The Bond Of Brothers

by Tim Walker with Richard Eden, The Telegraph, March 23, 2008

The critics might have been less than kind about his latest film The Baker, but Damian Lewis is in no mood to blame either its writer or its director -- but, then again, both happen to be his 34-year-old brother, Gareth.

"We had a fabulous time making the film and I am delighted with the way it turned out," the 37-year-old Band Of Brothers star told Mandrake. "It was Gareth's debut film and we had our own production company make it. He started writing it when we were living together, before I got married, and then he asked me to be in it and said he was going to direct it. I was producing the film so it was very much a family affair."

As children the two boys often resorted to fisticuffs -- at 10 Damian recalled a particularly nasty fight in which his brother had gone down like "a sack of potatoes" -- but he insists there were no quarrels while they were making the film.

"No, there wasn't any of that," Damian insists. "Gareth is much more mature than me so it didn't feel odd at all taking directions from him." Gareth, for his part, confirms: "It was a tantrum-free set."

Caption: Damian Lewis with his brother Gareth.