Damian Lewis returns as Bobby Axelrod in 'Billions' after he quit show when wife Helen McCrory died
LONDON, UK: Damian Lewis is reportedly reprising his role as Bobby Axelrod in Showtime drama 'Billions' after announcing his departure from the show in 2021.
The acclaimed actor, 50, was pictured in a brown padded coat as he filmed scenes for the program outside the Tower of London. He was spotted alongside the rest of the cast including Maggie Siff and David Costabile. Lewis confirmed in October 2021 that he wouldn't be returning to the US show after Season 5, saying he wanted to stay closer to his family in the UK following the tragic demise of his wife Helen McCrory from breast cancer.
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"Thank you Billions thank you. A pleasure and a privilege to play Axe for 5 seasons with some of the smartest, funniest most talented cast and crew I've worked with...," the actor tweeted last year, announcing his departure from the show. "I'll miss the Billions family. Yep, some jobs are more than just a job…. Love."
Thank you @SHO_Billions thank you @briankoppelman @DavidLevien. A pleasure and a privilege to play Axe for 5 seasons with some of the smartest, funniest most talented cast and crew I’ve worked with. I’ll miss the Billions family. Yep, some jobs are more than just a job…. Love.
— Damian Lewis (@lewis_damian) October 4, 2021
Meanwhile, he told The New York Times, "There's an opportunity maybe for me to return. But for now, broadly speaking, Axe has been vanquished." Showrunner Brian Koppelman posted on Twitter at the time, "What an incredible joy to spend five years working so closely with the great @lewis_damian!...@DavidLevien and I are beyond grateful to you, Damian, for the work, of course, and the fellowship, and for all you sacrificed to come do this with us." Koppelman later addressed the loss of McCrory. "We wouldn't ask him to come to America in that situation," he said of Lewis. "Right after the love of his life passed away, who was a remarkable, incredible artist and human being...It's Damian's private life, so it's not really ours to comment on. We just feel truly, unbelievably lucky to have had five years with Damian and Paul Giamatti together."
In July 2021, prior to announcing his departure, Lewis was seen back at work on set filming 'Billions' after his wife's death. He was spotted chatting with crew members as he filmed scenes. His co-star Paul Giamatti, who plays attorney Chuck Rhoades, was also seen on set. The series is said to follow the pair's fractious relationship as they compete with each other in the financial market, according to the Daily Mail.
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Lewis announced the devastating loss of his wife, whom he was married to for 14 years, back in April 2021. "I'm heartbroken to announce that after a heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family," he wrote on Twitter. "She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you."
Lewis later revealed how his dying wife had urged him to find love again after she was gone, adding that she showed "no fear, no bitterness and no self-pity." Lewis and McCrory tied the knot in 2007 after falling in love while working together in the play 'Five Gold Rings' at the off-West End Almeida Theatre back in 2003. The pair has a daughter Manon, 14, and a son Gulliver, 13, together.