How did Damian Lewis land a film role in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's TV epic with a hangover ...

Talk, October 2001

When Damian Lewis finished auditioning for Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks for their epic HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, he reacted as any proper Englishman might: "I went out and got absolutely mashed." But a few hours later, after he'd stumbled home to his hotel, a weaving Lewis was unexpectedly called back to Spielberg's office -- only to find that he had landed one of the leading roles. He'll play Lieutenant Winters, one of the World War II paratroopers immortalized in Stephen Ambrose's historical account of Easy Company, an elite rifle unit of infantry soldiers parachuted into France on D-Day at dawn and went on to nip Hitler's champagne in Berchtesgaden. While Lewis deftly inhabits the role of the saga's enigmatic, silent hero, his reaction when he learned that he had won the part was slightly more effusive. "I was so excited that I jumped up and kissed everybody in the room. It made them think twice -- 'Soldiers don't kiss, Damian. ...'"