>> IN "BILLIONS" I PLAY A HEDGE FUND.
AND BOBBY AXLEROD IS HIS NAME.
I TOOK IT BECAUSE HE SOUNDS LIKE A PORN STAR BUT HE'S A HEDGE
FUND BILLIONAIRE, TURNS OUT.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE BRITT AND YOU KEEP PLAYING AMERICAN.
>> YEAH, I DO.
>> Stephen: AREN'T YOU THE TYPE OF PERSON DONALD TRUMP IS
TALKING ABOUT?
SHOULDN'T WE BE BUILDING A WALL BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND
BRITAIN AND MAKING THE BRITS PAY FOR IT?
BECAUSE YOU'RE TAKING AMERICAN JOBS.
AMERICANS CAN SEEM LIKE JERKS!
>> JUST HAPPILY ON THEIR OWN?
NO, IT'S BETTER IF I'M THE JERK.
I'M THE FALL GUY.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
I SHOULD MAKE THE POINT THAT I THINK FOR THIS PARTICULAR
SHOW, HE MAY NOT BE THE JERK YOU THINK HE'S GOING TO BE.
>> Stephen: EVEN THOUGH HE'S A BILLIONAIRE!
>> THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING POINT.
BEING A BRIT, I THINK YOU GUYS THINK OF YOUR RICH GUYS AS YOUR
ROYALTY, YOUR ARISTOCRACY.
>> Stephen: WHO ARE JERKS, TOO, GENERALLY.
ROYALTY AND NOBILITY A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WERE ESSENTIALLY
GANGSTERS WHO COULD HIT SOMEBODY OVER THE HEAD AND TAKE THE LAND.
THEY GET EDUCATION AND EVERYBODY GOES, OH, THEY MUST BE VERY
NICE.
>> THEY'RE VERY RICH AND PASS IT TO THEIR CHILDREN AND THEN THEY
CAN BE JERKS.
>> Stephen: EXACTLY.
I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
>> Stephen: IN AMERICA, THERE IS A BIT OF A FEELING IF YOU'RE
A BILLIONAIRE YOU HAVE TO BE A JERK.
DO YOU THINK THIS GUY'S A JERK?
>> THAT'S RECENT.
THERE WERE RICH IN THE COUNTRY THAT WEREN'T THAT WAY BEFORE.
WE'RE A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS ABOUT HOW PEOPLE MAKE SO MUCH NOW AND
HOW COME I DON'T HAVE ANY.
>> Stephen: RIGHT.
I THINK EVERYBODY IN AMERICA WORKS FOR ONE OF 12 BILLIONAIRES
RIGHT NOW.
I DO.
I KNOW I WORK FOR A BILLIONAIRE, SO I HAVE NOTHING BAD TO SAY
ABOUT MY BOSS.
(LAUGHTER) AND YOU WORK FOR HIM, TOO!
BECAUSE SHOWTIME IS ALSO OWNED BY THE SAME COMPANY THAT OWNS MY
SHOW, SO YOU AND I LOVE BILLIONAIRES.
>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
I ACTUALLY DO LOVE BILLIONAIRES.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
I LOVE THEM.
>> Stephen: DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BECOME A BILLIONAIRE AND
STILL BE A NICE GUY IS THIS.
>> I THINK I'M ALL RIGHT.
>> Stephen: I DIDN'T KNOW!
I DIDN'T KNOW!
>> YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CAN GET PAID AS AN ACTOR!
BEING A BILLIONAIRE DOES ASK THE QUESTION, AT WHAT POINT DO YOU
HAVE ENOUGH?
>> Stephen: RIGHT.
I THINK BILLIONAIRES DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY HAVE ENOUGH WHICH
IS WHY THEY'RE BILLIONAIRES.
YOU HAVE 100 MILLION.
DO YOU NEED MORE?
IF YOU'RE A BILLIONAIRE, OBVIOUSLY THE ANSWER IS YES.
>> Stephen: I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I GET THERE.
NOT YET.
PAUL GIAMATTI IN THIS IS THE U.S. ATTORNEY.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: HE'S GUNNING FOR YOU.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: IS HE THE BAD GUY OR IS THERE NO BAD GUY HERE?
>> LOOK, I THINK YOU WILL ROOT FOR BOTH THE CHARACTERS AT
DIFFERENT TIMES AND I THINK THEY WILL BOTH DO THINGS THAT MAKES
YOU DISLIKE THEM.
>> LY PUT ON THE FIRST EPISODE TO WATCH WHILE I WAS ON VACATION
WITH MY KIDS AND THE FIRST OPENS WITH PAUL GIAMATTI, THE FIRST
THING YOU SEE IS HIM TIED UP AND A DOMINATRIX WITH HER BOOT ON
HIS CHEST AND I SAID, HEY, KIDS, LET'S GET ICE CREAM AND TURNED
IT OFF (LAUGHTER)
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU PLAYED SOLDIERS IN WORLD WAR , TWO
PLAYED A GUY CAPTURED AND TORTURED BY AL QUAIDA.
DID YOU TAKE A JOSH AND SAY I WOULD LIKE TO PLAY SOMEBODY WHO
HAS LOTS OF MONEY AND HAS SEX ALL THE TIME?
>> YES.
I WANTED TO WORK IN A FERRARI AND A HELICOPTER FOR A CHANGE.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU PRETEND TO BE A BILLIONAIRE?
DID YOU DO A RIDE-ALONG OR ANYTHING?
(LAUGHTER) >> INTO THE BILLIONAIRE HOOD,
YEAH.
>> Stephen: YEAH!
WHEN I SPOKE TO THE HEDGE FUND GUYS, SOME OF WHOM WERE
BILLIONAIRES SEVERAL TIMES OVER, I JUST GOT THE SENSE FROM THEM
THAT THE MONEY WAS INCIDENTAL TO THE GAME.
PLAYING THE GAME IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING, AND WINNING
THE GAME WAS REALLY WHAT DROVE THEM.
SO, YEAH, HAVING BILLIONS WAS KIND OF A NICE BY-PRODUCT OF
WINNING.
BETTER THAN WINNING AT MONOPOLY.
AND THEY JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE BILLIONS.
AND THEN IF THEY USE THAT MONEY RESPONSIBLY, THEY GIVE IT AWAY
OR DON'T OR WHATEVER AND BUY ANOTHER YACHT.
BUT IT WAS THE POWER, IT WAS THE SENSE OF THE GAME, IT WAS THE
SENSE OF FEELING THEY WERE RIGHT AND, WHEN THEY BACKED THEIR OWN
BET ON SOMETHING AND IT SUCCEEDED, THERE WAS A
TREMENDOUS SENSE OF INDICATION.
>> Stephen: IT'S BALL SWINGING WITH THE OTHER GUYS ON
WALL STREET.
>> YEAH, A LITTLE, ALTHOUGH THEY THINK OF THEMSELVES DISTINCT
FROM WALL STREET.
THEY'RE LIKE SNIPERS AND SHARKS CIRCLING THE POOL.
>> Stephen: SOUNDS LIKE GOOD GUYS!