Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau grew up in the small village of Tybjerg in Denmark consisting of about 40 people.

• His father struggled with alcoholism. He even went through many treatments but was never able to get sober.

• Coster’s parents divorced when he was 6. They got back together later but then divorced again.

• As a child, he wanted to become either an actor or a professional footballer.

• Coster was embarrassed by his dream of becoming an actor due to the Law of Jante, a Danish philosophy that discourages individual success and self-expression, so he kept his aspirations secret.

• In his senior year of high school, Nikolaj secretly applied to the Danish National School of Theater and Contemporary Dance in Copenhagen, Denmark. His mother only found out when he got the admission; Coster was the youngest student to join the institute.

• After attending the Danish National School of Theater and Contemporary Dance, he started performing in theatrical productions. He made his stage debut as Laertes with the play Hamlet (1993) at the Betty Nansen Teatret in Frederiksberg, Denmark.

• Coster performed in many theatrical productions including ‘Morgen og aften’ (1994) (Danish) at Husets Teater, ‘Becket’ (2002) (Danish) at Gladsaxe Ny Teater, and ‘Macbeth’ (2020) (English) at Geffen Playhouse.

  

• In 1997, he appeared as Wolf in a British-Japanese film titled ‘Bent.’

  

• Nikolaj has worked as a writer for films like ‘Wildside’ (1998) and ‘Against the Ice’ (2022).

  

• In 1999, he played the role of ‘Espen Arnakke’ in the Norwegian film ‘Misery Harbour.’ He has worked in many other Norwegian films such as ‘Headhunters’ (2011), and ‘Tusen ganger god natt’ (A Thousand Times Good Night) (2013).

• In 2000, he appeared as ‘Jordi’ in a British television crime drama series titled ‘Lock, Stock…’ The series aired on Channel 4.

  

• In 2002, he played the role of ‘Anton’ in the French film ’24 Heures de la vie d’une femme.’

  

• Coster has worked for various causes over the years. In 2003, he began supporting the Danish Red Cross.

• He has appeared in some Danish films including ‘Stealing Rembrandt’ (2003), ‘Supervoksen’ (2006), ‘At World’s End’ (2009), and ‘A Second Chance’ (2014).

  

• Nikolaj has also worked in many American films such as ‘My Name is Modesty’ (2004), ‘Firewall’ (2006), ‘Oblivion’ (2013), ‘The Other Woman’ (2014), ‘Small Crimes’ (2017), and  ‘The Flash’ (2023).

• In 2008, Coster appeared as ‘John Amsterdam’ in Fox’s television series ‘New Amsterdam.’

  

• After filming the pilot for ‘New Amsterdam,’ Coster received his Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card. He was so thrilled that he immediately went to the SAG website and bought four mugs with the SAG logo, which he still keeps to this day.

• Nikolaj’s performance as ‘Jaime Lannister’ in HBO’s series ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019) was highly appreciated by the audience. He charged $720,000 per episode for the series.
  

• During a scene with actor Noah Taylor in Game of Thrones, Nikolaj bruised his rib as he was kicked in the body instead of where his protective guard was. He also got a whip bruise on his backside from a scene in the series, where he was supposed to be lashed by actor Kate Upton.

• In 2016, he started a Game of Thrones campaign to support the RED foundation, which works to combat AIDS and increase awareness.

• In 2016, Coster was appointed as the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador. His efforts were directed towards promoting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which aimed to tackle poverty, inequality, and climate change.

  

• Nikolaj lent his voice to the character ‘Markery’ in an animated sitcom titled ‘The Simpsons’ (2017), which aired on Fox.

  

• In 2017, Nikolaj became a member of the Leeds United Supporters’ Trust. He initially supported Arsenal Football Club because his father was a fan. However, after attending a match at Elland Road in England in the early 1990s., he became a Leeds United fan.

  

• In 2017, Coster collaborated with Google to use Street View to document the effects of global warming in Greenland. This initiative aimed to raise awareness regarding climate change.

  

• Coster attended an event in Kenya on International Women’s Day in 2017. Later, he wrote a pledge asking fathers to support gender equality and help women in poverty and those facing child marriage.

• In September 2017, he spoke at ‘The Spotlight Initiative,’ a collaborative project between the European Union and the United Nations to end violence against women and girls.

  

• In 2018, he joined other Danish artists in signing a manifesto calling for zero tolerance of sexism, sexual harassment, and sexual assault in the Danish film and theatre industry.

• In June 2018, he helped start The Lion’s Share Fund, which gives 0.5% of the advertising budget to animal conservation whenever ads feature animals.

  

• In 2020, Nikolaj shared a heartfelt video to thank Leeds United’s head coach Marcelo Bielsa, as the team was promoted back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.

• Coster has appeared in many other television series including Apple TV+’s ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ (2023).

  

• Coster is an avid animal lover and has two pet dogs, Miller and Stella.

• He loves travelling and often shares his travel experiences on social media.

• He consumes alcohol occasionally.

• He often smokes.

• Coster enjoys spending his free time fishing.

 

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• He finds it liberating to watch someone breaking the rules.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as ‘Laertes’ in the play Hamlet (1993)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as ‘Espen Arnakke’ in the film ‘Misery Harbour’ (1999)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as ‘Sykes’ in the film Oblivion (2013)