Tea and a Mag wrap up part three

You come across as a highly confident individual. Where does this confidence come from?

I think it comes from my family, from my parents, from the certainty that one is loved. It's very important to give that to your children. I think it gives them a sincere confidence. A good experience of childhood sets you up for life. I went to boarding school, and if you have certain attributes you thrive in those places. So I succeeded at school, and it was a happy time for me. I was a natural schoolboy, if you like. I loved sports and theatre, doing school plays, but I didn't work very hard, and in time that came back and bit me in the arse -- I loped through my A-levels so fruitlessly! Luckily I was bright enough to just wing it through. It was a lot to do with luck.

How comfortable are you with the idea of fame?

Being a star is much better than not being one. It's good fun. It does elevate your life in extraordinary ways. For example, I was invited to have dinner at The White House, and I chatted with President Obama. I'm proud of the fact that I think of myself as an actor's actor, before being a star, but I have become one and that really is down to luck. I'm not doing anything different than anyone else; it's just a question of landing the right project. I don't think I'm better in Homeland than in other things. It just became an enormous hit.

Has your life changed much since becoming famous?

I feel very proprietorial about London. It's my town and always has been. It's slightly mad to walk through the West End during peak tourist season. I'm not going to lie, some days I don't deal with it very well because I'm in a hurry. You don't go out to have your photo taken, so if someone asks you for your photo, it really is down to your mood. You want to oblige people and you are grateful for their support, but if you stopped for everyone during the course of the day, you simply wouldn't get your day done. Sometimes I'm just busy. I'm always late!

Who is your toughest critic?

I am, but if you're going to do things where you create for other people, you invite other people's opinions and judgment, so you immediately place yourself in a vulnerable position, and of course you seek appbrobation. You like people to say, "Oh, darling, it's wonderful!" but you must know yourself what you have created. I think that's essential. You must gauge it only using the strictedst and the highest bars. You must know yourself, that's why I don't read the reviews, particularly during a theatre production. It's sort of arbitrary.

If one of your children decided they wanted to act, would the idea fill you with delight or despair?

Well, it has worked for me and it has worked for my wife, Helen [McCrory]. We were really lucky. My parents backed me and they weren't actors, so it must have been terrifying for them. So I would absolutely back my children if they wanted to be actors, if I thought hey had talent! That's the critical thing -- how do you let them down gently if you see them at 16 and they suck?

copyright hunger mag source damian-lewis.com