Serious enemies in ‘Billions’ share laughs off- camera
Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis are serious actors.
They’ve played heroes and villains, presidents, soldiers and spies, and have been justly acclaimed for doing so. (Both have an Emmy — Lewis for “Homeland,” Giamatti for “John Adams.”)
During a recent interview, however, the “serious actors” were giggling. The lanky Brit and the bearded New Englander serve as a textbook example of two people getting on like a house on fire.
Unfortunately, such camaraderie actually presents a problem for their work on the Showtime drama “Billions,” in which they play tremendously powerful and spectacularly damaged men locked in combat.
Lewis portrays Bobby “Axe” Axelrod, a charismatic, brilliant and ruthless hedge-fund king. Giamatti is dogged, brilliant and ruthless U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades.
In the first season, Rhoades pursued the crooked Axelrod, bending more than a few rules himself.
In the second season, which kicked off in mid-February, the tables apparently have turned.
“The power these two want, it comes from a deepseated place of competition,” Lewis said. “It’s about status and power and ‘the game.’ The game is everything. It’s fun, and they just want to win the game.”
Giamatti and Lewis recently discussed power, acting and potential projects together in the future.
Is Bobby on the attack this season?
If attack is the best form of defense, then certainly that’s one of Bobby’s go-to places. (Laughs.) Initially, that’s right, but there’s a really good thriller engine to this season. There was last season, as well, but this season from the get-go, would you agree that the backbone is a thriller? It’s set up to expect twists and turns.
Yes, somebody characterized Chuck this way, but I think it applies to the whole show: It’s less Mussolini and more Machiavelli. It’s less slugging mayhem and more sleek gamesmanship.
Did you feel pressure to deliver thespian fireworks when you got together?
I suppose there was a certain amount of that. ... You felt a little bit of pressure that there was an expectation that we ... get pretty muscular with each other.
Yeah, which kills it.... You just need to stay honest in the moment.
Between you, you’ve been tortured, done period pieces in constricting costumes, played serious heads of state. Do either of you ever think — “Rock of Ages” notwithstanding — “I’d just like to do a light comedy”?
As you say, notwithstanding, I’ve done a bunch of that stuff. (Laughs.) But I have actually ... been thinking it would be fun to do something a little bit goofier.
I do, too. Absolutely. I’ve done a bit more of this 12-hour stuff than Paul has — he did “John Adams,” which was amazing — and I’ve started to feel that I’ve really put in a lot of hard work now. Six months on a TV show like this, when it’s written in this way, it’s a very chatty show, and Paul and I carry the burden of that. It’s a lot of work.
Actually, I suggested to Damian the last time we were together that he and I should do “The Odd Couple.” We actually talked about doing a Laurel & Hardy biopic, but that probably wouldn’t be funny. (Laughs.) I actually think it would probably be kind of grim. But “The Odd Couple” ... is not a bad idea. We could switch the parts off: I could be Felix, and he could be Oscar.