Damian Lewis thinks his wife Helen McCrory is funnier than him.

Damien Lewis and Helen McCrory

Damien Lewis and Helen McCrory

The 48-year-old actor insists there isn't "competitiveness" between him and his spouse of 12-years other than the fact "it matters" to the 'MotherFatherSon' star that she's funnier than her husband.

In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper, he said: "My wife, which you can't say about every actor, is intellectually and spiritually an artist. If there's any competitiveness, it's that it matters to Helen that she is funnier than me. Which she is."

Damien has two children with the 'Penny Dreadful' star - son Gulliver, 11, and 12-year-old daughter Manon - and the 'Band of Brothers' actor admitted that for his birthday all he wanted was to go to a museum with his kids.

He said: "It was my birthday recently and I told my kids, I don't want a party, but I want you to come with me to the Bill Viola/Michelangelo exhibition at the Royal Academy, and you can't moan."

The 'Homeland' star - who played Nicholas Brody in the show, a Marine Sgt. who returns home following eight years in captivity having converted to Islam - went on to speak about his dinner with former US President Barack Obama in which he gifted the politician with DVDs of the TV show with the inscription "from one Muslim to another" - referencing previous allegations that Obama secretly practices the religion.

Damien's meeting with the former White House incumbent was "sensational" and recalled meeting with him once again at a White House Correspondents' Dinner when he asked if Obama was watching his latest show 'Billions'.

The English actor said: "Meeting him was sensational. He's an easy president for a European to like. I saw him again at the correspondents' dinner and said 'I hope you're watching Billions.' And he said 'I am, but there's just one problem. Hedge fund managers aren't that cool.' "