Public more suspicious of wealthy people, says Billions star Damian Lewis

Updated

Actor Damian Lewis has claimed society has become "more suspicious of wealthy people" since the 2008 financial crisis.

The British star, who plays a hedge fund manager in the new Sky Atlantic series Billions, said it was too "simplistic" to brand those working in the industry as "bad".

But Lewis, 45, admitted he was "shocked" at how "little the keepers of gate actually understood" at the time of the crash.

He told the Press Association: "I think it would be simplistic to say all hedge fund manager are this. I think there are certain things hedges can do which don't enamour them to the general public. I think it's a more complex issue to just say they're bad.

"Our attitude and relationship with wealth now - we've become more suspicious of wealthy people and how they made it.

"I think that's also a result of what's happened over the last six, seven, eight years."

Lewis, who was speaking at a screening of Billions at the Writers Guild Theatre in Los Angeles, said it had "struck me how much we've all learnt since the sub-prime mortgage crisis".

The former Homeland star said: "We just learnt a lot more about the casino that is Wall Street. I think it was shocking to everybody just how little the keepers of the gate actually understood what they were doing.

"These various different instruments people were making money off, derivatives and so on and so forth, disappeared into a maze. I was shocked and I think a lot of people were shocked.

"It feels current and it feels an interesting world to dip into."

Lewis, who is a Liverpool fan, also paid tribute to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster after an inquest jury ruled they were unlawfully killed.

"My heart goes out to all the families who have been involved over this long time," he said.

"It will brings some sort of closure but of course it won't bring anyone back. That's the bottom line."

Billions begins on Sky Atlantic on May 12.

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