– Ten Years with Damian Lewis –
by Damianista | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | January 5, 2025
I admit (*choking with emotion) that I have been waiting for this day for some time.
Fan Fun with Damian Lewis is TEN years old today!
TEN years?!?!?!
Yes, TEN years! So I think I deserve my crown 🙂
And I give you our TEN Years in (almost) ten minutes…
I was burst with excitement as I shared my first ever post on Fan Fun. And I was very lucky to catch Damian on Billions pilot set a month later to introduce myself and let him know about the blog. Believe it or not, he had my contact information in his jacket pocket as he was filming the very famous “FU money” scene.
Ten years of thinking, brainstorming, researching, writing, posting, sharing on social media, interacting with fans, responding to reader feedback, managing the website, and doing all this while holding a full-time job is not trivial. I take pride in not missing a day on the blog even when I was under the weather (rarely), on vacation (sometimes), or buried under work (always). I feel extremely happy about the fan community we have collectively created and I am deeply committed to writing about the one and only Damian Lewis and his brilliant work in the years to come <3
Now, please bear with me as I reflect on the last ten years… As I feel all the feelings – thrilled, emotional, proud, excited… I’d love to thank all the people that have made Fan Fun with Damian Lewis a success story.
When I kicked off the blog on January 5, 2015 I knew that I would have fun doing this and meet like-minded fans along the way to team up with. What I did not know was we would have the best team! I thank all my blog mates, current and former, who have contributed to Fan Fun over the years, from the bottom of my heart. And I want to give a standing ovation to one person who deserves much more than that: Gingersnap has been doing a fantastic job on our sister site damian-lewis.com giving the fandom all the news, events and pictures! Thank you, Gingersnap, for being you, a true friend and a confidante. Your work ethic is inspirational. I love you to the moon and back!
Lewisto, my number one guy and our Fan Fun tech guy, who has supported the blog since its inception, deserves special thanks! I would never ever have started a blog should he have not encouraged me. I will never forget him saying:
“Some people love golf. You love Damian Lewis. What’s the difference?”
Right?!?!
Have I ever told you Lewisto named the blog, too? He said:
“You are a big fan and you will be doing this for fun so why not call it Fan Fun with Damian Lewis?”
I ran with it.
Lewisto, you are absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. THANK YOU for playing ball with me, even in my craziest endeavors like Fan Fun, making everything in life better, funnier and happier!
And I cannot thank Damian enough for his kindness, trust and generosity towards us. I do not know about other fandoms but I do not think actors typically introduce the fans who manage their fan sites / blogs to their agent, PR person, their personal assistant, invite them backstage after their stage performance, make a “thank you” video for them, treat them like a friend on a film set, call them “a lovely, smart woman” in an interview with GQ magazine or introduce them to their cousin as someone who has become family. I need to stop here because I have already started to tear up. Damian, you are one in a billion. And you are my muse. Thank you for the inspiration <3
These ten years have brought so much love and laughter to my life thanks to YOU, our wonderful readers! And this anniversary is a great opportunity to thank YOU for the overwhelming love and support you have given us! As we collectively share Damian Lewis FUN, you make our dreams come true. Here is a BIG thank you to each and every one of you for reading us, following us on Facebook, Twitter (X) and Instagram, giving us feedback, spreading the word, and making Fun Fun the most exciting adventure!
As I review the blog’s year, the first thing that pops up in my mind is the birthday party we put together for Damian on the blog! I think we put a big smile on his face with both the 53-song playlist that we put together him and the birthday cake we sent him!
Then comes Henry! Damian resuming his role as Henry VIII has been a huge highlight for Wolf Hall fans, especially for yours truly. His portrayal of Henry VIII is commanding and nuanced, capturing the complexity of the infamous Tudor Monarch. A larger than life character, Henry has deep insecurities due to not being able to have male heirs, but also due to the jousting accident that left him with a bad leg. Only an actor of Damian’s calibre can find the balance between the magnificence and the insecurity Henry VIII carries in him. And he does it seamlessly.
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light premiered on BBC in November and, me being me, I had to see it immediately. I watched via VPN, recapped every episode and I am thrilled to report that I have received lovely messages from many of you – some of you read my recaps before watching to get familiar with the episode, some of you read them after watching to make sure you don’t miss a thing, and some of you only read my recaps to see what is coming because the mini series is not yet available in your country yet. THANK YOU! And I can’t wait to do it all over again in March when Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light hits PBS. I know that my partner-in-crime Lady Trader (she’s a Tudor junkie so maybe she should change her alias to Lady Tudor!) can’t wait to watch and write, either! We will have FUN.
But then again Damian was thinking about his UK tour as he was on his way to Wolf Hall set!
Our guy had the second leg of his Mission Creep UK Tour in March. We, the front row ladies, followed him from city to city with Monique, Tsvete and me attending four gigs (Stroud, Poole, Norwich, and Cambridge) while Mel breaking all the records and attending six! With the kind of commitment we have, we deserve our crowns, don’t we?
It was an incredible experience for me to have backstage pass on this leg of the tour so I could hang out with the musicians and their guests after the gigs. I had a lot of Peroni but I also had the privilege of my gracious host making the band’s signature drink “D Lou” for me! Thank you, Damian!
And I still get goosebumps when I remember that Damian sat with me for about 20 minutes in his dressing room and answered my questions about his music writing process, putting together the set lists, his summer festival schedule, and what have you! I tended to listen rather than intervene but you can hear my voice a couple of times where I could not restrain myself. I have to add I am super impressed by how articulate Damian could be after a one-and -a-half-hour gig and a few drinks, too! AMAZING. In case you missed it, the interview is here!
Between the second leg of the UK tour and the summer festivals, Damian also played a gig at Boisdale of Canary Wharf, a premier live music venue where the patron Jools Holland curates daily music shows. Here’s a little glimpse into the gig with Damian’s original “She Makin’ Me Change” which I suspect could be the first single from the second album.
I LOVE Damian’s music, I am so lucky he is playing the kind of music I live for. I LOVE it that his live music gigs give his fans the opportunity to meet their favorite actor/musician. And I LOVE it that Damian makes sure everyone goes home happy – lots of hugs, kisses, selfies, and autographs!
Read the rest of the original article at Fan Fun with Damian Lewis