OTTplay Now You Know - Billions

Welcome to another episode of OTTplay Now you Know, one podcast that gives you all the trivia and lesser-known facts about your favorite shows and films. I'm your host Nikhil

An American drama series, Billions has been developed by David Levien, Brian Koppelman and Andrew Ross Sorkin. The series premiered in 2016 and has undergone five successful seasons. The Showtime series is ending with the sixth and final season and narrates the story of hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). So if you’re a fan of engaging thrillers based on financial frauds, this one’s perfect for you. Let's kick off some trivia.

1. The characters of Rhoades and Axelrod may be fictional but are based on real-life people. Axe, who is supposed to be a mix of all hedge-fund personalities, started off as a dramatized version of Steven A Cohen (the co-founder of S.A.C. Capital, found guilty of insider trading and slapped with a fine of $1.8 billion). Rhoades, on the other hand, is based on Preet Bharara’s personality, the one who pursued Cohen. 

 2. Maggie Siff, who plays Wendy Rhoades in the series, consulted noted motivational speaker Tony Robbins. The actress also consulted professional dominatrices who guided her by showing her how to accurately and safely depict BDSM on screen. Talking about Wendy, Siff once said in an interview, “[she] is very unapologetic about who she is, the power she wields, and the influence she has.” 

3. Taylor Mason (who is played by Asia Kate Dillon) joins Axe Capital as a nerdy finance analyst who is obsessed with mathematics. Kate Dillon is also the first non-binary character to appear in North American television.  

4. Billions has always been praised by critics for its acute eye towards detail. However, imitation can often end up misrepresenting, as was pointed out by a billionaire himself to the show’s creator Brian Koppelman. As per the billionaire, no one with his dispensable income would travel by a G5 aeroplane, which he described as a “sardine can.”

5. In order to inject authenticity into their narrative, the makers of Billions have featured several fine dining restaurants across New York, be it Barney Greengrass, Sparks Steakhouse or Emmy Squared. In fact, in one scene of the show, a character refers to the restaurant’s owner himself as an exceptional chef. 

6. Other than restaurants, several noted real-life people have also featured on the show as themselves, from the music band Metallica to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and entrepreneur and TV personality Mark Cuban. 

If you haven't watched this series yet, do so streaming on Hotstar

Well, that's the OTTplay Now You Know for today, I shall be back soon with another podcast, Until then it's your host Nikhil signing out.

Aaj kya dekhoge OTTplay se poocho.