Over the course of three centuries, he’s experienced endless adventure and honed his many talents. His sole confidant and current lifelong friend -- a jazz club owner named Omar (Stephen Henderson) -- is the keeper of Amsterdam’s secret, as well as a few of his own. Today, the immortal is one of the NYPD’s best homicide detectives, solving murder cases with his strong-willed partner, Eva Marquez (Zuleikha Robinson). As time passes and friends, lovers and children grow old and die while he remains young, what he once saw as a blessing has become a curse.

International actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau first made a name for himself in the European film and television industry before making the transition to American cinema. After a starring role in Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-winning film Black Hawk Down, the 37-year-old native of Denmark went on to garner roles in such films as Enigma, Kingdom of Heaven, Wimbledon and Firewall. Coster-Waldau recently spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about trying his hand at American television with New Amsterdam.

MediaBlvd Magazine> What drew you to this role?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau> When I first heard the concept, I thought, “Does this mean I have to have false teeth and all?” But then, I read the script and I really liked it. I went up in the attic the other day and found old notebooks that I wrote in, when I was in my teens, and it was funny because I recognized the guy, but still, he was like someone else. To have a character like John Amsterdam, where you get to go back in his life, for a long time, you have to find the common ground. Like 100 years ago, for example, he was working as a coachman and there was a whole different set of social circumstances. To do that every week was just intriguing. It’s been really interesting to make some choices, where the audience can still recognize John Amsterdam, but also make sure that it made sense that he was who he was, at that given time.

MediaBlvd> What do you like about John Amsterdam? Are there any qualities that you relate to, personally?

Nikolaj> I like him as a character. For an actor, it’s a great part because you get so many different characters in one. He’s really lived. As you’ll see in the season, he’s had to reinvent himself, every 20 or 30 years. You’re always looking for secrets, as an actor, and this guy has a bus-load of secrets.

MediaBlvd> How was it to work with a director the caliber of Lasse Hallstrom, for the pilot?

Nikolaj> He was fantastic to work with, so I jumped at it. He was wonderful. He said early on, “I am not really going to direct. You just do what you do, and I’ll put the camera here,” and that was really nice. I’ve been a fan of Lasse Hallstrom for a long time. When I found out he was doing the pilot, that was a big draw. And then, they offered me the part.

MediaBlvd> Doing a one-hour drama, where you’re the lead, is so time consuming. What has surprised you about it, and what are the challenges and rigors of doing a show like this?

Nikolaj> There were some surprises. Before you try it, you can’t really imagine the workload.  I’d never done television before. You work hard and you work long hours, but I had such a good time. We have the crime stories, and the ongoing love story throughout the show, and then you have the flashbacks. It was always exciting to go to work because you knew there were some great scenes to do every day, and nothing really felt the same.

MediaBlvd> Do you look at this TV show as science fiction, or is that aspect just a wrinkle in a procedural type of relationship show?

Nikolaj> It’s a combination. We’re trying to use flavors of each. We go back and forth in time, in each show, so there is a big element of sci-fi in it. 

MediaBlvd> What was your character like before the whole immortality thing?

Nikolaj> He was a soldier. I think he was an adventurer. He went on a boat to go to America, which was a new country. He probably just wanted to be a farmer and start a life there.

MediaBlvd> Does John get sick of hiding his immortality?

Nikolaj> I think he is sick to death of hiding it. He wants his mortality back. It’s not great to have all your friends and relatives die. That’s a very lonely existence.

MediaBlvd> How do you think he’s been able to keep his sanity over so many years?

Nikolaj> I don’t think he has kept his sanity, all that time. At one time, he was an alcoholic. It’s been a tough 350 years, that’s for sure.

MediaBlvd> If you could actually live to be 400 years old, when do you think boredom would start to kick in?

Nikolaj> I think anxiety and fear would kick in a little sooner. John Amsterdam is lucky, the way he happens to be blessed, or cursed, in New York. Doing this show, I’ve been reading a lot on the history of New York, and it’s breathtaking the amount of events that have unfolded in that city.  So, I’m not sure he’s been bored. I think 400 years is maybe pushing it a little bit, though.

MediaBlvd> Immortality is a blessing and a curse. Would you want immortality for yourself?

Nikolaj> The worst curse must be if you outlive your children. That must be awful. So, no thanks.                      

MediaBlvd> What do you think it is about the concept of immortality that interests people?

Nikolaj> If there’s one thing that unites all of us, it’s the fact that were dying, and a lot of us, myself included, look at the idea of death with some anxiety and fear. Immortality has always been part of literature. Like with anything you do in a dramatic context, you use something that enables you and gives you some freedom to tell a story in a different way. Here, it gives us the freedom to go back and explore the history of New York, but it also shows that you can learn from your past mistakes. That’s very much what John does, and that’s what I wish I would be able to do more.

MediaBlvd> Did you write any sort of back story for your character before you started working on the show?

Nikolaj> I’ve done a lot of reading about the history of New York, which has been fantastic. I have to be honest, I haven’t written out his whole life, but that’s a good idea. I should do that.

MediaBlvd> To what extent does the city of New York become another character in this story?

Nikolaj> Very much. It’s a huge part of the show. It’s New Amsterdam. That obviously tells us that we are going to use the whole history of the city in our show. We are going use the past and the present. I love Central Park. I’d never been there before we shot this series. It’s magical.

MediaBlvd> Did you do any research about New York, or talk to any cops there?

Nikolaj> Yeah, I did. I was out with a retired detective, and it was very enlightening. I read a lot about the history of New York, which is so interesting.

MediaBlvd> What period in New York would you go back to if you could?

Nikolaj> There are so many. The whole history of New York is amazing. I think I would go back to the turn of the 19^th century.                           

MediaBlvd> Were there any scenes that you preferred to film, like the flashbacks versus the modern day?

Nikolaj> I really enjoyed some of the flashback scenes. Flashback scenes are always great with a character who has a lot of secrets, and this guy has truckloads. For example, in the first episode, we find out that he is a member of AA, and then, four episodes later, we find out how he joined AA. It was a lot of fun to go back in time, but also, running down the streets as a New York detective wasn’t too bad either.

MediaBlvd> Do you enjoy being in costume for the flashbacks?

Nikolaj> When we did the flashbacks in the pilot it was a nightmare. The beard was itchy and we were out on Staten Island and it was rainy and miserable, so no. I love the modern.      

MediaBlvd> Is the American accent something you have to work at, or does it just come naturally for you?

Nikolaj> I think the difference is that my first language isn’t English, so I pick things up from the people I’m around. I lived in London for some years, and I spoke slightly different then. But, I’ve also studied a lot. When I moved to London, I stayed with my sister and we had a rule. I didn’t allow her to speak Danish to me because I wanted to perfect English. And, I would repeat everything that I saw on the television.

MediaBlvd> John Amsterdam has learned how to do a lot in all of his years. What skill does he have that you personally enjoy?

Nikolaj> I would like to be a great carpenter. I have done some stuff at home, and it did not work out that well.

MediaBlvd> You character is an artisan. Do you have any hidden talents yourself?

Nikolaj> No. There are a lot of bits and pieces everywhere that I’ve taken up, but I’m not a specialist in anything. That’s why I’m an actor.

MediaBlvd>  Is there anything you would like to be a specialist in that you aren’t?

Nikolaj> I would love to be really good at history, and be able to quote various people throughout history. That would be great.

MediaBlvd> What can you say about your co-stars?

Nikolaj> Zuleikha Robinson, who is a British actress that’s been living in Los Angeles for 10 years, plays John’s partner, Eva Marquez. She was in the movie The Namesake, and she was on Rome. She’s a great actress. Then there’s Stephen Henderson, who plays John’s best friend, Omar. He’s just a wonderful man. He’s done a lot of stage work in New York. He plays the one guy in the show who knows my secret, and he’s really very important for the show to work because he gives the audience the information they need, by being able to allow me to be honest with him. Then, of course, there is Alexie Gilmore, who plays the girl I think is the one. She’s done loads of great work. I was very lucky to get to work with those guys. I was really impressed.

MediaBlvd> Do you have any idea how the network is feeling about the show, now that they’ve seen several episodes?

Nikolaj> I sense that there’s an enthusiasm growing. When they saw that (executive producer) David Manson delivered, they got really excited. That’s my gut feeling. I think they do support it a lot, especially by getting us those two American Idol slots. That is pretty good. 

MediaBlvd> When did you do the episodes, and how long have you been on hold? 

Nikolaj> We finished shooting the last episode three days before the strike started, and then I did my last work, sound-wise, in December, so it hasn’t been that long. Early in May, we were told it was a fall show. But then, we were pushed back to mid-season. To be honest, when we got pushed from fall to spring, I was quite relieved because we had just started production on the show, and it was nice not having to focus on a premiere three weeks into production, but just to be able to get the time to do the show. I’ve been focused on doing my job and, when we finished that, there was a strike, and I knew that things would change. It’s the name of the game. And, it’s not just television. It also happens with movies. You see studios juggle movies around all the time.                                               

MediaBlvd> Are the later episodes very different from the pilot?  Did you adjust and adapt as the show went on, or is what we see in the pilot is pretty much representative of what we’re going to be seeing in later shows?

Nikolaj> I think it did change a bit from the pilot. And, we did some re-shoots, once we got picked up. Of course, the show evolves. It takes a while to really understand what a show can do. I think we discovered, in the last three or four episodes, where we could take the show, and what we could achieve with going back and forth in time with the love story. It’s the same guy, more or less, and the same basic story, but the way we tell it does change a bit.

MediaBlvd> Where would you like to see your character go, in terms of his love life? Would you like him to have short affairs while waiting for true love?

Nikolaj> When he finds the true love the show is probably gonna end, so I think I am going to go for the short term. But, he’s not a player. He’s just a romantic.

MediaBlvd> If the woman John comes into contact with in the pilot is really the one, he’ll become mortal and will eventually die, and he’ll end up losing everything he’s had all this time, while gaining love. What’s your sense of what he wants out of the rest of his life?

Nikolaj> He wants some kind of normality, and to experience what it’s like to be with someone, to have a relationship that lasts and to grow old with someone. The biggest dream he has is to actually spend his life with one person, have a family and be able to be there for his children, when they grow up. All of that has been something he’s only been able to watch at a distance. I don’t think he sees it as a loss, but that’s one of the things that would be interesting to examine. Be careful what you wish for. If this is really what he wants, how will that affect him if he actually does become mortal? It will affect the way he performs his job as a homicide detective, that’s for sure.

MediaBlvd> Do you believe in romantic destiny?

Nikolaj> I believe in love. I’m not sure of the premise that there’s only one true love out there, but I do believe in love. This guy has had such a huge life experience. With all of us, the older we get, the more life experience we get. But, when it comes to love, we don’t really get much smarter. You fall in love with the same emotions. When my mother got remarried, she acted like a 16-year-old.

MediaBlvd> How did you meet your wife?

Nikolaj> I met my wife, who’s an actress, doing a radio play. She’s from Greenland.       

MediaBlvd> How long have you been married?

Nikolaj> For nine years.

MediaBlvd> And, you have two daughters, ages three and six, correct?

Nikolaj> I do, yeah, in Copenhagen. They’re going to come and visit, and then, if things with the show pick up, they’ll move here.

MediaBlvd> How much do you keep in touch with your family?

Nikolaj> It’s difficult. One of the good things about the internet is you can video conference with the kids. It’s difficult to keep your children’s attention so I have all these puppets. When I say, “What happened in school?,” they say, “Oh nothing.” But, when the puppets say, “What happened in school?,” then they say, “Well, this happened and then . . .”

MediaBlvd> When you were growing up in Denmark, were there a lot of stories about vampires, or people who live forever?

Nikolaj> Yes, of course. We had all of those stories about vampires and Dracula, and all that.

MediaBlvd> Did you have much television growing up? Was there a favorite show that you watched?

Nikolaj> We had one channel when I grew up, which was great. One of the first American shows that was on was Dallas, when I was 10 or 11. That was the early ‘80's? On Sunday afternoon, the whole country would watch Dallas and then Hill Street Blues. I loved that show.

MediaBlvd> When did you decide you wanted to be an actor?

Nikolaj> I don’t know why, but I always wanted to be an actor. I did school plays. I always thought it would be impossible because my family is not in the business, and I grew up in a village in the country. From very early on, I always saw American actors in American movies.

MediaBlvd> What do you think of America, in general?

Nikolaj> I really only have good experiences with America. Growing up in Europe, you grow up with some prejudice about Americans, but it’s all been great, coming over here. My first American movie was called Black Hawk Down, where I played a soldier. I got to spend time with soldiers in North Carolina. It was so enlightening. You have to understand that when you grow up in Europe in the ‘70s, America was a big, bad wolf. And, it’s just been the opposite. I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised