Paul Giamatti in 2023.Photo:Courtesy of Conrad Pictures and Focus Features
Courtesy of Conrad Pictures and Focus Features
If onlyPaul Giamattiknew then what he knows now.
“I wish I could do it again,” Giamatti, 56, admits.
In fact, that goes for most of his screen projects, from his Emmy-winning titular role in the 2008 miniseriesJohn Adamsto his scene-stealing, Oscar-nominated performance in 2005’sCinderella Man.
“Pretty much anything I did, I wish I could go back and do it again now,” says the four-time Emmy nominee with a laugh.
But Giamatti is feeling his inner perfectionist especially now in the aftermath ofBillions, which, as the actor points out, is unlike any other endeavor in his long career.
“That’s the longest I’ve ever done anything, one character for that long,” he says of playing prosecutor Chuck Rhoades on the hit legal drama. “By the end of it, I was very comfortable and sort of like, ‘Oh, I think I get this guy now.’ So in a way, yeah, I wish I could go back and start it again.”
(Left-right:): Ben Shenkman, Paul Giamatti and Allan Havey in “Billions”.Christopher T. Saunders/SHOWTIME
Christopher T. Saunders/SHOWTIME
Among the series’ main cast were Maggie Siff, Condola Rashad, David Costabile,Asia Kate Dillonand Kelly AuCoin, with Corey Stoll joining latter seasons.
This February, Showtime announced that four differentBillionsspin-offswere in the works:Billions: Miami, Billions: London, TrillionsandMillions.
So how exactly would Giamatti approach his character if he could start the series over? “I’d be a little bit more relaxed about it,” says the actor.
The cast of “Billions” season 7.Mark Seliger/SHOWTIME
Mark Seliger/SHOWTIME
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As for what he’s taking away from the experience, Giamatti’s goal is clear: “I want to do something for that long again.”
“If I do,” he adds, “I’m going to be way more relaxed and loose about how we start it so that I’m not frozen into something.”
Giamatti has no such projects in the works as of yet — but with thoseBillionsspin-offs, his desire to revisit Chuck Rhoades could still be fulfilled. His new movieThe Holdovers, from director Alexander Payne and screenwriter David Hemingson, is in theaters now.
For more on Paul Giamatti, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
source: people.com
