Game of Thrones Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: Season three is great for Jaime – Digital Spy
It may still be seven torturous months away, but that hasn’t stopped us quivering with anticipation for the surely-spectacular third season of Game of Thrones.
So when Digital Spy was offered the chance for a quick chat with Jaime Lannister himself, the dashing Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, we prepared ourselves for a challenge as mammoth as capturing the Iron Throne – namely squeezing from him any information about what’s going down in the Seven Kingdoms.
Though he was unsurprisingly tight-lipped on season three, the Danish actor had plenty to say about his love of playing the bad guy, Great Britain’s Olympic-standard actors and more…
Have you started doing any filming on season three of Game of Thrones?
“We’re shooting season three now and it’s going very well. Jaime Lannister, my character, he has a great year, it’s a great season for him. He’s out of prison and he’s on the move.”
How does this season differ to the others? What can fans look forward to?
“The only thing I can say is we’re doing everything we can to make it even better. I hope we succeed.”
What has the fan response to Jaime been like?
“It’s been really surprising to me. I was worried after season one that maybe people would hate the guy, but it seems that everyone likes to hate him in a way.
“I’ve been really relieved. We tried to… have him be [not just] a horrible, horrible man, but also to show that there is also some kind of wit, even if it’s a dry and arrogant wit. There is something going on and it’s not just about taking pleasure from pushing kids out windows and tormenting people, there is more to him than that. People I’ve spoken to are very curious to see what happens to him.”
Jaime’s character has gradually become more sympathetic, do you miss playing the bad guy?
“Well it’s always fun playing the bad guy. You get to break the rules, and that’s always fun. But actually the best so-called bad guy parts are the ones where you can still somehow identify with their choices, even if they are outrageous.
“What’s great about Game of Thrones is they change the perspective, the POV, all the time. So you will have one story told by one character and you’ll go, ‘Oh my God, horrible’, and then maybe the season after you have the same story told but from the person you thought was just the most horrible, vile creature. Now you actually see his point of view, which might differ quite substantially, and that’s human nature in a way. We’re all very quick in labelling each other and sometimes there’s more to it than that.”
Season three will see new additions to the Game of Thrones cast, like Dame Diana Rigg and Mackenzie Crook. How have they been to work with?
“[People talk] about the Olympics, how great you’re doing, but you also have this amazing pool of great actors and I feel so lucky to walk on the set [with them]. Because I don’t live in England I don’t know all the actors and I’m not aware of this guy being famous for this, I just work with these people and they’re all ridiculously talented. Which is very scary of course.”
Were you a fan of the Game of Thrones novels and the fantasy genre before?
“I’m a fan of great storytelling. I understand the whole thing of this is fantasy, this is drama, this is comedy, but in a way the really good stories have a bit of everything.”
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau also stars in critically-acclaimed thriller Headhunters, which is released on DVD and Blu-ray August 13.
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Cute as always.
