Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has opened up about his new television series, The Last Thing He Told Me.
The Apple TV+ series, which premiered last week, depicts the life of Hannah Michaels (Jennifer Garner) and stepdaughter Bailey (Angourie Rice) as they come to terms with the disappearance of husband and father, Owen (Coster-Waldau).
In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, the actor spoke about the seven-part thriller, referencing his breakout role as Jaime Lannister in the HBO fantasy series.
“Game of Thrones was, at the time, the biggest show on the planet. Of course, that character fulfilled so much,” he said. “I wanted to do this because I thought this was a great story.
“I thought: ‘Wow, this is interesting, and a nice challenge.’ I wanted to work with [author] Laura [Dave], and Josh Singer is such a fantastic writer, and, of course, Jennifer and Angourie [are great to work with]. [But] it’s not about showing off other skill sets — it’s more about this really cool project to be a part of.”
With his character being the subject of a missing persons investigation, Coster-Waldau understandably plays a smaller role in the miniseries, and he explained the challenges of conveying vital information through a reduced part.
“It’s a love story between this stepmother and her stepdaughter – and how they find each other throughout this mystery-thriller,” he said. “As an actor, it was important that you believe the love between Owen and Hannah because you’re going to question that throughout the show.
“You’ll question everything about this guy, and rightly so,” he continued. “The hope is for me, at the end, that even though there are so many twists and turns in terms of who this guy is, there’s still the core.”
He went on: “What I liked when I read the script was also… Because I do recognise that… I don’t know. I think we all have that – I can’t say ‘we all’. I definitely have had those moments in my life where, you know, you trust someone, you love someone, you really believe in them. And then there’s part of you in the back going, ‘What if this is not real? What if this is something where they’re pretending?’
“Because you never know. Of course, you should, but there’s always those little doubts. And here, in this show, all those things come hitting Hannah – Jennifer’s character – right in the face, and saying: ‘Listen, you were wrong to trust this guy. He’s a liar.’ Can you lie and still be honest? It’s interesting, right?”
Source: digitalspy.com