Damian Lewis opens up on dealing with unimaginable tragedy as his iconic TV show returns
LONDON, ENGLAND: Damian Lewis, known for his work in 'Homeland' and 'Billions', is set to play Henry VIII in BBC's upcoming historical drama 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light'. Ahead of its release, the 53-year-old actor opened up about how playing this role "wore him down", as per Daily Mail.
The actor admitted that although he finds acting therapeutic, portraying the larger-than-life Tudor king felt draining. This deeper insight comes three years after the tragic loss of his wife, Helen McCrory, who is remembered for her roles in 'Peaky Blinders' and 'Harry Potter'.
Damian Lewis turned to music after wife's death
Damian Lewis married actress Helen McCrory on July 4, 2007, and the couple was blessed with a son and a daughter. McCrory was 52 when she died of cancer on April 16, 2021. Her death had a profound impact on him, and he poured much of his grief into songwriting, which gave birth to his debut album, 'Mission Creep'.
Writing and performing songs became an emotional outlet for Lewis, and he now enjoys connecting with audiences through music. This marks a refreshing shift from acting. However, he also admitted that he'll continue with music only if there's genuine interest among the public.
Following the death of his wife, he has written some deeply personal songs that are a part of 'Mission Creep'. In a March interview on This Morning, he reflected on his journey with music: "I looked back at some of my old songs, and they were awful!" He added, "But with Mission Creep, I felt at ease. There are some personal songs on it, and people will recognize mentions of my late wife, Helen. There's a lot of personal stuff in there," as quoted by Daily Mail.
His grief comes to light with his emotional track, titled 'She Comes'. The lyrics include: 'She comes as a blackbird, she comes as a fox. She sits at the window, she sings from a rock. She's the moon in the day and the sun that shines in the dark. She rests in me and she rests in shade. She's my joy, she's my pain and she rained on me.'
All you need to know about Damian Lewis's upcoming series
'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light' features Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell, and Damian Lewis as Henry VIII. The series opens with Thomas Cromwell maneuvering through the twists and turns of the Tudor court just after the 1536 execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife. As the drama unfolds, Henry is preparing to marry his third wife, Jane Seymour.
Lewis felt playing Henry VIII was exhausting. Daily Mail quoted the actor's chat with The Radio Times: "Well, acting is therapeutic, for sure, but I don't think you'd want to be playing these kinds of people too often because they do wear you down over time."
However, he continued saying that he enjoyed playing the part because it allowed him to dive deeper into the history. "Playing someone like Henry VIII does open an opportunity to read extensively about Tudor history and that is certainly partly what interests me about the roles I take," he said.
How to stream 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light'?
'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light' is the second adaptation of the 'Wolf Hall' novels by Hilary Mantel. It is directed by Peter Kosminsky and written by Peter Straughan. Comprising of six episodes, the series will premiere on BBC One on Sunday, November 10.
'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light' trailer
