Damian Lewis says goodbye to 'Billions : 'Some jobs are more than just a job'
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Billions actor Damian Lewis broke his silence Sunday night heading into Monday morning after this week's season finale of the Showtime drama revealed this leading man would be leaving the series after five seasons.
Thanking the network and series co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the actor tweeted, "A pleasure and a privilege to play Axe for five seasons with some of the smartest, funniest most talented cast and crew I've worked with. I'll miss the Billions family."
He added, "Yep, some jobs are more than just a job…. Love."
Thank you @SHO_Billions thank you @briankoppelman @DavidLevien. A pleasure and a privilege to play Axe for 5 seasons with some of the smartest, funniest most talented cast and crew I’ve worked with. I’ll miss the Billions family. Yep, some jobs are more than just a job…. Love.
— Damian Lewis (@lewis_damian) October 4, 2021
Spoiler warning from the Billions season 5 finale: Lewis has been a mainstay and lead star on Billions as Bobby Axelrod since the show first premiered in 2016, but this week's episode saw Axe settling down in Europe away from the clutches of the law but without his considerable fortune.
Koppelman explained in an interview with EW that, "for a variety of reasons" Lewis started discussing a potential exit from the show with the producers three years ago, wanting to spend more time with his family and be largely situated in England. In April of this past year, Lewis lost his wife, actress Helen McCrory, who died at the age of 52 from cancer.
Laurence Cendrowicz/SHOWTIME Damian Lewis as Axe on 'Billions'
"The goodbyes on Billions and the hellos on Billions are never permanent; nothing is etched in stone. But that said, Damian's time as a regular on Billions has come to an end," Koppelman said.
"The guy delivered for us in such an incredible way," he continued. "What he did in making Bobby Axelrod an icon is really remarkable. Knowing the conditions in which he performed, traveling back and forth to England for years to be with his family, it's impossible to imagine just how hard and focused that guy worked. We feel really honored and lucky to have had five years of being able to know that Damian Lewis was Bobby Axelrod. But, again, not saying it's goodbye forever."
Showtime already announced a season 6 premiere for Jan. 23, and Koppelman added how Lewis' departure presented "the opportunity for a lot of storytelling that's compelling to us."
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