'Billions': Who is David Costabile married to and 5 things to know about the actor who plays Mike Wagner
For years, David Costabile remained one of the most 'familiar' faces on American TV. The actor is best known for his role in TV shows such as 'Breaking Bad', 'Suits' and 'The Wire', but his biggest silver screen success is his character Mike "Wag" Wagner. David plays the badass character of Wag, who is Axelrod's right hand and COO of Aze Capital, in 'Billions'. Talking about the popularity he gained through 'Billions', the actor said in an interview with The Ringer, "The garbage man, he saw me, he slowed down, stopped the truck, and shouted, 'F****ng Wags! You’re the f****ng man!'"
As Wag, his role is billed as a badass man who is not scared to say anything. Wagner is a character of creative obscenities who takes work way too seriously. With sharp lines and on-point dialogues coupled with his wit, the actor has created quite a fanbase for his character. In an interview with The Ringer, when asked about what people say when they meet him, the actor said, "They’re usually just like, 'F****ng Wags!'"
Born in Washington DC, David started his stage career in 1997. The actor did many stage musicals before he stepped into the TV industry with his character named Thomas Klebanow in 'The Wire'. After that, he appeared in several tv shows, movies and commercials and is best known for his character Wags in 'The Billions'.
Theatre experience
David Costabile started his career with theatre. "I had a thing for musicals," he told The Ringer in an interview. "I knew that acting was what I wanted to do with my life," he added. The actor did several plays including 'The Titanic' in 1997, 'Translations' in 2007, 'Caroline, or Change'. After completing his graduation from Tuffs University, the actor traveled around the country for various musicals and stage performances. He even briefly ran a Shakespearean theatre company in Albany.
Entry into TV and films
Costabile did many shows in his career. He was first noticed on television as Thomas Klebanow for his show 'The Wire'. He later played the character of Doug in 'Flight of the Conchords', Detective Rick in 'Damages', Daniel Hardman in 'Suits', and now the actor is seen starring as Mike Wagner in 'Billions'. He has also appeared in shows like 'House', 'Franklin & Bash', 'The Good Wife' and many others. Not just TV shows, the actor has also appeared in films such as 'Solitary Man', 'The Bounty Hunter', 'Side Effects', 'Runner Runner' and '13 Hours: The secret soldiers of Benghazi'.
Looking back to his time of struggle, the actor told The Ringer, "It makes you get what you want, it makes you strive toward what you want. And, you know, having kids, getting married just kind of pushes you to the high end of the casino — like, I need much bigger chips. But it never feels like it’s a short battle.”
His marriage
David Costabile married Eliza Baldi in 2012. In 2015, the couple was blessed with their first child named Lucy Rae Costabile. Later in 2017, the couple was once again blessed with a baby girl, Julia Grace Costabile. Baldi is also an actor who worked with Costabile in the show 'The Damages'. The couple, however, never revealed details about their love story.
Friendship with Brian Koppelman
Brian Koppelman is the co-creator and co-showrunner of 'Billions'. Koppelman and Costabile attended Tufts in the '80s. However, both of them agree that they were not friends during their college days. The two Turts alums have also worked together in 'Solitary Man' in 2009. Again in 2013, both of them worked together in the show 'Runner Runner'. Costabile believes that it was his relationship with Koppelman that got him a chance to play the character of Mike Wagner in the show.
Becoming the 'Billions' star
Costabile appeared in a lot of TV shows but his character as Mike Wagner truly transformed his image of "that guy from that show" to a profound actor. The actor was roped in for 'Billions' in 2016. Wagner is the fearless character of the show, who is crass yet intelligent. Costabile admits that it is the most entertaining character that he has ever played in his career.
You can watch all five seasons of 'Billions' on Showtime App, Disney+Hotstar and Starzplay.