– Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light –
Deadline’s Contenders Television event kicked off the award season today with its weekend showcase and first up was Damian’s panel for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light from PBS Masterpiece.
While Damian attended virtually, Wolf Hall’s Executive Producer Colin Callender appeared in person. He described reuniting the cast 10 years later for the finale as “…a four-dimensional chess game” and made it clear that filming the final chapter without both Damian and Mark Rylance aboard wasn’t an option, even if the window took a long time to open.
Callender stated, “At the heart of this series, it’s the story of two very powerful men who need each other to succeed but who don’t fully trust each other. It’s a story of loyalty and betrayal and Damian’s performance, in the middle of that, is the anchor around which the story unfolds.”
Damian compared acting with Rylance to an inspired, improvised tennis match. “It’s someone who hasn’t pre-programmed or choreographed their performance, but it’s totally in the moment and responsive to anything that you do so that things change minutely, incrementally with every take, that’s what it’s like working with Mark. He is absolutely present. He’s an acting animal.”
Despite the known historical record, Damian offered a smile and a long quiet pause when asked about how the series ends: “Things happen. “Henry’s favorite pastime when he’s not writing poetry is, he just really gets a kick out of chopping people’s heads off.”
As always, Deadline’s Contenders events offer up the lowdown on hot picks for awards season, with a wealth of talent and teasers for what viewing audiences need to watch. This year’s event is moderated by journalist Lynette Rice and kicked off Saturday, April 5, 2025 at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Los Angeles, California with two full days of must-see shows, each day overflowing with big names in prestige TV.
Lineup and Panelists (all times PT):
Saturday, April 5
9:35 a.m. – Opening remarks
MASTERPIECE on PBS
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
Colin Callender (Executive Producer/Founder & Chairman, Playground)
Damian Lewis (Actor)
HBO | MAX
The Last of Us
Bella Ramsey (Actor)
Craig Mazin (Co-Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer
Neil Druckmann (Co-Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer
PRIME VIDEO
Étoile
Luke Kirby (Actor)
Gideon Glick (Actor)
Lou de Laâge (Actor)
Another Simple Favor
Paul Feig (Director/Producer)
PARAMOUNT+
1923
Brandon Sklenar (Actor)
Julia Schlaepfer (Actor)
Aminah Nieves (Actor)
Yellowjackets
Melanie Lynskey (Actor)
Christina Ricci (Actor)
Bart Nickerson (Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer)
Ashley Lyle (Creator/Writer/Executive Producer)
AMC
Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire
Sam Reid (Actor)
Mark Johnson (Executive Producer)
HULU
Good American Family
Ellen Pompeo (Executive Producer/Actor)
Mark Duplass (Actor)
Katie Robbins (Creator/Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)
Sarah Sutherland (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)
The Handmaid’s Tale
Elisabeth Moss (Director/Executive Producer/Actor)
Yahlin Chang (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)
Bradley Whitford (Actor)
Yvonne Strahovski (Actor)
LUNCH
PARAMOUNT+
Landman
Billy Bob Thornton (Actor)
WARNER BROS TELEVISION
Running Point
Kate Hudson (Executive Producer/Actor)
Mindy Kaling (Co-Creator/Executive Producer)
Ike Barinholtz (Co-Creator/Executive Producer)
Dave Stassen (Co-Creator/Executive Producer)
The Pitt
Noah Wyle (Executive Producer/Actor)
John Wells (Executive Producer)
R. Scott Gemmill (Creator/Executive Producer)
DISNEY+
Out of My Mind
Amber Sealey (Director)
Luke Kirby (Actor)
CBS STUDIOS
Matlock
Kathy Bates (Executive Producer/Actor)
Jennie Snyder Urman (Showrunner/Executive Producer)
FOX ENTERTAINMENT
Going Dutch
Denis Leary (Executive Producer/Actor)
Sunday, April 6
9:35 a.m. – Program begins
PRIME VIDEO
The Boys
Jack Quaid (Actor)
Erin Moriarty (Actor)
Antony Starr (Actor)
Overcompensating
Benito Skinner (Creator/Writer/Executive Producer/Actor)
Scott King Showrunner/Executive Producer)
Wally Baram (Actor)
The Better Sister
Olivia Milch (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)
Regina Corrado (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer)
Elizabeth Banks (Executive Producer/Actor)
Jessica Biel (Executive Producer/Actor)
Cross
Aldis Hodge (Producer/Actor)
Ben Watkins (Creator/Showrunner/Writer/Executive Producer)
APPLE TV+
Dope Thief
Brian Tyree Henry (Executive Producer/Actor)
Peter Craig (Showrunner/Writer/Director/Executive Producer)
The Studio
Melissa Kostenbauder (Casting Director)
Adam Newport-Berra (Director of Photography)
James Weaver (Executive Producer)
Ike Barinholtz (Actor)
Severance
Rachel Tenner (Casting Director)
Jeremy Hindle (Production Designer)
Theodore Shapiro (Composer)
HULU
Mid-Century Modern
Nathan Lane (Executive Producer/Actor)
Matt Bomer (Executive Producer/Actor)
Nathan Lee Graham (Actor)
Paradise
Sterling K. Brown (Executive Producer/Actor)
James Marsden (Actor)
LUNCH
PARAMOUNT+
The Agency
Michael Fassbender (Executive Producer/Actor)
Richard Gere (Actor)
Jodie Turner-Smith (Actor)
Jeffrey Wright (Actor)
ONYX COLLECTIVE
Deli Boys
Asif Ali (Actor)
Saagar Shaikh (Actor)
Poorna Jagannathan (Actor)
ABC
High Potential
Kaitlin Olson (Producer/Actor)
Todd Harthan (Showrunner/Executive Producer)
Drew Goddard (Executive Producer)