WHAT OTHERS SAY
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A show like [Life] lives or dies on its choice of leading actor and, in lesser hands, all the foibles of a character like Charlie Crews could become annoying very quickly, but, thankfully, Damian Lewis really excels in the role. He has already proven himself to be a more than competent actor (witness his turn in the criminally overlooked film Keane) and in Life he portrays Crews as damaged and dangerous, but also shows a good comedic side (a good ongoing gag involving Crews' reaction to all forms of new technology). You never forget that this is someone who has spent 12 years locked away from his life.
-- Ben Jones (article author), Den of Geek, January 19, 2009
Damian Lewis does an exceptional job of portraying a quirky, complicated problem-solver [in Life].
-- James Surowiecki (article author), The New Yorker, January 20, 2009
Damian Lewis, who was dazzling in imported British dramas before dropping his accent to play Charlie Crews on Life, is a genuine-article TV star here. ... He's one of the best actors on TV right now.
-- Dave Bianculli (article author), TV Worth Watching, February 25, 2009
I also particularly liked Damian Lewis as the chilly Rizza [in The Escapist]. Lewis, so entertaining as Det. Charlie Crews on TV's "Life," here is the picture of calm menace: no hair out of place, prison uniform immaculately pressed -- a man in control until forced to confront the reality of his situation.
-- Marshall Fine (article author), Hollywood And Fine, March 31, 2009
Damian Lewis is brilliant as Rizza [in The Escapist].
-- Darren Bevan (article author), TVNZ, May 27, 2009
The brilliance of Lewis [in Band Of Brothers] in this is that he finds a way to make the ordinary aspects of Dick Winters seem extraordinary, rather than trying to play him as an overtly extraordinary man. He's not a superhero, he doesn't give rah-rah speeches or lose his temper or in other ways act larger-than-life; he's just a regular guy who turned out to be ideally suited to irregular circumstances, and Lewis embraces that aspect of the character. Just watch how quietly and simply Lewis plays the scene where Sobel tries to get Winters to accept his assigned punishment rather than face a court-martial. There's never any doubt that Winters is going to take this all the way if he has to, and yet there aren't any theatrics about it; he's just sure of the rightness of his position, and of his ability to prevail over Sobel, and he's going to see this thing through. I especially love the way Lewis plays the scene at the end [of episode 1, "Currahee"] where Winters helps each of his men to their feet as they get ready to board the plane for their mission over Normandy. This idea that the men were so weighed down by their gear that they had to lie on the tarmac, one on top of the other, and be pulled up -- like a kid being helped off the grass by his father -- is one one of the series' many "truth is more interesting/moving than fiction" moments, and the serene, paternal look on Lewis' face is just beautiful. Sobel's contribution to the success of Easy Company is clearly in question, while Winters' was not, and a moment like that, and the way the men look back at Winters, makes it clear as to why.
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), New Jersey Star-Ledger, June 1, 2009
The wild card in this deck [of The Escapist] is a King of The Cell Block (Lewis), a sinister man of few words, who has no interest in rotating back to the real world, where he is nothing. Given his appearance, Lewis does not have to say a thing to establish himself as one of the most ominous presences to be seen on screen this year.
-- Bill Iddings (article author), Michigan Live, October 8, 2009
Lewis is absolutely awesome in the lead role [in Life] – not since Hugh Laurie’s House (in House MD) has someone managed to make eccentricity that’s bordering on being obnoxious so adorable.
-- S. Indramalar (article author), The Star (Malaysia) - October 14, 2009
Lewis' stoical, ineffably melancholy portrait of courage under fire was nothing less than a tour de force, and brought home to a younger generation the valour of those who fought and died to liberate France in 1944 (in this case, the men of E Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment). And while he made further strong impressions in Britain with another mini-series, ITV's remade Forsyte Saga, in which he starred as the rich, reptilian Soames, America wanted to see more of him. Hence, a much marvelled-over performance as the damaged-deranged father of a missing girl in the art-house film Keane - and the lead-role of Charlie Crews in the cult NBC police drama series Life, about a detective released from prison after a miscarriage of justice who seethes with insightful, vengeful and perturbed energies.
-- Dominic Cavendish (article author), The Telegraph, November 24, 2009
Damian Lewis’s splendid Alceste [in The Misanthrope] is so obsessed with the movie star, even though she represents everything he despises. ... Lewis delivers his rants with precision and wit, but also suggests a genuinely pitiable character getting ever closer to the end of his rope, his misanthropy in part a mask for his own corrosive sense of fear and failure.
-- Charles Spencer (article author), The Telegraph, December 17, 2009
[In The Misanthrope, Alceste is] played by a brilliantly tetchy and (to just the right degree) faintly ridiculous Damian Lewis (think fashionable Etonian hunk rendered all the more dogmatic by a tiny worm of self-doubt).
-- Paul Taylor (article author), The Independent, December 18, 2009
Damian Lewis has the right mix of righteous anger and comic absurdity as Alceste [in The Misanthrope]. There's a tell-tale moment when, having inveighed against the human race, he is asked about his paradoxical passion for Jennifer. "She's young and vulnerable," says Lewis in the gooey, forgiving tones of the besotted intellectual. And, although he finally sees through Jennifer's fickleness, he never lets us forget that sex is often the idealist's achilles heel.
-- Michael Billington (article author), The Guardian, December 18, 2009
Damian Lewis, as Alceste [in The Misanthrope], roars with anger at what he sees as the intellectual poverty of modern life. With articulate rage he yells, bellows and generally beats his fists at society. It is an intriguing and impressive performance and he shows, even proves, that he is more than merely an actor whose abilities are confined to television. He has considerable stage presence and his anger is quite believable. He also displays impressive verbal agility delivering the complex lines.
-- Paul Callan (article author), The Express, December 18, 2009
The real star in Thea Sharrock's handsome production [of The Misanthrope] is Damian Lewis's explosively irascible Alceste, who rides Crimp's verse like a bucking bronco. Awesome.
-- Georgina Brown (article author), The Mail On Sunday, December 20, 2009
[As Alceste in The Misanthrope,] Lewis relishes his role as self-appointed ranting outcast, delivering Crimp’s clever, fluid verse with elan and delightedly toying with the post-modernism of the whole occasion.
-- Siobhan Murphy (article author), Metro, December 22, 2009
Damian Lewis is nicely spiky as the pathologically plain-speaking Alceste [in The Misanthrope].
-- Ian Shuttleworth (article author), Financial Times, December 22, 2009
Damian Lewis is amazing [in The Misanthrope]. The entire cast is brilliant, really, but Damian as Alceste absolutely shines. There’s something about the cynical, hyperbolic way in which he delivers his lines that gives him a somewhat comedic yet powerful presence on-stage. ... His stubborn disregard for social politesse is just as endearing as it is excessive, and you’ll find yourself rooting for the misunderstood hero of the drama until the very end.
-- Parimal Satyal (article author, Reality Equation, December 22, 2009
[Alceste in The Misanthrope] is brilliantly presented by Lewis, who really spits out the many cleverly crafted insults placed in his mouth by Martin Crimp in his neatly rhyming version in English.
-- Christopher Gray (article author), The Oxford Times, December 30, 2009
Damian Lewis is well cast [in The Misanthrope] as the relentlessly misanthropic author and holds our attention while not making us actually like him, although we may agree with much of what he says.
-- Lizzie Loveridge (article author), CurtainUp, December 2009
In Thea Sharrock's production [of The Misanthrope], with Hildegard Bechtler's detail-perfect set of a suite in an expensive London hotel, Ms. Knightley is luxuriously supported by a wonderful cast, especially by the top-billed actor Damian Lewis in the title role of Alceste -- whippet-thin, angry and with a voice capable of the kind of modulations Ms. Knightley can only dream about.
-- Paul Levy (article author), The Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2010
Lewis plays the part [of Major Richard Winters in Band Of Brothers] extraordinarily well, deserving a knighthood for services to the much-maligned ginger community. A lesser actor could have strayed into corn, with such a strong, silent cliche part, but with his deadpan, unconventional looks, Lewis plays the part with a realistic economy of emotion.
-- Jane Clifton (article author), The Dominion Post, January 20, 2010
[In The Escapist] Damian Lewis plays a sophisticated and reservedly cold villain as the leader of "The Cons." Frank and his friends end up in the rival half, "The Screws", but Lewis' Rizza is the guy no one defies. Lewis has an undeniably intimidating stare that serves him well as Rizza, the clean cut King of the prison. It's a fantastic portrayal that has just a twinge of exaggeration.
-- Chad Webb (article author), 411 Mania, January 26, 2010
Damian Lewis was so nice and so lovely to work with. When I did my first red carpet event, he was there and he was so sweet. He didn't have to but he took my hand, walked me on the red carpet, took pictures with me, and told everyone to watch out for me. He didn't have to do that, it was such a lovely gesture. I'd love to work with him again and say thank you for that and learn more from him.
-- Natalie Dreyfuss (guest star on Life), Hollywood The Write Way, February 8, 2010
Damian Lewis [in The Misanthrope] is superb throughout. He is the best speaker in the cast of Crimp's very loose version of Molière's couplets, understanding exactly how to deliver the mixture of rhyme and free verse that Crimp has cleverly employed. ... Lewis is also a vivid physical presence, impatiently bestriding the cluttered stage. He seems to be perpetually on the brink of violence, and when it eventually erupts at the end of the play as he overturns a table, on the night I went he did so with such abandon that some of the stage properties ended up in the front row of the stalls. It was a particularly nice touch to see him, as he took his bow, glance inquiringly and mouth an apology towards the woman whose evening had suddenly taken an unexpected turn with the arrival of several plates and cups in her lap.
-- David Womersley (article author), Social Affairs Unit, February 9, 2010
In Thea Sharrock's beautifully directed production of Moliere's The Misanthrope, being given a smart contemporary spin by Martin Crimp, Damian Lewis gives a masterfully sardonic interpretation of Alcesten, ow depicted as a famous British playwright who is having an affair with American movie star Jennifer (Keira Knightley).
-- David Finkle (article author), TheaterMania, February 12, 2010
Keane is an acting masterclass with a brilliant performance by Abigail Breslin, and a staggering one from Damian Lewis. Even as our doubts about Keane begin to become more significant, in Lewis' hands he remains a believable and sympathetic character. It's, simply, a brilliant performance, one of the decade's very best, from an actor whose career hasn't quite taken off in the manner in which he deserves.
-- [article author unknown], The Cine-Files, February 15, 2010
Keira Knightley grabbed the headlines for making her West End debut in this updated version of Moliere’s 17th Century comedy The Misanthrope -- but it’s Damian Lewis who steals the show. Knightley is good, but Lewis is great -- and both contribute to a fun, if frivolous, night at the theatre. ... While Alceste’s dejected playwright is often spot on with his scathing observations on humanity, even though he’s derided for daring to speak out against the hypocrisy and tacky culture that surrounds him. With Lewis portraying him, however, he’s far from a mere grouch; but rather a fiercely intelligent, quick-witted and hopelessly charismatic man who finds his passion for Jennifer hopelessly at odds with his own standards.
-- Jack Foley (article author), IndieLondon, February 20, 2010
[In The Escapist,] Lewis, who usually plays good-guy roles on "Band of Brothers" and NBC's "Life," is fantastic as the effete, terrifying gangster who comes close to learning about the escape plan.
-- Rob Thomas (article author), 77 Square, March 9, 2010
There’s no performance (in The Pacific) quite on par with Damian Lewis’s star turn as the quiet, decent company leader in Band [Of Brothers].
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), New Jersey Star-Ledger, March 11, 2010
Two things The Pacific lacks that Band Of Brothers had: a strong lead character (Damian Lewis was fabulous in Brothers as Maj. Richard Winters) and a sardonic observer (Ron Livingston did some of his best work as Capt. Lewis Nixon).
-- Robert Philpot (article author), Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 11, 2010
It's a darn shame [Keane] didn't get a bigger audience, because Lewis' performance is Oscar-nomination worthy, if you ask me.
-- Trevor Snyder (article author), 411 Mania, December 3, 2010
We have Damian Lewis from 'Band Of Brothers' and 'Life' -- the guy is unbelievable. He's really, really one of the best actors I've ever worked with.
-- Howard Gordon (Homeland co-writer/creator), Futon Critic, February 24, 2011
I knew [Damian] was one of our best actors but I didn't know just how great he was until I saw him work.
-- Howard Gordon (Homeland co-writer/creator), 411 Mania, March 14, 2011
Lewis is particularly funny as Franco's jilted best-pal, with more than a bit of a man-crush on his comrade.
-- Chris Bumbray (article author), JoBlo, April 8, 2011
The cast strikes a consistent tone, with nice supporting turns from guys like Toby Jones and Damian Lewis, and I would argue that Natalie Portman has never been consistently more attractive than she is in this role.
-- Drew McWeeny (article author), HitFix, April 5, 2011
I always admired [Damian Lewis] tremendously. And the first time you think about a returning American hero [the role he portrays in Homeland], you don't think about British actors at first blush. But Damian is someone who does an impeccable American accent and has ... an American face too. And what really sold it for us [when casting him in Homeland] was, believe it or not, not Life or Band Of Brothers, but this amazing movie he did called Keane.
-- Howard Gordon (Homeland co-writer/creator), CLT Blog, April 14, 2011
Damian Lewis is Homeland’s standout.
-- Bryan Curtis (article author), Newsweek, August 28, 2011
I really wanted an American actor to play the part [of Winters in Band Of Brothers], but Damian came in and blew us away.
-- Meg Liberman, (Band Of Brothers casting director), Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2011
The character [of Brody in Homeland] is played by an actor who is always welcome on my TV screen after having won me over with his roles in Band of Brothers and Life. Although it is a while before we hear more than a single sentence out of his character, Damian Lewis does an incredible job portraying a man who, after eight years in captivity, can barely recognize himself in the mirror. The reunion with his wife and two children was probably the highlight of his performance in the pilot, if only for the silent moment he takes to steel himself before he is able to make eye contact with his long-unseen loved ones.
-- Nicholas Hall (artilcle author), Player Affinity, September 15, 2011
I am very high on Homeland, which is hands-down the best new drama on TV this fall. Damian Lewis is electrifying as a Marine returning home from eight years in Al-Qaeda captivity, and Claire Danes is his match as an unstable CIA analyst who suspects he may be a sleeper-agent terrorist in war-hero disguise. He's a wreck, she's a mess, and Homeland is riveting. There's also some good work here from Morena Baccarin as Lewis's conflicted wife and Mandy Patinkin as Danes' understandably concerned mentor. Can't wait for people to see this one.
-- Matt Roush (article author), TV Guide, September 19, 2011
Both Lewis and Danes are excellent in Homeland. His coiled intensity -- and mystery -- contrast nicely with her manic need to be right.
-- Tim Goodman (article author), Hollywood Reporter, September 27, 2011
The acting in [Homeland] is of the highest caliber. All of the roles both lead and supporting are played by actors who know their craft. ... Damian Lewis is mysterious and moody as Nick. He is stretched taut and each movement is a reaction to his past. Nick is the cipher of the show and Lewis keeps the secrets locked up inside Nick's brain.
-- Jackie K. Cooper (article author), Huffington Post, September 28, 2011
[Homeland is] an engrossing serialized drama with one of the best casts on TV. ... Mr. Lewis brings his inscrutable, placid performance to Brody. Although audience sympathies over the first few episodes are squarely allied with Carrie's investigation, Mr. Lewis' performance offers enough room for viewers to question if Brody is really a terrorist.
-- Rob Owen (article author), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 29, 2011
[In Homeland], Ms. Danes herself has no problems filling the role of this character. Her portrayal of a woman regularly on the edge of desperation is impressive in its assurance. So is the performance of Mr. Lewis, perfect for the part of the stone-eyed Sgt. Brody, a man who looks as though he's harboring secrets. All this, of course, we can attribute to his years of torture and isolation while a prisoner. He's also given to flashbacks, a kind that raises our suspicions.
-- Dorothy Rabinowitz (article author), Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2011
Homeland stars Claire Danes in a scintillating performance as CIA agent Carrie Mathison. Hunting in Baghdad for an elusive al-Qaeda agent she's sure is plotting an imminent attack on U.S. soil, Carrie comes across a startling revelation from an about-to-be-executed prisoner: An American POW has been turned. She's convinced that POW is Nicholas Brody, [played by] an equally excellent Damian Lewis, a Marine held prisoner since 2003 who has just come home to a hero's welcome. ... You can't carry off that deep a story without terrific actors. ... Danes and Lewis are near-flawless, keeping you off-balance and absorbed. Danes and Lewis are near-flawless, keeping you off-balance and absorbed.
-- Robert Bianco (article author), USA Today, September 29, 2011
'Homeland' ... would be worth watching if all it had going for it were the tremendous work being done by Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. But 'Homeland' also manages to be both an addictive espionage thriller and a compelling character study, as well as a well-constructed exploration of the difficulties and ambiguities of fighting terrorism a decade after Sept. 11. Without a doubt, it is one of the finest new shows of the year. ... Lewis brilliantly portrays a man consumed by a monumental internal struggle. ... Hailed as a hero, Brody feels like a stranger in his own home, and Lewis succeeds in conveying the Marine's internal disquiet and his surprising adaptability. ... Given that he's playing a career military man who plays his cards close to his medal-covered chest, Lewis has less scope to work with, but he does deft and even heartbreaking work as he takes us through Brody's difficult return to a very changed family. Lewis has to depict a man of few words who may be plotting to bring down the country he had sworn to defend, and it's to the actor's credit that he makes both scenarios -- Brody as terrorist and Brody as loyal but troubled American -- equally plausible.
-- Maureen Ryan (article author), AOL, September 29, 2011
While Danes [in Homeland] delivers a convincing portrait of an intense but unhinged CIA case officer, it is Lewis who stretches the most in his role. He is calculating and enigmatic as the returning hero, but in flashbacks to his hellish captivity, he reveals a disintegrating character to chilling effect.
-- Mark Washburn (article author), Charlotte Observer, September 29, 2011
Brody [in Homeland] is played by Damian Lewis, an electrifying actor that's long earned raves from me, for NBC's Life, HBO's Band of Brothers, and the imported dramas The Forsyte Saga and Friends & Crocodiles. Here, he embodies, and amplifies, what may be his most multi-layered and challenging character yet. ... Both Danes and Lewis are singularly compelling and charismatic performers, so we want to root for them both. But for now, at least, our loyalties are torn, and uncertain.
-- David Bianculli (article author), TV Worth Watching, September 29, 2011
All eyes are on "Homeland's" leads, whose performances are so good it's almost unearthly, like a sky with two suns. ... As Brody, Lewis, last seen here on the tragically short-lived police drama "Life," uses his extraordinary gift for radiant stillness to create a man who may be Carrie's perfect contrast but is equally riveting to watch. That Brody has been broken by his experience is clear; what version of himself he has managed to rebuild is not. Vacillating between disgust at the Army's intention to use him as a poster boy and a willingness to play that very game, Brody could indeed be a conduit to a sleeper cell or he could just be a man undone by the events of his life. He could even wind up being the hero of the story, feinting left, then heading right to wreak havoc upon those who imprisoned him. The only thing early episodes of "Homeland" make clear is that in post-9/11 America, the traditional definitions of good and bad, hero and villain, even protagonist and antagonist, are also victims of war. Fortunately, as it turns out, great acting and good storytelling are not.
-- Mary McNamara (article author), Los Angeles Times, September 30, 2011
Who is the hero [in Homeland]? The sustained ambiguity is awesome. And the actors make it fly. I can't think of many other actors who could play Brody as convincingly as Lewis, who hides his British accent as thoroughly as Hugh Laurie in "House." The red-headed Lewis knows how to bring so many layers to the same inscrutability he used to a more comic effect in the two-season series "Life." You really can't ever quite nail down Brody's true intentions with his fellow Marines, with his kids, or with Jessica, who had begun another relationship when she thought Brody was dead. You just keep watching him for clues.
-- Matthew Gilbert (article author), Boston Globe, September 30, 2011
All the acting [in Homeland] is superb, but Lewis is mesmerizing in a tricky role.
-- Hal Boedeker (article author), Orlando Sentinel, September 30, 2011
Damian Lewis and Claire Danes are brilliant in [Homeland, a] psychological cat-and-mouse game with a terrorism backdrop.
-- Matt Roush (article author), TV Guide, September 30, 2011
I'll confess that I mainly came to this series looking forward to watching Lewis, who's been one of my favorite actors since his leading man turn as the decent but never dull hero of HBO's "Band of Brothers." His work on NBC's short-lived "Life" -- another role where he played a man of action struggling to return to society after a long captivity -- is my current gold standard for the kind of performance you can do on a crime procedural if allowed. And Lewis is, unsurprisingly, terrific, conveying so much through stillness and silence (and, as always, disappearing seamlessly into the American accent) and letting so many moments seem ambiguous but not annoyingly so.
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), Hit Fix, September 30, 2011
As Brody, Damian Lewis could not be more perfectly mysterious, alternating between scary and scarred. Three episodes in, when it seems Carrie is correct that he's part of a terrorist plot, a mesmerized viewer will feel certain that there are bigger surprises ahead.
-- Hank Stuever (article author), Washington Post, September 30, 2011
Damian Lewis, a British actor best known in America as the star of NBC's "Life," is fascinating [in Homeland] because he is expressionless for much of the time. Viewers will read volumes in his blank stares. Like Lewis' performance, each episode leaves us eager to see more. "Homeland" is the rare drama that pulls us along without jerking us around.
-- Tom Conroy (article author), Media Life Magazine, September 30, 2011
While the writing [in Homeland] is fantastic, a huge portion of the credit for Homeland working as well as it does goes to the cast. ... Damian Lewis plays Brody in such a way that most, if not all of his behavior could be interpreted in more than one way. It’s a tricky thing that, added to the flashbacks of his captivity, gives us plenty to theorize over. Is he one of the terrorists now, or is he just a man trying to reclaim his life? Lewis plays it both ways, keeping his character a mystery. We should either feel really bad for him, or be afraid of him. Possibly both. Not knowing is one of the best things about the show.
-- Kelly West (article author), Cinema Blend, October 1, 2011
[Damian] is a rare combination of playful and professional. He has an ease and charm about him that is infectious. Working with him for two years [on Life] was nothing less than a joy.
-- Sarah Shahi (costar in Life), Philadelphia Inquirer, October 2, 2011
Damian Lewis is the early Emmy leader for his mesmerizing portrayal of Nick Brody [in Homeland], an American soldier held in sadistic captivitiy by Al Qaeda for eight years.
-- Tom Jicha (article author), Sun-Sentinel, October 2, 2011
Lewis is superb [in Homeland] as a wounded soldier fighting to keep the past at bay. Expect him at next year’s Emmy Awards.
-- Mark A. Perigard (article author), Boston Herald, October 2, 2011
Lewis ... is a godsend. The veteran of "Band of Brothers" arrives back home front-loaded with so much skill and nuance that it's little wonder that he's able to project so much of Nick's personality with a bare minimum of dialogue. As I mentioned, he's sympathetic. But he's also calmly and quietly terrifying, as you debate whether he's undergone a "Manchurian Candidate" brainwash or if his obvious disconnect from society is simply the result of seeing and being a part of so much violence and death. To the show's credit, it always keeps you guessing, even when we see Nick reciting Arabic chants alone at night inside the family garage.
-- Al Alexander, Morton (article author) Times-News, October 2, 2011
We also observe chilling signs that Brody is hiding secrets of his own, and it's a tribute to Lewis' nuanced performance [in Homeland] that we deeply care about this character even as we may fear him.
-- Jeanne Jakle (article author), San Antonio Express News, October 2, 2011
As Brody [in Homeland], Lewis wisely plays it right down the middle, neither giving us a chest-thumping, publicity grabbing poster boy for the War on Terror nor telegraphing any of the character's more questionable moments. He is given some very hard scenes to play -- both in flashback as a tortured POW and in the present day as a man profoundly scarred by his experiences -- and there's not a false moment to be found.
-- Matt Webb Mitovich (article author), TV Line, October 2, 2011
Lewis, meanwhile, gives the [Homeland pilot] episode's standout performance -- and does so while saying very little. He's wildly unsettling in the role of Brody, a shellshocked warrior whose troubles readjusting to life at home are ambiguously broadcast through pensive silence and a general unease, as if he's uncomfortable in his own skin. Even if it weren't for Carrie's suspicions, he'd have cause to chafe -- he returns to the United States a stranger in a strange land, living with a family that gave him up for dead and shaking hands with a vice president whose name he doesn't even know. Lewis makes it incredibly easy to empathize with Brody, even as the pilot brings the circumstances of his captivity to light.
-- Erik Adams (article author), AV Club, October 2, 2011
[In Homeland,] Lewis is equally good [in comparison to Claire Danes], rendering Brody guarded and shut-down in a manner that nonetheless is exciting to witness.
-- Ken Tucker (article author), Entertainment Weekly, October 2, 2011
Aside from being this phenomenal actor, [Damian] has an everyman quality, but he really is also immensely likable. What was important about this character [in Homeland] was that he had to be someone who the political powers that be grabbed onto, not just because of his circumstances, but because this guy is a hero and they want to promote him as that to the public. Rather than just having this obviously model-handsome guy, there's a ruggedness, an everyman-ness and a manliness to Damian that really hit us, in terms of our casting process. And, in everything I've ever seen him in, he has been spectacular. With one movie in particular, Keane, which is an independent movie he did, the camera is on him, almost silently, for 30 minutes and you can't stop watching him. We knew that this had to be a guy who could grab a camera and is simply compelling to watch, even when he was doing nothing.
-- Howard Gordon (Homeland co-writer/creator), Collider, October 2, 2011
Playing Sgt. Brody [in Homeland], Damian Lewis -- best known to American audiences for his role as a heroic GI in Band Of Brothers -- makes it tremendously difficult to not sympathize with his character, a physically and mentally shattered man so terrified of returning to a family that barely remembers him that he vomits before meeting them.
-- Glenn Garvin (article author), Miami Herald, October 2, 2011
Nobody puts on a brave face like Damian Lewis. In the twisty thriller Homeland, Lewis portrays a Marine rescued after eight years as an al-Qaida POW. He returns a national hero, masterfully masking any lingering effects -- except from a CIA agent (Claire Danes) convinced he's been turned. The genius of fall's best new drama is that, between his increasingly suspicious behavior and her secret stash of antipsychotics, you're never entirely sure whom to believe. Nothing's cheap, obvious or easy. Especially from Lewis, who creates more layers than those yummy Mexican dips.
-- Christopher Lawrence (article author), Las Vegas Review-Journal, October 6, 2011
[Damian Lewis] is absolutely ideal in this role [in Homeland]. His sparse, enigmatic acting allows viewers to project any number of motivations and realities onto him, which is key for the character. Brody walks a balancing line as someone read by a desperate public as a hero, a role model, a figure to admire, who also carries dark and unpleasant secrets that run far deeper than the savage scars on his torso.
-- S.E. Smith (article author), Global Comment, October 6, 2011
[In Homeland,] Lewis compliments Danes’ excellence with his own stellar performance. Though pre-war Brody is not seen by the viewer, it is heavily implied how much he has changed and how war extremely affected him. Lewis portrays him as almost evil, yet adds a tragically remorseful feeling to the character, successfully gaining sympathy from the audiences.
-- Ari Howorth (article author), La Vista (Mira Costa High School, CA), October 16, 2011
In Showtime's Homeland, British actor Damian Lewis gives an impressive performance as US Marine Nicholas Brody.
-- Rachel Ray (article author), Telegraph, October 24, 2011
An interesting point [suggested by a viewer that when we watch Damian Lewis portraying Brody in Homeland, we subliminally see Dick Winters from Band Of Brothers, who we already accept as a hero and can't imagine becoming a traitor], although I'd hate to think an actor as gifted as Damian Lewis is being typecast. Still, any successful actor brings the baggage of their most successful roles, and Band of Brothers is iconic. So if it adds to the tension that we don't want to believe Lewis-as-Brody could be a sleeper terrorist in hero's clothing, so much the better. He's so wonderfully inscrutable and unpredictable in this role, I'm loving the not knowing for now.
-- Matt Roush (article author), TV Guide, October 24, 2011
English actor Damian Lewis was perhaps a surprising choice for the role of all-American hero Winters [in Band Of Brothers], but he's absolutely superb throughout.
-- Morgan Jeffery (article author), Digital Spy, October 29, 2011
Danes would steal this series [Homeland] outright from almost any other actor, but Lewis matches her stroke for stroke and stride for stride. Phenomenal acting. Phenomenal writing. Phenomenal television.
-- David Bianculli (article author), TV Worth Watching, November 23, 2011
For me, the real acting hero in this episode [Homeland, season 1, episode 11, "The Vest"] is Damian Lewis. He plays a man who knows he’s about to die, ... and he plays all of the angles very well. He tries to explain to his kids why he’s going to do what he’s about to do, even though they don’t realize what he’s doing. He’s finally able to make love to his wife. He takes a family trip to Gettysburg and just stands in the middle of the observation area, looking out at the hill that the schoolteacher from Maine held via unconventional strategy. Lewis has done a fantastic job of making an opaque person, someone we can’t really know by the show’s very design, warm and believable. He may be plotting to blow up the vice president -- and who knows how many bystanders -- but he’s also all-American dad. Lewis plays both halves so well that he makes you feel as if they belong in the same person, even when logic would suggest they shouldn’t. In some ways, I suspect this storyline has gotten away with some stuff that just shouldn’t make any sense, solely because Lewis is so good, and this episode is no exception. He’s a man tortured by what he’s about to do, but sure that he -- like that Maine schoolteacher -- is doing what’s right.
-- Todd Van Der Werff (article author), AV Club, December 11, 2011
No shortage of admiration goes to Damian Lewis, the MVP of dramatic TV this fall [in Homeland]. He has seduced me like a tender lover with his ability to balance his all-American Marine/Dad persona with his jihadist sympathies so effortlessly. ... Never have I rooted for someone, and despised them so equally.
-- Christopher Peck (article author), Blast Magazine - December 12, 2011
When "Homeland" debuted, we knew that Claire Danes and Damian Lewis were both giving riveting lead performances (and that the supporting players weren't too shabby, either). ... Last week's episode, with Carrie's manic outburst, will likely be Danes' Emmy submission episode, and the finale should certainly be Lewis'. He starts off doing Brody's confession looking so clear-eyed and confident (and in what I think was a single take), but as the episode moves along and Brody starts experiencing various lasts (last hug of his son, an aborted last conversation with his wife, etc.), you can see the pressure getting to him, until by the time he's in that secured bunker, he's just a wreck: sweaty and shaking and confused -- and, by the time Dana calls him, trembling so fiercely that he looks like he could vibrate apart at any moment. Raw, magnetic, unflinching, mesmerizing acting, that was.
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), Hit Fix, December 18, 2011
Damian Lewis has been brilliant as Brody throughout the season, but he blew me away in the finale. I was on the edge of my seat and physically in pain watching him. It was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen on any show. The lead up to Brody flipping the switch on the bomb was heart-wrenching to watch and at that moment, I’m not sure I could imagine anything worse happening. But, it got worse … much worse. From fixing the bomb in the bathroom, to reentering the holding area, and then to the most heart-wrenching scene imaginable — Brody on the phone with Dana while ready to die. Intense. Crazy. Relief. The emotions while watching Brody come to the realization that he couldn’t leave his daughter and family behind to get vengeance for Issa. The big picture was gone in that moment, instead it was about him, his daughter and his family. His hatred of the Vice President was evident, but Brody was going to have to find another way to make him pay.
-- Carla Day (article author), CliqueClack TV, December 18, 2011
The acting was remarkable [in the season-one finale of Homeland]. ... The two leads were in perfect sync, which is one reason to keep Brody around for a second season. Mr. Lewis is as compelling in the role of a damaged P.O.W. with a covert agenda of revenge as Ms. Danes is as a fiercely dedicated officer hiding a bipolar condition.
-- Alessandra Stanley (article author), New York Times, December 19, 2011
For me, if Carrie's meltdown last week ensured Danes is an Emmy front-runner, then the scenes of Brody in the bunker [in the season-one finale of Homeland] have done the same for Lewis. The intensity and suspense are unbearable as Brody is rushed into an underground holding area with the vice president, the secretary of defense, and other government/military VIP's. ... Brody is shown in jittery extreme close-up throughout his ordeal in the bunker: sweat beading on his brow ... eyes gleaming with purpose. Lewis is incredible here.
-- Matt Roush (article author), TV Guide, December 19, 2011
Damian Lewis has a real serious chance of upending reigning champ Bryan Cranston at the Emmys, and this episode [the season-one finale of Homeland] should without a doubt be his submission tape. The scene where his daughter calls him was so perfectly played, the directing -- having the camera right up there on his face -- was brilliant, allowing Brody to have the big meltdown that he had without alerting anyone in a room filled with State and Defence Secretaries and Secret Service agents that he was indeed having a meltdown.
-- Ciara (article author), Daemon's TV, December 19, 2011
Acting moment of the episode: Brody’s daughter talks him out of blowing everybody up, even without knowing she’s doing it. Damian Lewis beautifully played the man coming apart at the seams, then making a decision. (I also liked how the show portrayed the aftermath, with him seeming really pissed at himself for not having the guts.)
-- Todd Van Der Werff (article author), AV Club, December 19, 2011
Day 1 [of the season-one finale of Homeland] begins with Brody recording his suicide(-bomber) note and, all shot in a single take, it's another display of Lewis' acting prowess. Brody reasons with us -- the camera -- explaining his actions and while the tape will play a significant role later, for now it's just a powerful few minutes. He truly believes this is the right thing to do, despite the love he bears for his family and the glaring contradictions in his words.
-- Jesse Carp (article author), Cinema Blend, December 19, 2011
Sterling acting work from Damian Lewis during the bunker scene [in the season-one finale of Homeland]. The Emmy nomination must be a mere formality now.
-- Sophie Gilbert (article author), Washingtonian, December 19, 2011
Both before and after Brody went into the bathroom to fix his vest [in the season-one finale of Homeland], the scenes in which he was ready to ignite the bomb to kill himself and everyone else, were truly breathtaking. ... Damian Lewis's performance had me afraid for my life, let alone Brody's as the good sergeant struggled with his decision to flip the switch. ... Listening to that phone conversation between a father and daughter filled me with every emotion possible. Brody's quick "Yeah I'm coming home," as his eyes turned beat red and he shook like crazy, almost had me near tears. When Dana finally convinced him, he composed himself, and responded with a strong "I'm coming home Dana, I promise," the love in the air also had me near tears. ... As good as the twists and turns [throughout the first season of Homeland] were, and as interesting as the surprises and new developments were, the story telling still might have taken a back seat to just how fantastic Claire Danes and Lewis were at portraying these unbelievably complex characters. That was never more evident than in "Marine One." Brody's struggle to make the biggest decision of his life, choosing the love of his family over what he thought he needed to do for the good of the country, and then continuing to go along with Nazir's plan after killing Walker, proved just how great of a character Sergeant Brody really is. Whether this guy is willing to make moves up the political ladder for Nazir with a purpose of helping the man, or simply because he thinks he needs to in order to stay alive at this point, it will be interesting to watch. Lewis and this writing staff have proved that.
-- Dan Forcella (article author), TV Fanatic, December 19, 2011
[The season-one finale of Homeland] should clearly be Damian Lewis’ submission tape, if last week’s was Claire Danes’, for the Emmy. Finally alone with the VP, Brody becomes drenched in his reluctance. He breathes deeply, staggering, recalling Nazir’s words of encouragement. His face is both determined, and noncommittal. His fingers on the trigger are shaky and yet firm. He then grits his teeth and flicks the switch. And nothing happens. ... For me it was the perfect illustration of tragic inevitability. Brody is committed to the idea, but ultimately this was not ever what he was meant to do. Brody has been a man without a country all season and even with Nazir in his ear reminding him of Issa’s cruel murder at the hands of VP Walden’s drone strike, fate would not allow him the chance to wipe that painful memory away so easily. So Brody ducks into the bathroom to try and reconfigure the vest while Carrie arrives at his abode. ... Dana ends up calling the secret service number and getting through to her Dad, just as he’s about to flick the switch of the newly reconfigured vest. ... The ensuing conversation where his daughter sweetly strong-arms him into promising he will return home safe is both pulse-pounding, and earnestly tear-jerking. She’s the obvious reminder that no matter what justice he tries to accomplish the family he loves will be left alone, without his love and compassion, the quality that has fueled his entire justifications to follow Nazir, their mutual sympathies for the innocent as victims of war.
-- Christopher Peck (article author), Blast, December 19, 2011
Howard Gordon, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis are undoubtedly going to be recognized for what was a superlative first season. Any such accolades are certainly deserved and bring high hopes for the second season of Homeland.
-- Kevin Yeoman (article author), Screen Rant, December 19, 2011
If you don’t have Showtime, you’ll want to get the DVD when it becomes available simply to savor some of the best acting on television. Claire Danes gives a shattering performance as CIA officer Carrie Mathison, who is driven and bipolar. Carrie suspects that Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) has turned traitor after years of imprisonment by terrorists. Lewis is brilliant and enigmatic in a tricky role, keeping viewers guessing for weeks.
-- Hal Boedeker (article author), Orlando Sentinel, December 19, 2011
The [season-one] finale [of Homeland], as the title suggests, in many ways belonged to Brody, and Lewis was simply fan-damn-tastic in the climactic near-terror-attack sequence; he made the decision to end his life in a suicide attack–but for a faulty trigger switch–seem like equal parts military discipline and spiritual ecstasy. To bring himself to the point where he could flip the switch, Brody needed to bring himself to a place where he could let go of his life and see himself as a vessel of a larger purpose. But he also, as he has for some time, had to compartmentalize–to separate the avenging soldier from the loving dad, returned from the war and finally able to raise his kids. And when Dana—prompted, if indirectly, by Carrie—calls her sequestered father, the compartment walls dramatically broke down. Lewis’ performance was obviously great here; he makes palpable how Brody is quavering under the strain of his contradictions, as if that tension himself will make him explode. But the Brody kids are remarkably well-cast too, and I like how the script and Morgan Saylor’s performance left it open to interpretation js how much she really did or didn’t believe Carrie. She tells Carrie she’s a liar, and yet—as Brody said and Carrie repeats here—she knows her father better than anyone, and she knows something is off. Yet she doesn’t simply accuse him; she can’t quite let herself go there. She needs to believe in him, and so instead she pushes her dad, demanding that he promise to come home. At which point you can almost see something switch off in Brody. The bomb has been defused.
-- James Poniewozik (article author), Time, December 19, 2011
In any event, the [bunker] scene [in the season-one finale of Homeland] itself is amazing and tense, and if Damian Lewis hadn't already proven that he was going to at least get nominated for all the acting awards God ever created, this alone would've stitched that up for him. Lewis brings a range of terror, resignation and sadness to Brody's would-be suicide that belies the character's typical stoicism.
-- Scott Collura (article author), IGN, December 19, 2011
The performance by Damian Lewis in this episode [the season-one finale of Homeland] is why the Emmys were invented. The subtle ways that he makes it clear he is conflicted about what he's doing are really impressive, especially when shown in contrast to Walker's (Chris Chalk) silent and determined persona. Despite outward appearances, there is nothing black and white about this situation.
-- Paul Goebel (article author), TV Geek Army, December 19, 2011
I don't think I need to mention it because it's so damned obvious, but I'd be remiss if I didn't: the acting from Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, and Mandy Patinkin is about as close to flawless as you can get.
-- Tim Surette (article author), TV.com, December 19, 2011
Once again, the show's leads gave breathtaking performances that fully captured the intensity of the characters' experiences without ever going over the top. ... But the lingering image that I may take away from the "Homeland" finale was of Brody's pale, sweaty face in that claustrophobic bunker. Director Michael Cuesta made us feel every second of Brody's internal combat, and the queasy doubts the character felt both before and after he'd finally fixed the broken vest were perfectly captured by Lewis.
-- Maureen Ryan (article author), Huffington Post, December 19, 2011
Damian Lewis also owned the episode as Brody, particularly during his panicked attempts to get his suicide vest working again. However, it was the smaller moments that were more telling. For the last two episodes, Brody has been trying to get his family ready for life without him as he subtly said goodbye. And yet when Jessica practically runs out the door to get Chris to his karate match, it almost destroys Brody that he couldn't kiss his wife one more time. He even pushes Dana away from hugging him out of fear that she'll feel his suicide vest. Brody may have dismissed the notion that he was brainwashed by Abu Nazir, but he places more value on exacting revenge for Issa than he does on spending his life with his family. The scene between Dana and Brody as she tearfully gets him to come home was beautifully executed in that we see Brody come around just through his facial expressions.
-- Blair Marnell (article author), Crave Online, December 19, 2011
From start to finish, the cast of Homeland made me believe what I was inclined to doubt, which is ultimately the highest complement that one can pay to actors. Damian Lewis, Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Monica Baccarin, and stealth-best-in-show candidate Morgan Saylor deserve the armloads of awards they’re sure to get for their performances.
-- Matt Zoller Seitz (article author), Salon.com, December 19, 2011
Damian Lewis has done a marvelous job capturing the tension of each scene, and his work here was again brilliant. ... I liked seeing Lewis sell the emotion and panic associated with the build to his pressing the trigger. ... Clarie Danes and Damian Lewis once again gave Emmy-caliber performances.
-- Brian Cantor (article author), Headline Planet, December 19, 2011
We can't think of anybody else who could embody the ambiguity of Brody [like Damian does]. He's like a Norman Rockwell American and he's tough all at once.
-- Alex Gansa (Homeland co-creator), E! Online, December 19, 2011
Danes and Lewis have been riveting all season long [in Homeland], caught in a dance that tested viewer allegiance.
-- Mark Perigard (article author), Boston Herald, December 19, 2011
[In the season-one finale of Homeland] Lewis [exhibits an] almost supernatural ability to silently project the 715 types of emotion that might rise within a man who, ecstatically prepared to blow himself up, discovers he has been undone by faulty wiring. ... Homeland [has] a remarkable sense of balance, beginning with its main characters. Both are damaged and focused, regretful and resolute, but where Lewis petrifies Brody, turning him into a man of roiling stillness, Danes take Claire to the other end of the emotional universe, rolling her eyes and champing her teeth like a fire-maddened horse. ... The two together are riveting.
-- Mary McNamara (article author), Los Angeles Times, December 19, 2011
I expect a best actress/drama Golden Globe for Danes, and Emmy nods for Lewis, Danes, and probably Mandy Patinkin too. ... The question of whether Brody is a good man who has been brainwashed into doing a terrible thing, or a terrible man who had been brainwashed into doing something he was convinced was good - the polarity of Nicholas Brody all season long - melted away in that one moment with his daughter's voice on the end of the line. Suddenly, he was only a father, and nothing more. His agony was exquisite, magnificent - the best moment of the entire series, and one of the most memorable of the season. Something visibly snapped in him in that instance: A Marine 8 years in captivity which had been just enough time to learn Arabic and otherwise become a viable Stockholm syndrome candidate, but not quite enough time to erase the memory of his firstborn daughter. In that one supercharged instant, thanks in part to the brilliance of Lewis, that became one of those plausible moments that in lesser hands would have been reduced to sheer silliness.
-- Verne Gay (article author), Newsday, December 19, 2011
When Brody was about to flip the switch on his bomb, I was freaking out. Damian Lewis was fantastic as he shook like a crazy person, had the red eyes going and then Brody actually did it! I'm just glad it didn't work. I'm not ready to say goodbye to him yet.
-- Dan Forcella (article author), TV Fanatic, December 20, 2011
The most captivating scene and one that ultimately paved the way for the rest of the show was when Brody was going to flip the switch the second time, but getting the phone call from Dana. Lewis was amazing in that scene. You could see the decision making process in his head from his facial expressions. In that moment, he decided that he was not bound by Nazir and vengeance for Issa. He realized he had a family now and he couldn't leave them.
-- Carla Day (article author), TV Fanatic, December 20, 2011
Homeland delivered such incredible character portrayals, and Lewis sold the scenes in that bunker [in the season-one finale] so well.
-- Matt Richenthal (article author), TV Fanatic, December 20, 2011
[My pick for] Actor of the Year, Drama, Male: Damian Lewis for Homeland. Did any actor have a tougher job than Lewis, or do it any better? He not only had to keep us guessing as to whether his character, ex-POW Nicholas Brody, was a terrorist -- he had to make us care, which is much harder. And he did it all so well, he pretty much forced the show to bring him back. It wouldn't be Homeland without him.
-- Robert Bianco (article author), USA Today, December 21, 2011
[The season-one finale of Homeland] contained the most deadly effective small-screen performance in a decade. The mix of fear, guilt, and resolve that Damian Lewis evokes as his character, former Iraq war POW Nicholas Brody, approaches a catastrophic terrorist act is stunning work.
-- Artur Davis (article author and former Congressman (D-Ala.)), Arena, December 23, 2011
Damian Lewis's portrayal of [Homeland's] Nicholas Brody, the marine who has returned to an almost unrecognizable America, is breathtaking.
-- Holly Cara Price (article author), Huffington Post, December 30, 2011
[In Homeland] Lewis does a marvelous job at portraying a man who is trying to put his life back together while being at the forefront of a recruitment campaign -- and a man who may or may not be a traitor to America.
-- Eric Blattberg (article author), Hollywood.com, December 30, 2011
Damian's intricate and convincing portrayal of a war hero (who might be a terrorist, no big whoop) is the biggest reason Homeland is arguably the best new drama to premiere in a long time.
-- Kristin Dos Santos (article author), E! Online, January 12, 2012
I've seen Damian on the West End in a couple of plays, ... and I knew of him also from Band Of Brothers and I knew of him from that short-lived show on NBC, Life. Once you have a failed series on the air, like Life, it was hard to get Damian approved [for Homeland]. There were some ultimatums that were laid down whether or not we could cast him. Somebody said at some point, "Over my dead body, Damian Lewis." We found this little independent movie by Lodge Kerrigan called Keane. I remember it was like 6:30 or 7:00 one night in my office, and I had just heard this "Over my dead body" comment. So I was about ready to move on. We were just not going to push for Damian. I was on Netflix, and I said, "People have been mentioning this move Keane over and over to me. I'm going to see if I can instantly stream it." So, luckily, it was stream-able. I watched the first 45 minutes of the film. Damian just holds the frame pretty much himself for the first 45 minutes of the film. He is so compelling to watch and so ambiguous in his performance. He plays, I guess, a paranoid-schizophrenic father who lost his daughter. ... It's really just an amazingly powerful performance. So I called the network and the studio and said, "You know, you guys have to watch this." To their credit, they watched the film, and the next morning, we were making an offer to Damian Lewis. Now that role, in a way, is the toughest role in the show. Claire's role is obviously difficult too, but Damian, certainly through the course of the first number of episodes, has to play this strange combination of a Norman Rockwell-like soldier returning from war, but at the same time somebody that is hiding something and that may either be suffering from this PTSD thing or damaged somehow by his captivity, or, you know, with a big secret. That was really hard. It was very difficult to find somebody that we were confidant could play that complexity.
-- Alex Gansa (Homeland co-creator), AV Club, January 24, 2012
It's a testament to Damian Lewis's sympathetic but spiky performance [in Homeland] that not only is the audience as unsure as the increasingly paranoid Carrie about the returning hero's motives, we also desperately hope he is who, and what, he claims to be.
-- Sarah Hughes (article author), Independent, January 31, 2012
We looked long and hard at many actors before casting Brody [in Homeland]. Damian stood out not just because of Band Of Brothers but because we'd seen Keane where he played a paranoid schizophrenic looking for his lost child. For the first 35 minutes of that film, he was pretty much the only person on screen and he was so compelling that we began to really consider him.
-- Alex Gansa (Homeland co-creator), Independent, January 31, 2012
When [Damian] walks on stage he has a kind of energy inside him. People give it fancy names like presence and charisma, but they're posh names for energy. Damian walks on and you know something is going to happen. There's something inside him that's combustible and energized.
-- Michael Attenborough (director of Five Gold Rings), Telegraph, February 4, 2012
Damian approaches a role from all sorts of different angles. He's like a sponge, he takes everything in. He has a very good insight into both his character and his place within the story. And nine times out of 10 an actor like that normally turns out to be a very good director.
-- Rupert Wyatt (director of The Escapist), Telegraph, February 4, 2012
Partly down to the stunning performances [in Homeland] of Lewis (the guy can create more with a silent stare than many actors can in a whole episode) and Danes, but more importantly because of the complexities and uncertainties of their characters, the face-off between the pair is captivating TV.
-- Alex Fletcher, Digital Spy, February 19, 2012
The star of the first episode [of Homeland] was certainly Damian Lewis. Having established that he can do quirky, unconventionally attractive leads in Life, Lewis has got himself a monster role here. The show didn't want, at least at this stage, to spell out what his character was feeling, so it was left to Lewis to hint at it with jumpy, haunted looks and, in the brief flashbacks to Brody's incarceration, visceral portrayals of extreme psychological trauma. Lewis handled both superbly. ... Brody's decompression is full of challenging dramatic potential and Lewis seemed equal to it.
-- Jack Seale (article author), Radio Times, February 20, 2012
We wanted to create a "villain" [in Homeland] whose motivation you could completely understand and possibly even root for against your own interests. If we could have pushed it that far, we knew we were in some nice complex gray areas, which is where we tried to live as much as we could in the series. A lot of the credit has to go to Damian Lewis as well, because there’s something so winning about him and to portray a character that actually has some evil intent, but maintain that essential [human quality] -- you kind of root for him in a strange way. He was able to walk that very fine line.
-- Alex Gansa (Homeland co-creator), World Screen, February 21, 2012
It's a testament to Lewis's persuasive skills as an actor that [while watching him in Homeland] we wonder whether he's an uptight national hero or cunning jihadist spy without for a moment considering his real identity as an old-Etonian British thespian.
-- Andrew Anthony (article author), Observer, February 25, 2012
Lewis's performance in the bunker [in Homeland] was gob-smackingly brilliant, glueing your eyes to the screen with its magnificent power and emotional clout. If he doesn't sweep the board at future awards shows, something has gone wrong. Very few actors could have played a character so nuanced, complex and fraught with internal contradictions, so sublimely. Give that man an Emmy.
-- Alex Fletcher (article author), Digital Spy, May 6, 2012
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