>>> ONE WORD, RISK. 
>> INSIDE THE GOVERNMENT THERE 
IS NONE.
EVERY ACTION, EVERY MOMENT IS 
BACKED BY THE FULL POWER AND 
CREDIT SUSPECT AS THAT MAY BE OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
>> THAT IS A SCENE FROM SEASON 
THREE OF THE POPULAR SHOW TIME 
SHOW "BILLIONS" STARRING DAMIEN 
LEWIS.
HE PLAYS HEDGE FUND MANAGER 
BOBBY AXLEROD.
YOU TYPICALLY HEAR HIM USING AN 
AMERICAN ACCENT ON TELEVISION.
FROM STARRING ROLES IN "BAND OF 
BROTHERS" TO "HOMELAND" TO 
"BILLIONS."
HE HAS CONVINCINGLY PLAYED AN 
AMERICAN WAR HERO, AN AMERICAN 
TRADER AND HE'S SHOOTING AN 
EPISODE OF "BILLIONS."
SEE IF YOU SEE HIM SWINGING FROM
HIS AMERICAN ACCENT TO HIS 
NATIVE BRITISH ONE.
HE'S LEARNED A MEAN GAME OF PING
PONG DURING HIS DOWN TIME ON SET
SO WILLIE INVITED HIM TO THE 
SPIN TABLE TENNIS CLUB FOR THIS 
MORNING'S "SUNDAY SITDOWN."
>> Reporter: LIKE THE CHARACTER 
HE PLAYS IN THE THIRD SEASON OF 
THE HIT SHOW "BILLIONS" -- 
>> WHAT HAVE I DONE WRONG REALLY
EXCEPT MAKE MONEY?
>> Reporter: WHEN DAMIEN LEWIS 
SHOWS UP -- 
>> GREAT, LOOK AT THIS.
>> Reporter: -- HE IS LIKE THIS.
>> I BROUGHT MY OWN PADDLES.
A SWORD. 
>> Reporter: A FAVORITE PASTIME 
FOR THE 47-YEAR-OLD BRITISH 
STAR. 
>> LET'S MAKE THIS QUICK SO WE 
CAN GET DOWN TO BUSINESS AND 
PLAY PING PONG WHICH IS WHY 
WE'RE BOTH HERE. 
>> YES. 
>> Reporter: THE SHOWDOWN. 
>> YOU DO ANY STRETCHES THIS 
MORNING?
I DID AN HOUR AT HOME.
>> Reporter: LEWIS'S CHARACTER 
BOBBY AXLEROD IS A HEDGEFUND 
BILLIONAIRE TRYING TO OUTSMART 
THE U.S. ATTORNEY PLAYED BY PAUL
GIAMOTTI. 
>> I'M TELLING THE STORY I'M NOT
COWARDING, NOT DEFEATED. 
>> WE DESCEND THROUGH THE SOUL 
OF HELL.
WE SEE THE STAKES JUST RISE 
HIGHER AND HIGHER. 
>> Reporter: IT LOOKS FROM THE 
OUTSIDE, YOU CAN TELL ME IF IT'S
TRUE FROM THE INSIDE, THAT IT'S 
JUST A BLAST TO PLAY SOMEBODY 
LIKE BOBBY.
>> IT'S REALLY GOOD FUN.
THIS IS A SHOW ABOUT [ BLEEP ] 
BEING [ BLEEP ].
CAN I SAY THAT?
>> YES. 
>> HE PREDATORS, HE PROWLS.
THAT'S A GOOD METAPHOR FOR HEDGE
FUND GUYS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR 
THE INJURED WILDER BEAST OFF THE
END OF THE PAST. 
>> Reporter: HE MET WITH AND 
STUDIED WITH WALL STREET TITANS.
>> YOU KNOW, THIS IDEA, YOU 
KNOW, YOU CAN MAKE ANYTHING OF 
YOURSELF HERE.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S CENTRAL TO THE 
AMERICAN STORY, ISN'T IT?
COME HERE, MAKE SOMETHING OF 
YOURSELF.
YOU, TOO, CAN BE PRESIDENT ONE 
DAY, MY SON.
IT'S TRUE. 
>> Reporter: AS YOU WERE 
DESCRIBING BOBBY, I WAS THINKING
OF DONALD TRUMP.
HE CARRIES THE SAME CHIP ON HIS 
SHOULDER. 
>> WE CAN MAKE IT AS POLITICAL 
AS YOU DARE.
I THINK PEOPLE WILL START 
SWITCHING OFF THE CHANNEL RIGHT 
NOW.
OF COURSE THE COMPARISONS ARE 
THERE.
WE WANT THOSE COMPARISONS TO BE 
THERE.
>> Reporter: LEWIS IS BEST KNOWN
FOR PLAYING AMERICAN, BUT HE WAS
BORN AND RAISED IN LONDON.
AT THE AGE OF 16 LEWIS FORMED 
HIS OWN THEATER COMPANY. 
>> WE CALLED OURSELVES 
CHAMELEONS.
YEAH.
RIGHT.
EXACTLY. 
>> THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR 
16-YEAR-OLD THEATER CREW. 
>> THE CHAMELEONS.
I LOVED IT.
I SAID TO MOM AND DAD ONE DAY, 
IT WAS A QUESTION THEY WERE 
DREADING, IF I DIDN'T GO TO 
UNIVERSITY, I WANTED TO GO TO 
THEATER SCHOOL, WOULD YOU MIND?
AND THEY SAID, GO.
GO.
YOU HAVE OUR BLESSING. 
>> Reporter: LEWIS STUDIED AT 
LONDON'S GUILDHALL OF MUSIC AND 
DRAMA IN THE EARLY 1990s.
HIS BREAK OUT ROLE WAS IN 1995 
WHEN HE CAME TO AMERICA FOR HIS 
BROADWAY DEBUT IN "HAMLET."
THE BIG HOLLYWOOD BREAK CAME IN 
2001 WHEN LEWIS WAS CAST BY 
STEVEN SPIELBERG AND TOM HANKS 
IN HBO'S WORLD WAR II SERIES, 
"BAND OF BROTHERS."
>> NEXT TIME I SAY WAIT FOR MY 
COMMAND, YOU WAIT FOR MY 
COMMAND, SARGEANT. 
>> Reporter: AFTER A SUCCESSFUL 
FIRST READING WITH HANGS, LEWIS 
HIT THE TOWN TO CELEBRATE BUT HE
STILL HADN'T MET WITH SPIELBERG.
>> I GO OUT AND I GET ABSOLUTELY
HAMMERED.
I WAS SO EXCITED.
I'M IN L.A., I DID A GOOD 
AUDITION FOR TOM HANKS.
I COME BACK ABOUT 3:00 IN THE 
MORNING.
I GET A PHONE CALL AT 8:00 
SAYING, DAMIEN, STEVEN WOULD 
LIKE TO MEET YOU NOW.
CAN YOU BE HERE BY 9:00.
I'M LIKE, WHAT, 3 SHOWERS, 17 
CUPS OF COFFEE AND I GO IN 
SHAKING AND STEVEN IS THERE AND 
HE'S ALREADY GOT HIS VIDEO ON 
HIS SHOULDER AND THEN THEY 
OFFERED ME THE ROLE.
THERE IN THE ROOM.
IT WAS GREAT.
>> Reporter: DAY CHANGED YOUR 
LIFE. 
>> OH, SURE. 
>> Reporter: A LITTLE HUNG OVER 
BUT IT CHANGED EVERYTHING. 
>> IT WAS A GREAT DAY. 
>> Reporter: WITH THE SUCCESS OF
"BAND OF BROTHERS" AND A GOLDEN 
GLOBE NOMINATION, A BIG CAREER 
WAS WAITING BUT THE RISING STAR 
PUT ON THE BRAKES.
YOU DIDN'T DO THE THING THAT A 
LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE DONE 
WHICH IS HANG OUT IN HOLLYWOOD.
IS THAT A CONSCIOUS DECISION?
>> I HAD A COUPLE OF BIG MOVIE 
OFFERS AFTER "BAND OF BROTHERS."
ONE OF THEM WAS "DREAM CATCHER."
IT TOOK FOREVER TO SHOOT IT.
I SUPPOSE I FELT INCREDIBLY LESS
SATISFYING EXPERIENCE IS ALL I 
CAN SAY.
I DID GO BACK A LITTLE BIT 
THINKING, I'M NOT GOING TO SIT 
IN L.A. 
>> Reporter: SO LEWIS LEFT 
HOLLYWOOD AND WENT HOME TO THE 
U.K. PLAYING ROLES ON BRITISH 
TELEVISION.
IN 2007 HE MARRIED BRITISH 
ACTRESS HELEN MCRORY.
TOGETHER THEY HAVE A DAUGHTER 
MANNON AND SON GULLIVER. 
>> Reporter: IN 2011, A DECADE 
AFTER "BAND OF BROTHERS" LEWIS 
WAS THRUST INTO AMERICAN STARDOM
PLAYING DOUBLE AGENT NICHOLAS 
BRODY ON THE HIT SHOW 
"HOMELAND."
>> I WAS BROKEN LIV GOLDEN GLOBE
>> HELLO, ENONE.
I'M DAMIAN LEWIS, ONE OF THOSE 
PESKY BRITTS.
>> Reporter: NOW HE'S BEEN FRONT
AND CENTER IN WHAT CRITICS HAVE 
CALLED THE GOLDEN AGE OF 
TELEVISION. 
>> ENTERTAINMENT HISTORIANS 
MIGHT WELL GO TO THAT MOMENT OF 
"BAND OF BROTHERS" AND 
"SOPRANOS" WAS BEING FILMED.
I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT 
TOTALLY BY CHANCE BUT PROBABLY 
BECAUSE I JUST -- I JUST WANTED 
TO WORK AND DO GOOD WORK AND 
WITHOUT KNOWING IT, REALLY, 
REALLY GOOD WRITING WAS COMING 
UP IN TV. 
>> Reporter: YOU GOT THAT 
CINEMATIC QUALITY BUT IT WAS ON 
TELEVISION. 
>> YEAH.
I'VE BEEN HAPPILY IN THE MOMENT 
OF IT. 
>> Reporter: AT THE MOMENT HE'S 
HAPPILY IN THE MIDDLE OF 
DOMINATING ANOTHER OPPONENT ON 
THE PING PONG TABLE.
>> DID YOU CUT THAT ONE?
SOMEBODY PUT A HOLE IN YOUR 
RACKET. 
>> NICE.
>> NO, RUNNING ME AROUND.
KIWI!
OH.
>> OH.
>> THAT'S THE ONE I'VE GOT TO 
USE.
SETUP AND SMASH.
THANKS, WILLIE.
WELL PLAYED, MAN. 
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>> THAT'S WHERE WILLIE IS THIS 
MORNING, PRACTICING HIS PING 
PONG GAME.
THE THIRD SEASON OF 
"BILLIONAIRE" IS AIRING TODAY.
HOW HE NAILED THE NEW YORK 
ACCENT AND WHY HIS ACTING 
PROCESS INCLUDES ASSIGNING AN 
ANIMAL, CHECK OUT OUR WEB EXTRAS
AT TODAY.COM/SUNDAY.
DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE
SUNDAY SITDOWN PODCAST.
YOU CAN FIND IT ON THE TUNE IN 
APP OR WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR 
PODCASTS.
WE'RE HAPPY TO SAY THE RESPONSE 
TO WILLIE'S FIRST WEEK WAS HUGE.
TO WILLIE'S FIRST WEEK WAS HUGE.
YOU'LL LOVE HEARING AN EXTRA 30 
