Wolf Hall on PBS Masterpiece

Wolf Hall will premiere Sunday 5th April on PBS Masterpiece please visit damian-lewis.com for more information and a preview clip
we wish you a great weekend

source damian-lewis.com 

Weekend Reminder…..American Buffalo

Damian Lewis. John Goodman. Tom Sturridge.

In a play from Mamet directed by Daniel Evans….a dream!!

Don’t miss it and buy your tickets and look with us forward to a must see show

 Tickets here.

The Weekend Treasure clip

the first clip from Queen of the Desert and we are already excited especially
the festival picked a clip with Damian Lewis and Nicole Kidman

even this little clip shows Damian Lewis inhabits another great role to perfection
and there couldn't be more difference to the current performance of Henry on tv

just a big WOW from here.-))) and good luck with the Film!!

 

 

Wolf Hall followup...

read our reviews and share a few more wonderful comments with us....

Emma starts first.

 So tonight I am glad to say is better than last week, no Birthdays and watching the clock..... Instead this week I was rooted to the sofa for 9pm until I realised I had actually forgot to put my kids to bed (awful mother I hear you say, putting Damian before your own kids!) Well yes I guess I did. So I paused the TV - thank god for Virgin Tivo box.
So at 9.10 I sat back down to Episode 2 of Wolf Hall, Entirely Beloved and was very happy to see Henry in the first scene rather than having to wait for the last five minutes last week.  Mark Rylance I think this week was even better as Thomas Cromwell and his character is brilliant, I totally enjoyed how him and Henry are forming a relationship, I also enjoyed the scene with Henry in his bedroom in the middle of the night when had though he had seen his dead brother, I felt the Henry character remind me of a typical Damian Lewis character, in a good great way of course, but that similar I thought of how Brody used to look once lost and unsure, however my co partner and friend said that he had reminded her of Soams and I actually think she has nailed it.  The rest of the episode was showing the death of Cardianl Wolsey and seeing Thomas Cromwell being sworn in.  As for the Character of Henry, well Damian, floppy hats off to you, you make a brilliant Henry and I am so looking forward to the rest of the series.  However next Wednesday I will have to once again clock watch as I am meant to be out with a friend! Wonder if shell think I am rude if I bring my ipad and watch it hahahah - see there is a bit of evil Henry in all of us.

and now me.-)

I posted reviews here on the site yesterday saying words like “a triumph and totally magnificent” 

And I couldn’t agree more!!

The second episode shows the characters find their roles and Cromwell shows some

devilish moves and thoughts coming on the surface.

Mark Rylance is undoubted the central figure and he inhabits Cromwell to perfection.

But in this piece everyone acts in perfection and you can’t praise cast director and writer enough.

This is a Damian Lewis Fan Blog so let’s talk about…Henry!!

I am sure I have mentioned it here before I am not a fan who runs around with two red hearts in the eyes finding everything amazing and perfect even before I have seen a thing. I am generally a quite critical person and there have been things or performances of him I didn’t like so much.

I think that’s fair and normal and believe me…that happened very very rarely J

But Wolf Hall and especially his never before seen kind of Henry captured me in the first minute he 

entered the screen. He shows a new Henry and makes it his Henry!!

I loved the episode and his chemistry with Rylance is outstanding.my absolute highlight

was the bedroom scene. A slight devastated King shows a touch of weakness and doubts

and lets face it no one else can play a man who suffers under the surface so well as Damian Lewis

but he also showed a King who really needs advisers around him.

But the look on his face in this scene was perfection and showed an actor who even grew more

and more over the years.  This is nothing to boast with but I have almost seen every film and every series and every little thing Damian Lewis was in and he was always a very good actor who

inhabits characters and command the scenery and he get better and better and he is not afraid to take risks and being Henry is a high risk and being a new and never seen before Henry is an even bigger risk but it works and it works perfectly and reading all the comments every week make me kind of proud as my Darling Emma calls me “a proud Mum” lol yes I am proud and happy because Damian Lewis is a versatile and outstanding actor and gives a figure of history an untold story back.

That is what I call perfection

Wolf Hall is a masterpiece and Damian Lewis is part of it and the complete caste deserve the praises!! Thanks for such a brilliance!! 

"I quite like that Damian Lewis plays Henry in a way that makes you feel that he could go utterly mental at any given point."

"Damian Lewis is chilling as the King"

"Something about Damian Lewis as Henry VIII really really works for me."

"Damian Lewis is a wonderful as Henry"

and ten things we learned from episode two: source The Evening Standard

It’s all going on in Tudor England tonight in the second episode of Wolf Hall: Entirely Beloved. Cardinal Wolsey has finally popped his clogs, Thomas Cromwell has joined the King’s Privy Council and Mary Boleyn made a pass at Thomas. But what did we glean from the second instalment of the Hilary Mantel adaptation?

1. Thomas is a bit of a schemer

It turns out that the hero of Wolf Hall can be manipulative when he has to be. Watching him 'interpret' Henry’s dream tonight is the first hint of Machiavellian guile from the lawyer. What will he be up to next?

2. Anne Boleyn is smarter than she seems

It’s safe to say that the scheming queen-in-waiting has Henry wrapped around her little finger. Not only is she holding off sleeping with him but she’s threatening to leave him if he doesn’t get that annulment soon. Women do hold more power than we realise in this period. She is ultimately responsible for Henry breaking away from the Catholic Church (that’s not a spoiler).

3. Henry isn’t as smart as Anne

Not only does he accept Cromwell’s interpretation of his dream, featuring his dead brother Arthur, but he is bending to the will of Anne. It seems as if this king is being manipulated by everyone. He’s going to cotton sooner or later, right? If the history books are anything to go by, heads are set to roll…

4. Mary Boleyn realises she should have been smarter

The poor old sister of Anne realises that she missed a trick with Henry VIII. Instead of becoming his mistress, she could have been the Queen of England. Oh dear. She’s a bit of a sorry sight when she makes a pass at Cromwell, who duly turns her down for her own good. She’s a fascinating figure, playing second fiddle to her sister, and it’s going to be interesting seeing how she develops.

5. Thomas is actually quite an enlightened man

During the archery scene, Cromwell defends the idea of a women sitting on the throne. Who would have thought he would have supported women’s rights? As we start to get into Wolf Hall, there is more underlying feminism there than we realised.

6. Apparently, you can’t be a widow in the 16th Century for five minutes

He only lost his wife and daughters last week but Cromwell was already getting interrogated by the ruddy-nosed woman about his intentions to marry again. He opted for a mistress instead.

7. Gregory Cromwell is far too proud for his own good

Perhaps it’s just his youth but Cromwell’s son does not come across well. He wanted white hounds instead of black ones because of peer pressure – talk about being a spoilt brat. You get the sense that Cromwell is growing less fond of him.

8. Don’t break off secret engagements – there’ll be hell to pay

Spare a thought for Cardinal Wolsey. He broke off Henry Percy’s engagement to Anne Boleyn years earlier – ever since then Percy has been nursing a grudge. Sadly, before Wolsey met his maker, Percy was arresting him for treason.

9. If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, you’ll probably like Wolf Hall

Writer George RR Martin was inspired by the court of Henry VIII when he was writing his fantasy novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire. When you start looking, you notice the parallels between Game of Thrones and Wolf Hall - Cromwell and Lord Littlefinger seem to have quite a few things in common.

10. If you’re a fan of The Tudors, you probably won’t like Wolf Hall

Remember The Tudors - that trashy period drama that was full of sex, threw the history book out of the window, and had a laddish Henry VIII played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers? Well, Wolf Hall is nothing like that. The sex has been kept to a minimum while the story follows history a lot more closely.

we cant wait for next week!!!!!!!!

Pic of the day

source damian-lewis.com

Little valuables more

He's selling himself short, and he knows it. Refreshingly, he doesn't make a big deal of what he does.

"I'm actually a bit of a nightmare to work with," he confesses cheerfully.

 "I try to make it harder work than it is, because I suffer from guilt about having this job. I can't quite believe I'm being paid to do something I've wanted to do forever and which is such fun -- fooling around, putting on costumes, using different accents. ... It's Play Time, isn't it?

Sabrina`s thought:

„ I love that extract because it shows he still has this little boy attitude inside,

The boy who likes to play and I most of us has that inside wish to play on the great playground again

and on the other hand he doesn’t take things  for granted but is perfectly aware he has a great job

with loads of opportunities.

Result: never forget to have fun and please keep the little playground inside forever!!

I think Damian Lewis is a very good rule model so yes its play time!!

Katherine Parr

Born: 1512

Married to King Henry VIII: 12 July 1543
Queen's Closet, Hampton Court Palace

Widowed: 28 January 1547

Died: 5 September 1548
Sudeley Castle

Buried: 5 September 1548
St Mary's Chapel, Sudeley Castle

Katherine Parr was the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife Maud Green, both of whom were at the court of Henry VIII in his early reign. Maud was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon and named her daughter, born in 1512, after her.

 So, Henry VIII’s last wife was named after his first. Thomas Parr died in November 1517, leaving his three children, William, Katherine and Anne in the care of their mother. Maud managed the children’s education and the family estates and must have left an impression on her daughter of the greater role an independent woman could have in society. 

The education that Maud arranged for the children was similar to that of other noble figures of the time and at least in the case of Katherine, it ignited a life-long passion for learning. She was fluent in French, Latin and Italian and began learning Spanish when she was Queen.

Katherine Parr’s first marriage was to Edward Borough, the son of Thomas, third Baron Borough of Gainsborough in 1529 when she was 17 years old. Edward died only a few years later, probably in early 1533. It was during this marriage that Katherine’s mother Maud died, in December 1531. Katherine’s second marriage was to John Neville, third Baron Latimer of Snape Castle in Yorkshire, whom she married in the summer of 1534 when he was 41 and she was 22. Latimer had two children from his previous marriages so Katherine also became a stepmother for the first time.

 During the Pilgrimage of Grace a rebel mob forced Latimer to join them and later took Katherine and her stepchildren hostage at the castle. Latimer was able to eventually secure their freedom and managed to escape arrest for his associations with the rebellion after it was finally put down.

Katherine’s ailing husband died in March 1543, leaving her a widow for the second time, now at the age of 31. It was around this time that Katherine was noticed by not only the King, but also Thomas Seymour, brother of the late Queen Jane Seymour. Katherine expressed her desire to marry Thomas Seymour after Latimer’s death, but the King’s request for her hand was one that Katherine felt it was her duty to accept. Katherine and Henry VIII were married on July 12th in the Queen’s closet at Hampton Court Palace in a small ceremony attended by about 20 people.

Katherine was interested in the reformed faith, making her enemies with the conservatives of Henry’s court. It was Katherine’s influence with the King and the Henry’s failing health that led to a plot against her in 1546 by the conservative faction. Katherine and her ladies were known to have had banned books which was grounds for arrest and execution on charges of heresy. To gain evidence against the Queen,Anne Askew, a well-known and active Protestant, was questioned and tortured, but refused to recant her faith or give evidence against Katherine and her ladies. However, there was enough other evidence against the Queen to issue a warrant for her arrest. The warrant was accidentally dropped and someone loyal to the Queen saw it and then quickly told her about it. This is a well-documented incident that has made its way into many historical fiction accounts. Sometimes the history itself is the best drama! After learning of the arrest warrant, Katherine was said to be very ill, either as a ruse to stall or from a genuine panic attack. Henry went to see her and chastised her for her outspokenness about the reformed religion and his feeling that she was forgetting her place by instructing him on such matters. Katherine’s response in her defense was that she was only arguing with him on these issues so she could be instructed by him, and to take his mind off other troubles. Playing to Henry’s ego no doubt helped and Katherine was forgiven.

Katherine was close with all three of her stepchildren as Henry’s wife and was personally involved in the educational program of the younger two, Elizabeth and Edward. She was also a patron of the arts and music. Katherine’s own learning and academic achievements, as alluded to previously, were impressive, and in 1545, her book “Prayers or Meditations” became the first work published by an English Queen under her own name. Another book, “The Lamentation of a Sinner”, was published after Henry VIII’s death.

Henry VIII died in January 1547 and Katherine had probably expected to play some role in the regency for the new nine-year-old king, Edward VI, but this was not to be. Only a few months after Henry’s death, Katherine secretly married Thomas Seymour, but the quickness and secret nature of the union caused a scandal. Katherine was still able to take guardianship of Princess Elizabeth and Seymour purchased the wardship of the king’s cousin, Lady Jane Grey. It was during this time that the rumors of a relationship between Elizabeth and Seymour  arose and Elizabeth was sent to another household in the spring of 1548.

After three previous marriages and at the age of 36, Katherine was pregnant for the first time and in June 1548, she moved to Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire to await the birth of her child. On August 30th she gave birth to a daughter named Mary. Katherine soon fell ill with puerperal fever, which was to claim her life in the morning hours of September 5th. Katherine was buried, with Lady Jane Grey as the chief mourner, in the chapel at Sudeley Castle, where the tomb can still be visited today.

source:

Wednesday Reminder

Wednesday Reminder…Wolf Hall

Tonight the next episode of Wolf Hall

Tune in to see the King and Cromwell in action

We have no doubt it will be another must see episode with outstanding performances

Tonight 9 pm on BBC2

Pic of the day

source damian-lewis.com

Kathryn Howard

Born: c. 1521
Unknown

Married to King Henry VIII: 28 July 1540
Oatlands Palace

Executed: 13 February 1542
The Tower of London

Buried: 13 February 1542
Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London

Kathryn Howard was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, a younger brother of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. She was also first cousin to Anne Boleyn, Henry's ill-fated second Queen. She was brought up in the household of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. As part of the Duchess' household, she would have spent most of her time at Lambeth and Horsham.

Kathryn came to court at about the age of 19 as a lady in waiting to Anne of Cleves and there is no doubt that the spirited young girl caught Henry's attentions. Kathryn's uncle probably encouraged the girl to respond to the King's attentions and saw it as a way to increase his own influence over the monarch. The Duke of Norfolk also took advantage of the debacle of the Anne of Cleves marriage as a chance to discredit his enemy, Thomas Cromwell. In fact, Cromwell was executed shortly after the marriage was nullified.

Sixteen days after he was free of Anne, Henry took his fifth wife, Kathryn Howard, on July 28, 1540. Henry was 49 and his bride was no older than 19.

For all that can be said against this match, Kathryn did manage to lift the King's spirits. Henry had gained a lot of weight and was dealing with the ulcerated leg that was to pain him until his death. The vivacious young girl brought back some of Henry's zest for life. The King lavished gifts on his young wife and called her his 'rose without a thorn' and the 'very jewel of womanhood'.

Less than a year into Kathryn's marriage, the rumors of her infidelity began. In a way, one couldn't blame her for seeking the company of handsome young men closer to her own age. But to do so, even if only in courtly flirtations, was dangerous for a Queen, especially one who came from a powerful family with many enemies. Kathryn didn't help matters much by appointing one of her admirers as her personal secretary.

By November 1541, there was enough evidence against the Queen that Archbishop Cranmer informed the King of Kathryn's misconduct. At first Henry did not believe the accusations, but he agreed to allow further investigations into the matter. Enough evidence was gathered that the Queen had been promiscuous before her marriage and may have had liaisons after becoming Henry's wife. She was executed on the Tower Green on February 13, 1542 and laid to rest near her cousin Anne Boleyn in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London.

source:

Queen of the Desert

Here now the screening dates for Queen of the Desert on the Berlin Film Festival

Fri Feb 06 18:45

Berlinale Palast

Sat Feb 07 09:30

Zoo Palast 1

Sat Feb 07 12:00

Friedrichstadt-Palast (G)

Sat Feb 07 21:00

Friedrichstadt-Palast (G)

Sun Feb 15 10:00

Friedrichstadt-Palast (G)

The film tells the story of Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) who, as historian, novelist and member of the British secret service, played a decisive role around 1920 in setting the course for the new political order in the Middle East. As an educated young woman, for whom no suitable husband can be found in England, she journeys to Tehran. After a tragic love affair with diplomat and inveterate gambler Henry Cadogan, she decides to give up on her private life and discover the region as an explorer. Before the backdrop of the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire she learns languages, translates literature, meets with Muslim dignitaries in Cairo, Basra and Baghdad and earns their trust through her pluck and respect. Predestined to be a mediator between the Orient and the British Empire, she contributes to defining the new borders in the region after the First World War. And then love enters her life once again.

Werner Herzog uses the vast desert landscapes to depict the architecture of his characters’ souls. A panoramic epic about the woman who has gone down in history as ‘the female Lawrence of Arabia’.

WATCH AN EXCLUSIVE CLIP WITH NICOLE KIDMAN AND DAMIAN LEWIS ON THE OFFICIAL BERLIN FESTIVAL SITE

HERE: 

Pic of the day

source damian-lewis.com

another letter...

DARLING, these shall be
only to advertise you that this
bearer and his fellow be despatched
with as many things to compass our
matter, and to bring it to pass as our
wits could imagine or devise; which
brought to pass, as I trust, by their
diligence, it shall be shortly, you and
I shall have our desired end, which
should be more to my heart’s ease,
and more quietness to my mind, than
any other thing in the world ; as, with
God’s grace, shortly I trust shall be
proved, but not so soon as I would
it were; yet I will ensure you that
there shall be no time lost that may
be won, and further can not be done;
for ultra posse non est esse*. Keep him
not too long with you, but desire
him, for your sake, to make the more
speed; for the sooner we shall have
word from him, the sooner shall our
matter come to pass. And thus upon
trust of your short repair to London,
I make an end of my letter, my own
sweet heart.

Written with the hand of him
which desireth as much to be yours
as you do to have him.

H. R.

* “One can’t do more than is possible”.

Read more: 

Henry and his wives

Born: 22 September 1515

Married to King Henry VIII: 6 January 1540
Greenwich

Marriage to Henry VIII dissolved: July 1540

Died: 16 July 1557
Chelsea Manor, London

Buried: 4 August 1557
Westminster Abbey

Henry VIII remained single for over two years after Jane Seymour's death, possibly giving some credence to the thought that he genuinely mourned for her. However, it does seem that someone, possibly Thomas Cromwell, began making inquiries shortly after Jane's death about a possible foreign bride for Henry.

Henry's first marriage had been a foreign alliance of sorts, although it is almost certain that the two were truly in love for some time. His next two brides were love matches and Henry could have had little or no monetary or political gain from them.

But the events of the split from Rome left England isolated, and probably vulnerable. It was these circumstances that led Henry and his ministers to look at the possibility of a bride to secure an alliance. Henry did also want to be sure he was getting a desirable bride, so he had agents in foreign courts report to him on the appearance and other qualities of various candidates. He also sent painters to bring him images of these women.

Hans Holbein, probably the most famous of the Tudor court painters, was sent to the court of the Duke of Cleves, who had two sisters: Amelia and Anne. When Holbein went in 1539, Cleves was seen as an important potential ally in the event France and the Holy Roman Empire (who had somewhat made a truce in their long history of conflict) decided to move against the countries who had thrown off the Papal authority. England then sought alliances with countries who had been supporting the reformation of the church. Several of the Duchys and principalities along the Rhine were Lutheran. Holbein painted the sisters of the Duke of Cleves and Henry decided to have a contract drawn up for his marriage to Anne.

Although the King of France and the Emperor had gone back to their usual state of animosity, Henry proceeded with the match. The marriage took place on January 6, 1540. By then, Henry was already looking for ways to get out of the marriage.

Anne was ill-suited for life at the English court. Her upbringing in Cleves had concentrated on domestic skills and not the music and literature so popular at Henry's court. And, most famously, Henry did not find his new bride the least bit attractive and is said to have called her a 'Flanders Mare'. In addition to his personal feelings for wanting to end the marriage, there were now political ones as well. Tension between the Duke of Cleves and the Empire was increasing towards war and Henry had no desire to become involved. Last but not least, at some point, Henry had become attracted to young Kathryn Howard.

Anne was probably smart enough to know that she would only be making trouble for herself if she raised any obstacles to Henry's attempts to annul the marriage. She testified that the match had not been consummated and that her previous engagement to the son of the Duke of Lorraine had not been properly broken.

After the marriage had been dissolved, Anne accepted the honorary title as the 'King's Sister'. She was given property, including Hever Castle, formerly the home of Anne Boleyn.

Anne lived away from court quietly in the countryside until 1557 and attended the coronation of her former step-daughter, Mary I.

She is buried in a somewhat hard to find tomb in Westminster Abbey.

American Buffalo

its official now!!

Three marvelous actors will perform Mamet's great play on stage at the Wyndham Theatre in London soon..
and it will be for sure one of the hottest ticket to get in spring theatre season.
get your tickets and see a brilliant and modern play on stage lead by Damian Lewis

DONT MISS!!

get your tickets here before its too late

American Buffalo  

Mr.Goodman told The Guardian:

"I’m delighted to be returning to the stage … in such a fantastic project with two brilliant British actors both of whom I’ve admired for some time. David Mamet is a writer I have loved throughout my career and so I’m thrilled to be bringing his work alive on stage.”

I am very excited myself Damian Lewis on stage is a don't miss event and two other great actors are a wonderful bonus.
good luck with the production to everyone involved!!!!

American Buffalo: plot cast book and how to get tickets.the complete informations about this
exciting project and all others from Damian Lewis can be found on our main site.

 http://www.damian-lewis.com/

Wonderful Twitter smile from the Billions set

It's just WOW thank you very much for sharing this beautiful picture and big thank you to Damian Lewis

Source Twitter 

Twitter smile....

Source twitter 

Source twitter 

 Thank you for both twitter smiles today and again thanks for sharing and special thanks to Mr.Lewis for being always so nice with fans

kind of a Twitter smile...-)))

please see this instagram page and watch a lovely picture and nice comments.

" just bumped into yer man from The Following (James Purefoy) and Brody (Damien Lewis) from Homeland.…"

see her sweet picture:


"he's very handsome in person! And he insisted on taking the photo, even chose the angle for the 'lighting' hahaha!"

as usual thank you for sharing your encounter and thank you to Mr.Lewis for always being kind and nice with fans!!

Excitement on site and blog

we are very happy and excited this week about all the fantastic news and the brilliant start of Wolf Hall!

we had new pictures news and a King we worship already and the week ends with the amazing casting news for American Buffalo so I am very happy and I am sure all fans around the world feel the same way.

its been a month now that we teamed up again with damian-lewis.com and it was the best decision
Emma and I ever made.big thanks again from us to the Selene...you are the best and we are happy!!

the feedback ever since is overwhelming and I know heartfelt and yes it is a lot of work to do
but we love it.

its great fun to do fan work for other fans and know its so much appreciated special thanks to the
Damian Bunnies...your comments often made my day the last months.-)))

but the biggest thank you to all of you to come back over and over again on site and blog and share our excitement and great Damian moments...

very special thank  you to Michael for the in formations and for your support.its a dream!!

last but not least thanks to Damian Lewis who allow us to do all the fan work and who has been always very kind and supportive to us. Thank You Very Much

we hope you enjoy the year full with fantastic projects in the pipeline and with us on DFI and
 http://www.damian-lewis.com/

source damian-lewis.com

its all about...WOW

BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Three stooges who turn the air blue as American Buffalo heads for the West End


 Hollywood star John Goodman and fast-rising young British actor Tom Sturridge will be joining Damian Lewis in the West End-bound American Buffalo.

Goodman, a staple of some of Joel and Ethan Coen’s best movies, said playing the London stage ‘is definitely on my bucket list. I was too frightened to say “No”. I said “Yes” before I could scare myself,’ he joked.

Goodman told me that he wanted his knees to be in order before taking any role on stage.

‘I had a second knee replacement last March, so they’re good to go. I can tread as many boards as I want, as long as they’ll have me.’

He will play Don, a junk shop owner who fancies himself as an expert on rare coins. He’s in league with Teach (Lewis) and dim-witted but loyal Bobby (Sturridge) in a caper that, very clearly, is doomed.

‘Donny’s the wisest of the three stooges. He tries to be the most noble, in a rotten business enterprise,’ says Goodman.

The actor said he has worked on movies and TV dramas in Britain, but was thrilled to be making his theatre debut in a play written by David Mamet — a playwright he’s always admired. Goodman said Mamet’s play was intentionally full of profanities.

It’s almost its punctuation,’ he said, of the blue-tinged language.

He said he was fine with the four-letter words, because there’s a point to them, but said he has become ‘an old crab’ about excessive bad language on TV. ‘They rarely make a point. They’ve just gotten gratuitous and it’s kind of boring,’ he said. It’s the first time Sturridge has been in the West End, too. He has performed at the Royal Court and was excellent in the recent Broadway production of Orphans, in a part that won him a Best Actor Tony nomination.

He has a fresh and dangerous style of acting that’s great to watch.

The pair will star alongside Damian Lewis, which fellow British actor Sturridge says he is most excited about.

He said the most exciting thing about the project was the involvement of his fellow actors — Lewis and Goodman — as well as director Daniel Evans and producer Matthew Byam Shaw.

Sturridge recalled watching Lewis appear at the National Theatre in Pillars Of The Community and on screen in Keane, in the span of about a week.

‘I remember thinking: “Who the f*** is this guy?!” They were electrifying performances.’

Of Goodman, he said: ‘Legend is an appropriate word.’

Sturridge will be seen on screen this year opposite Carey Mulligan in Far From The Madding Crowd, and he has just spent six months as Henry VI in the second series of The Hollow Crown.

American Buffalo runs at Wyndham’s Theatre from April 16 for a limited season.

 

 

Pic of the day

source damian-lewis.com

SAG Awards

all pictures from damian-lewis.com

Jennifer Lawrence Meets Damian Lewis at the SAG Awards 2014 WARNING SPOI...

a year ago...SAG awards

Jane Seymour

Born: 1508 or 1509

Possibly at Wolf Hall, Wiltshire

Married to King Henry VIII: 30 May 1536

Queen's Closet, Whitehall Palace

Died: 24 October 1537

Hampton Court Palace

Buried: 13 November 1537

St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

Jane Seymour may have first come to court in the service of Queen Catherine, but then was moved to wait on Anne Boleyn as she rose in the King's favor and eventually became his second wife.

In September 1535, the King stayed at the Seymour family home in Wiltshire, England. It may have been there that the king "noticed" Jane. But, it isn't until February of 1536 that there is evidence of Henry's new love for Jane.

By that point, Henry's waning interest in Anne was obvious and Jane was likely pegged to be her replacement as Queen.

Opinion is divided as to how Jane felt about being the new object of Henry's affections. Some see Jane's calm and gentle demeanor as evidence that she didn't really understand the position as political pawn she was playing for her family. Others see it as a mask for her fear. Seeing how Henry's two previous Queens had been treated once they fell from favor, Jane probably had some trepidation, although Anne Boleyn's final fate had not been sealed at that time.

One other view was that Jane fell into her role quite willingly and actively sought to entice the King and flaunt her favor even in front of the current Queen.

How Jane actually felt, we will never know. Henry's feelings were pretty clear though. Within 24 hours of Anne Boleyn's execution, Jane Seymour and Henry VIII were formally betrothed. On the 30th of May, they were married. Unlike Henry's previous two Queens, Jane never had a coronation. Perhaps the King was waiting to Jane to 'prove' herself by giving him a son.

Less than two months after Henry and Jane's marriage, the Duke of Richmond, Henry Fitzroy died at the age of 17. Fitzroy was the King's bastard son by his mistress Elizabeth Blount.

It wasn't until early 1537 that Jane became pregnant. During her pregnancy, Jane's every whim was indulged by the King, convinced that Jane, whom he felt to be his first 'true wife', carried his long hoped for son. In October, a prince was born at Hampton Court Palace and was christened on 15th of October. The baby was named Edward. Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was godmother and Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, also played a role in the ceremony.

There has been much written over whether or not Jane gave birth to Edward by cesarean section. It seems unlikely that if she had, she would have lived as long as she did after the birth. Jane attended her son's christening, although she was weak. She died on October 24th, just two weeks after her son was born.

Henry had already been preparing his own tomb at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, which was where Jane was buried. In the end, she would be the only of Henry's six wives to be buried with him.

more love letters

 MY MISTRESS & FRIEND,

my heart and I surrender our-

selves into your hands, beseeching

you to hold us commended to your

favour, and that by absence your af-

feftion to us may not be lessened:

for it were a great pity to increase

our pain, of which absence produces

enough and more than I could ever

have thought could be felt, remind-

ing us of a point in astronomy which

is this: the longer the days are, the

more distant is the sun, and never-

theless the hotter; so is it with our

love, for by absence we are kept a

distance from one another, and yet

it retains its fervour, at least on my

side; I hope the like on yours, as-

suring you that on my part the pain

of absence is already too great for

me; and when I think of the increase

of that which I am forced to suffer,

it would be almost intolerable, but

for the firm hope I have of your un-

changeable affedtion for me: and to

remind you of this sometimes, and

seeing that I cannot be personally

present with you, I now send you the

nearest thing I can to that, namely,

my picture set in a bracelet, with the

whole of the device, which you al-

ready know, wishing myself in their

place, if it should please you. This is

from the hand of your loyal servant

and friend,

H.R.