Lewis_Damian_FFUK_exc_060514_51444944

FFN_Lewis_Damian_FFUK_exc_060514_51444948

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

67 Responses to “Damian Lewis in character as King Henry VIII: would you hit it?”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Eleonor says:

    I want him to be the next James Bond.

  2. Fel says:

    No. I can’t deal with pretentious arrogant twats.

    • Juliette says:

      Totally agree. His penchant for being an arrogant douche far outweighs any supposed hotness.

      After his comments about Ian McKellan among others. P**s off.

  3. Nur says:

    AFAIK, Henry had a jousting accident when he was married to Anne and started gaining weight after the injury to his leg became chronic and prevented him from taking part in sportive activities. He became really fat after sometime Anne died.
    I think he looks better as Henry than JRM ever did.

  4. Kimmy says:

    Actually, I think Henry was still relatively attractive when he was getting with Anne Boleyn. Also, no one has been better a better Anne than Natalie Dormer. I loved her!

    And dammit…..I haven’t caught up on last season of Homeland yet. =\

    • Sullivan says:

      Yes! I loved Natalie Dormer’s Boleyn.

      • MyCatLoves TV says:

        I grew to enjoy Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn. But the real Anne had a more olive complexion and brown eyes so dark some contemporaries said they were black. But I am a sucker for authenticity (if you’re going to do something, do it right). It was said that they were making a period piece soap opera and they wanted people to watch it. Therefore they felt they needed to change history, appearances, etc. I do enjoy when a character speaks an actual quote from the historical figure they are playing. So I put aside my obsessions and just enjoyed the pretty people and the pretty clothes! (The skinny dark haired Henry VIII is just weird to me. Sorry.)

    • T.Fanty says:

      No, I think by that point he was still pretty, ahem, rotund. This is the 1536 portrait, the year after he took out Sir Thomas More:

      http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/henry1536.jpg

      But he was rich and powerful, and I think that helped.

    • OhDear says:

      And I can’t think of anyone else to play Cromwell besides James Frain! Though I’m sure Mark Rylance will be perfectly fine.

      • Mel M says:

        Right!

      • T.Fanty says:

        I feel the same way. That’s all I could picture as I read the books. Rylance should be terrific, though. I have faith.

      • Sighs says:

        Too true! And actually, he’s playing Thomas Cromwell (I would imagine), since that’s who the book is based around. I believe Oliver was his grandson? I’m in the middle of reading the book right now.

      • BW says:

        Unfortunately, Frain didn’t look anything like Thomas Cromwell.

        Here’s a pic of the real Cromwell:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cromwell#mediaviewer/File:Cromwell,Thomas(1EEssex)01.jpg

      • 'P'enny says:

        Frain is a top actor, love his natural malevolence, wish he was in more stuff. I’ve just the series of 24 with him in and thought, wow.

      • kri says:

        Ohhh, The Tudors. Loved it. But yeah, by this time the King was pretty large, and that costume doesn’t fit Lewis at all. I am sure that this will be a well-done project. On a side note, I love Gatiss as an actor. He is always a sexy, sibilant, sinister creature.

      • T.fanty says:

        That’s true, but Frain has a really quiet watchfulness which I think was exactly right. Rylance is a ham, and I don’t know if he’ll be as willing to blend into the background as Mantel’s Cromwell does.

    • woodstockschulz says:

      Thomas Cromwell, not Oliver….

      Anyways, back to the subject of Henry’s weight: until Henry VIII had his jousting accident he was pretty active – played tennis, hunting, entered jousting tournaments, etc. It wasn’t until after the accident, when he was in too much pain (an old leg wound re-opened and would later get really infected and gross) to do any physical activity that he really picked up weight. Their meals used to last for hours, multiple courses, mostly meat (they used to think raw veggies were dangerous) and after his accident, Henry ate just as much (maybe more) and couldn’t exercise.

  5. HappyMom says:

    I have loved him since Band of Brothers-so yes!

    • Mel M says:

      Love BoB too. Just started rewatching it now that it’s on amazon prime even though I have the DVDs. Was just talking to Mr. M about how I could watch it all of the time and never get bored.

    • Maria of MD says:

      Me too, so I am looking forward to this. Finally, a red-haired Henry again after at least two brunettes! Finally!!

  6. Lindy79 says:

    He’s the most “Henry-looking” Henry portrayed on tv or film I’ve seen in a long time.

  7. I Choose Me says:

    Why yes. Yes I would.

    But the clothing of the day didn’t do much for the men who wore them did they? Yikes.

  8. Mia4S says:

    Normally yes, but the Edwardian era clothes do nothing for me. He has a Band of Brothers pass from me though, those are hard to revoke! 😉

    Congrats to your Mom Kaiser!

  9. bluhare says:

    Yes. Yes, I would. I might even make him keep the costume on.

  10. Snazzy says:

    Isn’t it Thomas Cromwell? I read Mantel’s book when it came out – wonderful!!!

  11. 'P'enny says:

    god no! Bring back Jonathan Rhys Mayers. highly inaccurate but jolly good fun. 😀

  12. maria says:

    Is that red leather? Looks hot. As in “getting a heat stroke” not “I want to hit that”

  13. Lucretia says:

    First, love that Kaiser’s mom is a teacher — Happy retirement!

    I’m a fan of Henry-Anne stories, but it’s time someone put an earlier EPIC royal love story on film — Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine! (and no “Lion in Winter” remake)
    Sister was queen of France and England in her lifetime. She divorced Louis of France, Henry was a younger man and it was a fiery union (6? kids — including Richard the Lionheart and John I of Robin Hood fame). Love, religion, sex, politics, betrayal, war . . .

    Sorry, showing my history teacher nerd colors here, but I think James McAvoy would make the most perfect Henry II . . .

    • fairyvexed says:

      Not just that but Eleanor was thirty something and Henry only eighteen when they married. It was a love match at the beginning too.

    • ncboudicca says:

      I’ve always been fascinated by Eleanor. Would love a movie about her.

      Although a really epic miniseries that starts with her and ends with the Magna Carta or something, would be much better than a measly 2 hr movie.

      • Lucretia says:

        @ncboudicca
        Glad to meet a fellow fan of the queen.

        Epic miniseries sounds perfect — and next June is the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, so how can the BBC ignore the timing?

        Our story begins with a beautiful, brilliant, and bored (by her pious husband) French queen . . .

    • Pepsi Presents...Coke says:

      Watch The Devil’s Crown on YouTube. Brian Cox, Jane Lapotaire, 1978. Follows the Angevins.

    • Maria of MD says:

      And Henry the Second was supposed to be red-haired too. Damian’d be great in a remake/restaging of The Lion in Winter.

  14. epiphany says:

    Henry became obese after a serious injury while joisting hindered his ability to exercise – that was circa 1536. He and Anne had been married for 3 years. The had “dated” for want of a better word, for 7 years prior to the marriage, during which time he remained slim and athletic. The obese Henry didn’t exist until after his 44th birthday. Up to that point, he was considered quite a dish. And he was, in fact, a red head!

  15. Mel M says:

    I just came to say I loved Wolf Hall and am so sad nurse Jenny Lee quit. Although I did think that the last episode was the last in the series since she talked about her future at the end.

  16. eliza says:

    I am not too sure how I will feel about Homeland now that he is gone. He was the reason I watched, as I love most everything he does. I am not sure if I can deal with a neurotic Carrie and her ugly cry face if Brody is not there to distract me.

  17. Daz London says:

    THOMAS Cromwell Not Oliver Cromwell !!!!!!!!!

  18. maichan says:

    I believe Henry VIII was 36 when he married Anne Boelyn. So he looks about right…

  19. Sixer says:

    I like Lewis, but he’s one of those actors who does internal better than external. So, ginger ou non, I’m a bit unsure about this casting. Bluff Hal was all about the external.

    But Wolf Hall – a superb novel that more than repays the significant effort required to read it – is mostly about Cromwell, so Lewis’s performance won’t be the central one.

    • Tig says:

      Have to respectfully disagree with work vs reward of Wolf Hall- think Bring up the Bodies is a much better read. Any word when third is coming out?

      And A Place of Greater Safety?? That novel makes Wolf Hall look like a first grade reader!

      • Chris says:

        Sixer
        r re pref for Wolf Hall
        Ditto, but probably because it’s longer! I can’t wait for vol 3 of the Cromwell story, grim though it must be. I’m so glad a writer of genius tackled it, and made the books such a thrilling literary experience too
        . Did others fall for Cromwell like I did? I picture him played by the de Niro of Once Upon a Time in America. *swoon*

    • Sixer says:

      I think I prefer Wolf Hall to Bring Up The Bodies – but I love them both. The difficulty of a book is a relative thing – but it’s difficult in terms of yer average historical fiction fare. That’s all I meant.

      • DameEdna says:

        I love the idiom Mantel has created for her characters, none of the ye olde nonsense lesser writers resort to. There’s poetry in the prose too.

        Once you realise that “He” usually refers to Cromwell, it’s plain sailing. I also love her (ie Cromwell’s) take on Thomas More….heartily sick of that sanctimonious prig popularised by Bolt.

      • Sixer says:

        Yes to all that – I also loved that mean More she created. Having said that, I also love Peter Ackroyd’s biography of More, which is entirely sympathetic.

    • Sighs says:

      I’m in the middle of wolf hall and it’s not hard, it’s just slow. I’m having a hard time getting distracted by other things…obviously. it’s interesting once I actually get down to it.

  20. Jaderu says:

    I’ve never been able to get his “Jonesy” from Dreamcatcher out of my head, so I can’t with him. I’ve tried. That movie was just dumb and he creeped me out in it.
    I may give this a shot though because I love Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I anything.

    • Lucretia says:

      I can’t get Soames from Forsyte Saga out of my head — can’t go there with him.

      • balehead2012 says:

        Yes, that’s the first film I’ve seen Damian in and Soames is a character that stays with you…so that’s a no.
        Just a thought: aren’t there any other kings to make films about?! I mean, I’ve seen a dozen films/series etc. about Henry VIII and honestly, I’m quite fed up with watching Ann Boleyn getting her head chopped off for the tenth time.

  21. Amy Tennant says:

    Yow! Sure.

  22. hitchenchild says:

    Been a fan of his since the canceled TV series, “Life”…

  23. Her Indoors says:

    Can’t wait for this, but even more excited about the third book even though we all know it’s not going to end well for Crumb…

    • Chris says:

      Oh god it’s going to be an odd read…I know I’ll be trying to slow it down, but you can’t resist Mantel. Given the brilliant device she came up with to replace a narrator, I guess the end is The End. Gulp. But…she’s so cool with a spirit vibe too: could she surprise us with Cromwell 2.0 ? Whatever, I just hope she’s writing like the clappers and we read all about it asap.

  24. Beth says:

    Meh. So many other hotter Brits to choose from. Plus I only ever saw him as Nick Brody and that dude was a mess. I can’t disassociate.

  25. Anne tommy says:

    Nope. Being obsessed with one gingery posh boy is enough for me thanks. And a shout out to Mark Rylance for his recent tony.

  26. Kosmos says:

    Although I’m sure he’s wonderful in this role, and most likely all of his roles, the truth is that I have always found him to be quite “Unattractive”–maybe I just don’t go for his coloring, or his small mouth, or the hair or eyes, but after watching hours of my beloved show ‘Homeland,’ I just NEVER ever found Damian (or Nick Brody) to be attractive in the tiniest way !!

  27. Amara says:

    No…

  28. Bridget says:

    The only time I’ve ever found him attractive was the first season of Homeland. However things ended up going in subsequent seasons, during the first the chemistry between him and Danes was hot. And like another poster above, I loathed him in Dreamcatcher (don’t judge, my husband made me watch. Ugh).

  29. Ally8 says:

    All I see is Mitchell Pritchett going to a theme party at Pepper Saltzman’s house.

    I’ve been watching too much Modern Family, clearly.

  30. Mo2 says:

    Damian was the best part of Homeland. Last season the only episodes that kept my attention were the ones he was in. Don’t get me wrong, I think Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend, et al are great actors, but there was magic missing without Damian on the screen. But from what I understand, he loves his Shakespeare so I’m happy to see he’s doing what he loves.

  31. LAK says:

    Wolf Hall is a fantastic book.

  32. Bgirl says:

    Damn straight I would! Who knew that Henry VIII could look so scrumptious!

    Unlike another poster, I’ve had a thing for Damian since I first saw him in The Forsyte Saga.