Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/715608
situation better, I'll tell you that. But I personally don't tend to spend much of it. I think that's made my life a lot easier. I'm lucky as hell that I make a decent living, but I think I'm even luckier that I don't have a taste for speedboats and tailored suits and mansions in the Hamptons. Siff: My feelings haven't changed at all. I still think it's bizarre and maybe even a little unhealthy to be rich enough to be a nation-state of your own. At least tell us you enjoyed driving Wendy's Christmas bonus—the Maserati GranTurismo Sport Coupe, which retails for around $132,000. Siff: To be honest, it's like getting on a thoroughbred for the first time. You're like, Whoa! What is this? I only got to drive in a parking lot, unfortunately. And here's the scary thing: Not only are you driving an extraordinarily expensive car, but they also strap on the most expensive camera equipment to the windshield and you're barely able to see the road. What I'm saying is, it wasn't the most romantic driving experience. Paul, you won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing John Adams in the 2008 TV miniseries of the same name. Which is the most cutthroat—Washington, Wall Street, or Hollywood? Giamatti: All three worlds have colorful characters and a high degree of ambition, backstabbing, and all that. I think the political and financial people tend to play things a little more low-key and hidden. That's not to say you don't have maverick characters who come up, like the guy who's running for president. But Hollywood, I think, is the most out-there when it comes to flaunting success and spreading gossip and who's got the biggest, you know, office. What's your take on awards season? Giamatti: As an experience, awards ceremonies are truly exciting but also complete mayhem. I'm always amazed people don't have epileptic seizures with the camera lights flashing in their eyes. If Billions wins an award now or in the future, that would be great, but honestly, the awards and the job we do are completely separate. You never, ever enter a scene thinking, Oh, this is my Emmy moment. You think, This is a great story, these are phenomenal actors I'm working with, and it's just fantastic to be making a living in this profession. You get an award and you're like, Wow, this is an amazing unexpected bonus. We've talked about success, but what are the worst jobs you've ever had? Siff: For about a month in my 20s, I worked at a hedge fund for real. A friend of mine was dating a guy who was a banker, and he gave me a temp job. I had no clue what I was doing. I would sit in front of these Bloomberg computer terminals and bullshit my way through the day so hard it was scary. And while there's a high degree of glamour in the world of hedge funds we depict on the show, this was pretty basic: a lot less swag and a lot more khakis and plaid. Giamatti: I've done so much weird stuff as an actor. I once had to do an entire movie [the 2006 indie film The Hawk Is Dying] with a hawk strapped to my arm. I remember driving in the enclosed cab of a truck down a highway in Florida with the bird screaming out and its claws going after my face. That was way more dangerous than bringing down billionaires. What do you like to do when you're not working? Siff: I take it easy. My husband and I live in New York, where I grew up, and we have a 2-year-old. I was pretty tired after the season and wanted to catch the last of my daughter's babyhood. It's going really, really fast. As far as guilty pleasures, I'm pretty nerdy. A night alone, I like to eat ice cream and watch BBC's Call the Midwife. Giamatti: I'm embarrassed to admit that I never watch television. I know I'm missing out. But I love to read and see theater. I took my son to Hamilton, which was incredible, of course, and we got to meet the cast, who were weirdly excited to say hello because they wanted to meet another founding father. Okay, finally, what really happens during a sex scene? Siff: In general on the show, we do everything we can to lighten things up. Paul and I call each other Buck and Cindy, and our version of Cindy is spelled X-I-N-D-E-E. Damian loves singing show tunes around the set. When the cameras roll on the sex stuff, it's all a total illusion. I'm standing there in six-inch stilettos attempting to look hot but desperately trying not to fall on my ass. Giamatti: For me, it's interesting. Being tied up made me really relaxed to the point where I kept falling asleep. At one point, Maggie had to use a low-voltage prod on me, which nobody knew how to operate. I'm falling asleep and she's tickling me with the thing by really pressing it into me. But then she kinda runs it lightly from my navel up to my chest and it shocks the living hell out of me. After that, I was wide awake. She didn't try it again. . "WHEN THE CAMERAS ROLL ON THE SEX STUFF, I'M STANDING IN SIX- INCH STILETTOS ATTEMPTING TO LOOK HOT BUT DESPERATELY TRYING NOT TO FALL ON MY ASS." —maggie siff AUSTINWAY.com 95