When he reaches out to you and fixes his steel blue eyes on yours, you immediately sense that one who is known the world over for his role as a knight with a golden hand, has a heart of gold. It is with great generosity and humility that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, president of the jury for season 04 of the Cannes International Series Festival, took part in the question-and-answer game in front of a handful of journalists, including 20 minutes. Meeting with the unforgettable interpreter of Jaime Lannister from Game Of Thrones.
What does it mean to you to be president of the CanneSeries jury?
To be here, with the other members of the CanneSeries jury, is a real honor. I am very happy because I love stories, good stories! Thanks to streaming, I watch series from countries that I did not have access to before. When you think of all the fears that the arrival of streaming platforms has aroused! Before, we thought that for a series to travel, it had to be Anglo-Saxon. In fact, it was just a matter of access. Who could have imagined that a South Korean production would become the most watched series in the world? This is exactly what we need now. We live in a polarized world full of fear and demonization of others. And when we watch a series from elsewhere, we understand that we all share, despite cultural differences, the same human experience. We are all fighting for the same things.
Are you familiar with the world of cinema and French series?
I remember seeing the film when I was young 37 ° 2 in the morning, by Béatrice Dalle and this incredible soundtrack! I was in my twenties and this movie seemed so romantic to me. I saw many French films in a cinema dedicated to French cinema when I was young. French cinema has had a huge impact on the world of cinema. I haven’t seen a lot of French series, but thanks to streaming, I was able to see and I liked a lot Ten percent. At CanneSéries, I discovered your great success, Valid.
On what criteria will you judge the series in competition?
Very simply. Do I find myself in the story and in the characters? Do I feel like I’ve seen this a million times before, or is it something new?
Does the multiplication of broadcasters change your profession as an actor?
When I first started out as an actor almost thirty years ago, television was a bit of a black sheep and was rather frowned upon. CanneSeries did not exist, there was only the Cannes Film Festival. This was where the real art was produced. With the explosion of creativity, original storytelling, and innovation on television through cable and later streaming, those barriers have disappeared. The greatest filmmakers make television, and vice versa. As an actor I want scripts that get me excited, personally I don’t really care if it’s for film or TV.
You shot an average of two films a year during the entire production of “Game of Thrones”. Did you suffer as an actor that Jaime Lannister overshadowed your other performances?
For me, it didn’t overshadow anything! It was almost the other way around. Until the last two seasons, which were more demanding, I had about twenty-five days of filming on Game Of Thrones, and I had more days on other projects. No film can match the success of Game Of Thrones. Obviously most people know me from Game of Thrones. It is quite logical. For me, this is neither a question nor a problem.
What do you think of the end of your character?
I found it wonderful to be buried under the rubble. This is always how I imagined it.
Never envisioned a happy ending for Jaimie?
At the first San Diego Comic Con, I was asked this question and I replied, “I imagine Cersei and Jaime sailing towards the setting sun and finishing their old days together.” This is not exactly what happened! (laughs) There has been a lot of controversy around the end of Game Of Thrones. This is the ending that the creators of the series always envisioned.
What’s the craziest thing that has happened to you thanks to “Game of Thrones”?
Well, I’m the president of the CanneSeries jury, I think there is a link! I have experienced great things, I have traveled all over the world. But the craziest thing is that I have become ambassador of goodwill from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). I have traveled to help educate the public about the work they do in the world. And I have met amazing people living in very difficult conditions trying to make the world a better place. It has been such a blessing for me to experience it.
Besides “Game of Thrones”, what is your best series of all time?
I don’t know if there is one best series of all time, there are many, many, really great series. But, if I had to choose one, it would be Lars von Trier’s Danish series The Kingdom, which I saw young and found amazing, original, funny and scary. A ghost story in a hospital. When we were shooting Game Of Thrones, I was obsessed with breaking Bad. I also like comedy Veep. And I recommend Michaela Coel’s series I May Destroy You, an incredible series! In fact, asking me to pick just one show is like asking which of my daughters I like the most.
I read that you never wanted to play a knight again, what would be your dream role?
I don’t have a role of my dreams. I will play a knight again if the character is interesting. At the beginning of Game Of Thrones, I received a lot of proposals to play knights or sword fighters. But I found that the scenarios were not interesting. But if a good scenario presented itself, I would jump at the chance. Maybe not a knight armed with one hand!