Yahoo News Billions star responds to possible return following season 5 exit
Billions spoilers follow for season five finale, 'No Direction Home'.
Billions fans faced a shock in the Showtime drama's season five finale, as lead character Bobby 'Axe' Axelrod left for Switzerland in order to escape arrest.
Having been backed into a corner by Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), Axe (Damian Lewis) sold his companies to rival billionaire Mike Prince (Corey Stoll) and was last seen stepping off a plane in Switzerland, ready to begin a new life.
Axe has been at the centre of Billions since the show debuted in 2016 so his departure will mark a big change to the show, but could actor Lewis be putting Axe's suits on again one day?
Related: Damian Lewis thinks now is the time for a ginger James Bond
The actor has told The New York Times that he hasn't necessarily closed the door on the show forever, but we shouldn't expect to see him make a comeback too soon.
"There's an opportunity maybe for me to return," he said. "But for now, broadly speaking, Axe has been vanquished."
Lewis added that he had always envisioned playing Axe for five seasons, saying that he "always just assumed that would be enough", and that he felt that there wasn't much more that could be explored with the character.
Explaining that his years playing Axe were "easily the most time I've spent playing one character", he said: "It's difficult to keep mining, creatively. We know who he is."
The Homeland star also confirmed that he plans to stay in London with his children for the foreseeable future "for obvious reasons", following the sad death of his wife Helen McCrory in April.
Related: Damian Lewis reveals wife Helen McCrory's last request to him in touching tribute
Following the actor's exit as Bobby, co-creator Brian Koppelman said: "The guy delivered for us in such an incredible way. 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."
Billions will begin airing its sixth season in January and fans can be assured that Axe's departure won't mean an end to the drama.
Billions airs on Showtime in the US, while UK viewers can watch it on Sky Atlantic, NOW and Amazon Prime Video.
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