DAMIAN LEWIS: `British women are weird' Actor and red-hot redhead Damian Lewis, 34, talks about his kinky fans, pinching girls' bums, and why he's a born liar.
You star in new ITV drama From Colditz With Love, as a prisoner of war who joins the Secret Service. Are you a gadget man? Damien Lewis: I like my sports car. I just got a little Mazda MX5 - it's only a cheap and cheerful one really. It's titanium, a sort of greyish colour. I'm not exactly obsessed by toys. I don't have a plasma TV, just a normal one, though I suppose it's still quite big. I do have an i-Pod, although I need to learn how to download my music. You can pay people to do that can't you? I heard you can pay someone pounds 200 and they'll download you 5,000 songs. I think I'll do that, because to be honest, I'm a bit clueless.
Is it true you were asked to audition for the new Bond movie? DL: That isn't strictly true. I have never auditioned for the role of James Bond. It would be difficult not to consider it - helicopter rides to sunny locations and let's not forget the Bond girls. Halle Berry was pretty good in that bikini, but my favourite was Grace Jones.
It's was rumoured Pierce Brosnan wanted pounds 22 million to play Bond again... DL: Is that right? God. And he wonders why they said no... I think Sean Connery was the best as 007. He was very smooth but had a bit of a bad edge to him. I like it when people start out good and are then corrupted.
Do you have a temper? DL: I get very frustrated sitting in traffic. I want to get out of my car and smash people's windscreens in.... but obviously, I don't.
Is it true you were asked to audition for the new Bond movie? DL: That isn't strictly true. I have never auditioned for the role of James Bond. It would be difficult not to consider it - helicopter rides to sunny locations and let's not forget the Bond girls. Halle Berry was pretty good in that bikini, but my favourite was Grace Jones.
It's was rumoured Pierce Brosnan wanted pounds 22 million to play Bond again... DL: Is that right? God. And he wonders why they said no... I think Sean Connery was the best as 007. He was very smooth but had a bit of a bad edge to him. I like it when people start out good and are then corrupted.
Do you have a temper? DL: I get very frustrated sitting in traffic. I want to get out of my car and smash people's windscreens in.... but obviously, I don't.
You were once linked to Sex And The City actress Kristin Davis. Is she your type? DL: Firstly, I never dated Kristin. That rumour wasn't true. I don't date a certain type of woman. I'm attracted to humour, beauty - although, that's in the eyes of the beholder - and grace. Movement in a woman is very important to me. A woman must be elegant. But wit and intelligence are must-haves.
Is it true you had an off-screen relationship with your From Colditz... co-star Sophia Myles? DL: Off-screen? No. Just good friends.
Do you get embarrassed stripping off in front of the camera? DL: I think I would be pretty embarrassed if I had to take everything off in front of a camera crew, but I don't mind doing sex scenes. It's part of the job isn't it? If you're working with someone who's fun, it makes the sex scenes less difficult.
Who would be your dream leading lady? DL: Cate Blanchett. She has everything - elegance and wit. We sat together at dinner at the Golden Globe Awards in LA recently. She's fantastic. She was excellent as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator.
Did you get hate mail after starring as Soames Forsyte in The Forsyte Saga? DL: No I got weird, kinky, love mail. British women are weird - they like cold men. They sent in photos asking me to call them. Obviously I never did. I'd never go out with a fan who wrote to me. Although a friend of mine is marrying a fan of his. He was in a play and she was in the audience. She sent him a note backstage saying she wanted to meet him afterwards for a drink. It worked out. He's lucky, because she's an amazing woman.
Do you believe in marriage? DL: Yes. I'm from a stable family background. My mum's no longer alive, but when she was, my parents were very solid. I don't believe marriage is smooth and easy the whole time. I also don't believe it's possible to remain faithful throughout the marriage, but I do believe in staying together.
What was the last lie you told? DL: The last lie was to Equity - I lied about how much I earned. How much do I earn? I'm not telling you that. Not enough. I used to have tons of white lies up my sleeve because I'm always late meeting people - always. Now, people don't want to hear my excuses, I think it's expected I'll be late.
Did you ever get picked on while at school at Eton? DL: No, never. I was pretty popular.
Is it true you had an off-screen relationship with your From Colditz... co-star Sophia Myles? DL: Off-screen? No. Just good friends.
Do you get embarrassed stripping off in front of the camera? DL: I think I would be pretty embarrassed if I had to take everything off in front of a camera crew, but I don't mind doing sex scenes. It's part of the job isn't it? If you're working with someone who's fun, it makes the sex scenes less difficult.
Who would be your dream leading lady? DL: Cate Blanchett. She has everything - elegance and wit. We sat together at dinner at the Golden Globe Awards in LA recently. She's fantastic. She was excellent as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator.
Did you get hate mail after starring as Soames Forsyte in The Forsyte Saga? DL: No I got weird, kinky, love mail. British women are weird - they like cold men. They sent in photos asking me to call them. Obviously I never did. I'd never go out with a fan who wrote to me. Although a friend of mine is marrying a fan of his. He was in a play and she was in the audience. She sent him a note backstage saying she wanted to meet him afterwards for a drink. It worked out. He's lucky, because she's an amazing woman.
Do you believe in marriage? DL: Yes. I'm from a stable family background. My mum's no longer alive, but when she was, my parents were very solid. I don't believe marriage is smooth and easy the whole time. I also don't believe it's possible to remain faithful throughout the marriage, but I do believe in staying together.
What was the last lie you told? DL: The last lie was to Equity - I lied about how much I earned. How much do I earn? I'm not telling you that. Not enough. I used to have tons of white lies up my sleeve because I'm always late meeting people - always. Now, people don't want to hear my excuses, I think it's expected I'll be late.
Did you ever get picked on while at school at Eton? DL: No, never. I was pretty popular.
to be continued
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