Damian Lewis has compared President-elect Donald Trump to his Wolf Hall alter-ego Henry VIII, claiming he’s become ‘disillusioned to the people around him.’

The Homeland star, 53, noted that the politician bears many similarities to the late King when it comes to insтιтutional reform, after the monarch’s Parliament overhaul gave him complete power over the country.

Speaking on Sunday With Lauren Kuenssberg, Damian explained that Henry became ‘ever more paranoid, worried, disillusioned by the people around him’ in the later years of his reign.

The actor has reprised his role for the long-awaited third and final series of Wolf Hall, тιтled The Mirror And The Light, which kicked off on Sunday.

Damian explained that in 1529, Henry’s reofrmation of Parliament gave him legislative power, which meant ‘every whim of his, every impulse, whatever it was’ was ‘legitimised through the legislative power of parliament.’

Damian Lewis has compared President-elect Donald Trump to his Wolf Hall alter-ego Henry VIII, claiming he’s become ‘disillusioned to the people around him’

The Homeland star noted that the politician bears many similarities to the late King when it comes to insтιтutional reform

He explained this meant he could ‘essentially do what he wanted to do’. 

‘I don’t know if that reminds you of anyone currently out there in the political forum, but we’ve seen what’s happened to the Supreme Court in America.’ Damian said.

While Damian did not specifically name the President-elect, he appeared to be alluding to claims that Trump could appoint up to three new members of the US Supreme Court, boosting his control. 

It’s thought that with several members of the Supreme Court in their seventies, they could retire during Trump’s second term, allowing him to put an even more permanent stamp on the makeup of the Supreme Court.

Damian will be starring as the difficult monarch in the BBC’s adaptation of the Wolf Hall trilogy.

Based on Dame Hilary Mantel’s novel of the same name, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light picks up where the last series ended in the aftermath of the execution of Queen Anne Boleyn. While the death of the Queen has left the King free to marry again, the politics at court are ᴅᴇᴀᴅlier than ever before. 

An isolated and increasingly desperate Thomas Cromwell, played again by Sir Mark Rylance, will stop at nothing to cling on to power, while an increasingly paranoid King Henry, again played by Homeland star Damian Lewis, is proving more difficult to please.

This bleaker tone is evident in the new trailer which features the King telling Tudor powerbroker Cromwell: ‘You have very few friends Cromwell’ and ‘always you with the bad news’. 

Comparing Trump to his character Henry VII on Wolf Hall, Damian said the monarch became ‘ever more paranoid, worried, disillusioned by the people around him’

Cromwell tells one of his supporters: ‘When negotiations and compromise fail and your only course is to destroy your enemies… have the axe in your hand.’

This darker tone will reflect the reality of the period. But the show is not all blood and guts. Fans who were hooked on the sumptuous costumes, settings and locations in the first series will not be disappointed this time around.

Read More Damian Lewis reveals taking on the role of Henry VIII ‘wore him down’ but was also freeing

The show comes after Damian took a step back from acting to focus on his music career and tour his debut album. 

Damian previously revealed he felt a sense of comfort releasing his album last year – which included lyrics about his late wife Helen .

Reflecting on his music during an interview on This Morning in March, The red-haired actor said: ‘If I had written a song it went on a record. I wrote 10 songs and that felt hard enough.

‘I Iooked at some of my old songs and they were so terrible!’

Damian continued: ‘But I felt comfortable with Mission Creep. There are some personal songs on there, people will know about my late wife Helen.

‘So there’s some personal stuff there.’