LONDON — British acting star Damian Lewis on Sunday revealed that former US President Barack Obama had offered him advice in playing a charismatic hedge fund manager in hit television series Billions.

When asked by the BBC’s Andrew Marr if his character Bobby Axe Axelrod glamorised Wall Street bosses, Lewis replied: "I’m going to drop a name here and I’m going to enjoy it enormously.

"The (then) president of the United States Barack Obama did say to me a few months ago, ’I’m loving Billions, I’m loving your character in it, I’m loving Bobby, the only problem is hedge fund managers aren’t that cool’."

The Showtime series is loosely based on real-life prosecutor of financial crimes Preet Bharara and his battles with hedge fund manager Steve Cohen.

Lewis, who played Nicholas Brody in the television series Homeland, said "the one slightly romantic thing you can say about" hedge fund managers is that "they do bet against the tide". – AFP