On The Line: Damian Lewis

Since he first made an impact in the BBC drama Hearts And Bones, 32-year-old Damian Lewis has won some of the best roles on TV, including Soames in ITV's remake of The Forsyte Saga, Major Winters in Band Of Brothers and the title role in Jeffrey Archer: The Truth. He can currently be seen in the play Five Gold Rings at London's Almeida Theatre. Here, he talks about being a heart-throb, Hollywood and settling down one day.

by Jennifer Rodger, Daily Express, approx. December 2003 or January 2004

Tell us about your role in Five Gold Rings. ...

I play the youngest son of a dysfunctional family of three. The two brothers come home with their wives to spend Christmas at their dad's house and it soon becomes clear that everyone is keeping a secret.

So are you moving away from television?

I'm doing this because it's such an exciting piece of writing. There are good roles on TV, but I haven't been on stage for four years and thought it'd be a good time. I'm terrified!

Was Steven Spielberg's Band Of Brothers the most harrowing thing you've done?

It was completely exhausting and it was a big responsibility, because these ex-servicemen were still alive. We wanted to get it right.

Landing the main part must have been a real boost to your ego?

It greased my ego more than any other role. Of course actors have egos, I know I have!

Is it true that you were approached to play James Bond?

I wasn't going to play Bond, but a baddie. However, I pulled out as I was going to do Dreamcatcher [a film adaptation of the Stephen King novel] which totally flopped!

You've played some real rotters like Soames. ...

Maybe people see something in me! Soames was a bigot, a sexist AND a snob, but there are still some people who stop me in the street and say, "Ah, I thought you were hard done by." Making bad guys sympathetic is more interesting than playing a straightforward nice guy.

You play nasty characters, but you're still a heart-throb. Do women throw themselves at you?

I don't really know, erm, I don't know, it's ... ah, sometimes! One woman recently organised others from around the world to send me their knickers. I got 40 pairs in the post. Some were nice.

So what did you do with the knickers?

I threw them out after a couple of days, but one night some winos went through my garbage and found them. There was a trail of girls' knickers leading out from my house!

Do you have a girlfriend? (He split with TV producer Katie Razzall last year.)

No, I'm single. One day I'll settle down. I think getting married and having children would be extraordinary and challenging. And certainly it will affect my career, because if I've got a young kid and I'm asked to be away for three months, I might choose not to take that job.

There are rumours you dated Sex And The City actress Kristin Davis. Is that true?

I was Kristin's date for one event. We met in New York and we've become friends. She's the opposite to her straight girl, prom queen character. She's nothing like that!

Do you prefer London or LA?

I have a lot of good friends in LA and I like the change of lifestyle, the sun, the easy life. I think, in the end, LA would not be as culturally stimulating as London.

Do you like being famous?

Well, the money makes life easier. But fame doesn't really help you spiritually. The only way to avoid fame is not to take big projects that will make you a household name. But that's basically saying stop being ambitious. You get recognised, but sometimes that's good -- like when someone in the sock department at John Lewis will help you!

Five Gold Rings runs until January 17 at the Almeida Theatre, Islington, London N1 1TA. For tickets, call 020 7359 4404.