It’s Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s birthday and what better way to celebrate than to marathon-watch your way through our list of his best films.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: a treasured Scandinavian actor and the reason the editorial team is gathered around a screen, gushing. Most know him from the role that gained him wide-spread international fame, as Jamie Lannister of Game of Thrones, but the Danish star also has an impressive back catalogue of films that keep you captivated, heart firmly stuck in throat. Not because he is the Sexiest Actor Alive (voted two years in a row), but because this is an actor of impeccable calibre, acclaimed for his use of subtle facial expressions to evoke emotion.
“The more secrets and twists in a character, the better,” the actor once remarked on his role as the 'Kingslayer', and the same quality proves to be true for his films. Filled with dark twists and turns and moments that pull on your heart strings, this is our list of the must-watch films throughout Coster-Waldau’s career.
Nattevagten (1994)
Image: Nattevagten.
Law student Martin, played by Coster-Waldau, takes a job as a night watchman at a hospital morgue and is quickly haunted by sinisterly dark visions and desires. When the victims of a serial killer begin appearing at the morgue, Martin is thrown into the midst of the case. As disturbing secrets are revealed, the viewer is left hanging on in equal parts fear and anticipation. Nightwatch is Coster-Waldau's inaugural film and a must watch for any fan.
Bent (1997)
Image: Bent.
Drawing inspiration from true events, Bent is the film adaption of Martin Sherman’s award-winning play that follows the story of Max, a Jewish gay man living under the Nazi regime. The poignant depiction of the cruelty and prejudices of concentration camps is heart-breaking, whilst also peppered with touching romantic scenes. The film won several prominent awards including the Award of Youth at the Cannes Film Festival and boasts a cameo from Mick Jagger as Berlin’s reigning drag queen. Its star-studded cast includes Ian McKellen, Rachel Weisz and Jude Law, with Coster-Waldau playing Wolfe, a German SA Officer.
Headhunters (2011)
Image: Headhunters .
In this thriller - based on the book by the same name by Jo Nesbø -, Coster-Waldau faces off with Norwegian actor Aksel Henni, the former as ex-mercenary and the latter as a prominent headhunter and art thief. As the plot to steal a remarkable piece goes south, things escalate and loved ones become involved, with the risks proving to be far higher than he could have foreseen. A Scandinavian thriller that gives riveting performances by Coster-Waldau and his Nordic co-stars.
Shot Caller (2017)
Image: Shot Caller.
Shot Caller sees Jacob, a content business-and-family-man thrown down a path of criminality after he lands himself in prison. Forced to join a gang, he climbs the ranks to second-in-command, prompting a character transformation that is mirrored in Coster-Waldau’s physical transformation for the role. Choices made in a plea for survival lead to his sentence being extended, sending him careening farther into his newfound reality. His struggle for power forces him to fight to protect his family from his new life.
Of the film Coster-Waldau has said it gave him insight into the US Criminal Justice system which in his opinion is “in need of major overhaul,” encouraging fans to support its reformation.
1,000 Times Goodnight (2013)
Image: 1,000 Times Goodnight.
The winner of the Special Grand Prix at the 2013 Montreal Film Festival and described as Marriage Story’s Scandinavian sibling, 1,000 Times Goodnight explores how a marriage and the inner life of a woman turns to disarray in the face of an ultimatum placed on her by her husband, Coster-Waldau’s character. The successful war photographer, played by Juliette Binoche, is forced to choose between her life-threatening but beloved career in the field, and her life with her family. The consequences that follow are stunningly portrayed by Coster-Waldau and Binoche.
Mama (2013)
Image: Mama.
This Andy Muschietti-directed horror tells the story of two young sisters who are found years after being orphaned and forced to survive in isolation in the woods. Coster-Waldau adeptly takes on two roles in this horror, starring alongside Jessica Chastain as the girl’s adoptive parents. The couple soon notice a darkness clinging to the girls, and begin to suspect they are being haunted by a malign and motherlike presence. Having won the Golden Trailer Award, horror-fiends will not want to miss this exquisitely chilling film.
Against the Ice (2022)
Image: Against The Ice .
Laid against the backdrop of Greenlands striking landscape, Coster-Waldau’s most recent feature, Against the Ice, follows the true story of the 1909 expedition by Ejnar Mikkelsen (Coster-Waldau) and Iver Iversen (Joe Cole) across unmapped Greenland.
Greenland has long-since been a favourite location for Coster-Waldau. With his wife being Greenlandic, it has been like a second home to him for over 25 years. His desire to make a film there is easy to understand, the breathtaking scenery equally as dramatic as the film’s storyline. Beginning as an exciting mission to recover a lost map, the expedition soon descends into the panic of two stranded explorers’ fight to stay alive after they are abandoned by their crew.
Co-written by Coster-Waldau, Against the Ice is a great addition to his filmography.