Transcript Of Conference Call With New Amsterdam's Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
February/29/2008 01:37 PM Filed in: Cast
On February 28th at 1:00PM CST, FOX held a conference
call interview featuring New Amsterdam's Nikolaj
Coster-Waldau, where members of the press could
call-in and ask questions. In it, Nikolaj talks about
what attracted him to the show, his co-stars, and his
sense that FOX's enthusiasm for the show is growing.
Here is a complete transcript of that call.
-----
FBC PUBLICITY: New Amsterdam
February 28, 2008/1:00 p.m. EST
SPEAKERS
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
REPORTERS
Ian Spelling, Scifi.com
Cynthia Boris, Sci-Fi Universe
Troy Rogers, The Deadbolt.com
Magda Iwinska, OC Post
Rae Hanson, Seatfortwo.com
Alex Strachan, Camwest New Service
Joel Brown, Meve.com
Tara Bennett, FFX Magazine
Jeremy Bonfiglio, The South Bend Tribune
PRESENTATION
Moderator:
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by, and welcome to the New Amsterdam conference call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode, and shortly, we will conduct a question and answer session. As a reminder, the conference is being recorded, and I would now like to turn it over to our speaker, Mr. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Please go ahead.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello, everybody. Thank you all very much for taking the time to talk to me today.
Moderator:
Thank you. We’ll go to the line of Ian Spelling of Scifi.com. Please go ahead.
I. Spelling:
Hello. Thanks for doing this. We appreciate it.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello, Ian. How are you?
I. Spelling:
Very well, thank you. Do you look at this as science fiction, or is it just a wrinkle in a procedural type of relationship show?
N. Coster-Waldau:
It’s a combination I think. I think that’s what we’re trying to use flavors of each are. We go back and forth in time in each show, so there is a big element of sci-fi in it.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next we’ll go to the line of Cynthia Boris of Sci-Fi Universe. Please go ahead.
C. Boris:
Hello, good morning, depending on where you are. Your character on this show is an artisan, and I wonder if you have any hidden talents yourself.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Any hidden talents? No. I know a lot of bits and pieces everywhere that I’ve taken up, but no, I’m not a specialist in anything. That’s why I’m an actor.
C. Boris:
Is there anything you would like to be a specialist in that you aren’t?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I would love to be really good at history, to be able to quote various people throughout history. That would be great. That’s what I can think of at the top of my head.
Moderator:
Thank you. We’ll go the line of Troy Rogers of The Deadbolt.com.
T. Rogers:
Hello, Nikolaj.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello. How are you?
T. Rogers:
Not too bad. Thanks for doing this by the way. I was wondering if you could actually live to be 400 years old, when do you think boredom would start to kick in.
N. Coster-Waldau:
That’s a good question. I think anxiety would kick in a little sooner, and fear. I guess John Amsterdam is a little lucky. He’s lucky the way he happens to be blessed or cursed in New York. Doing this show, of course, I’ve been reading a lot on the history of New York, and its breathtaking the amount of events that have unfolded in this city. So, I’m not sure he’s been bored.
Here, where I am right now, yes, I think 400 years is maybe pushing it a little bit, yes. I would say 124 years.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Magda Iwinska of OC Post. Please go ahead.
M. Iwinska:
Thank you for doing the call. What attracted you to this role?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I liked the script. I heard the concept first and I was a little, does this mean I have to have false teeth and all, but then I read the script and I really liked it. You know that feeling. I went up in the attic the other day and I found old notebooks that I wrote when I was in my teens, and it was funny, because I kind of recognized the guy, but still, he was someone else.
To have a character here, John Amsterdam, where you get to go back in his life, and you go back a long time and 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, and it’s been really interesting to make some choices that, of course, the audience would still recognize John and John Amsterdam, but also make sure that it made sense that he was who he was at that given time.
Then, on top of that, of course, for the pilot, I’ve been a fan of Lasse Hallstrom a long time. When I found out he was doing the pilot, that was also a big draw, and they offered me the part. That’s a big part.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Rae Hansen of Seatfortwo.com.
R. Hanson:
Hello.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello.
R. Hanson:
You mentioned that we’ll go back and forth and see John’s history, along with his present day. Are there any scenes that you preferred to film, like the flashbacks versus the modern day?
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes. Some of the flashback scenes I really enjoyed. I guess it was a change, but also, it’s 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. That was a great show to make. Yes, it was a lot of fun to go back in time, but also, still, running down the streets as a New York detective wasn’t too bad either.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Alex Strachan of Camwest News Service.
A. Strachan:
Good morning. Thank you for doing this.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Thank you.
A. Strachan:
I have a couple of quick questions. This has been a crazy season. A couple of weeks back, maybe, you didn’t even know you might be available to do this today. I’m curious; the show is going to be starting up post-strike, a lot of shows because the production is being forced into reruns. Do you think this is an advantage for you to draw viewers who maybe would not otherwise have known that the show was even on, or does it make it more difficult knowing that?
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes, I’ve speculated. I have no idea. The only thing I know now is that we have these two post American Idol slots, and, of course, that is huge. It gives an opportunity to reach a big audience to begin with. Would we have done those slots without the strike? I don’t know. I guess if you call me four weeks from now and ask me, I can tell you if it was good or bad.
Moderator:
Thank you. We do have a follow-up from the line of Rae Hanson of Seatfortwo.com.
R. Hanson:
This is a follow-up to that exact question. Do you have a feel for how the network is feeling about the show, now that they’ve, obviously, seen several episodes?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I can only speculate. I think I sense that there’s an enthusiasm growing, and when they saw was David Manson delivered, they got really excited. That’s my gut feeling. I think they do support it a lot and also by getting us those two American Idol slots. That is pretty good, to say it’s great.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Joel Brown of Meve.com.
J. Brown:
It feels like this show has been on our radar for a long time, and with the strike, obviously, things have been on hold even longer for you. Can you just take us through when you did the episodes and what it’s been like? You must have been on hold for a while now, haven’t you?
N. Coster-Waldau:
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. Of course, early in May, we were told it was a fall show, so, of course, we were pushed back to mid-season, but yes, it’s been a long way, but it’s only on Tuesday. That’s all that really matters to me.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Tara Bennett of FFX Magazine.
T. Bennett :
Hello. Thank you so much for your time.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello.
T. Bennett :
Doing a one-hour drama is so time consuming, and it’s really tough being the lead of the show, so having come over to work on this project, what surprised you either in terms of being really rewarding and satisfying being the lead in a show like this? Also, the challenges of really the rigors of doing a show like this.
N. Coster-Waldau:
There were some surprises. Of course, the workload, before you tried it you can’t really imagine. I’d never done television before, so you work hard and you work long hours, but I had such a good time. The part is, because, I think, of the mix of stories in a way. We have the crime stories, and you have 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.
I guess a thing that surprised me is how alike it is, and, of course, you shoot faster, but people that do television, do movies, you get the same sense of team spirit, which is really rewarding. I think I’ve experienced it in every film set I’ve ever been on really that there’s just something unique about it. Did I lose my thread there? I probably did. I apologize.
Moderator:
Thank you. We have a follow-up from the line of Alex Strachan of Camwest News Service.
A. Strachan:
Hello, sorry, it’s me again. I just had one other quick on, but a little bit different.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Sure.
A. Strachan:
We’ve just seen with Sarah Connor Chronicles that the show really grew and progressed and actually became quite a different show in the later episodes than it was at the beginning. They only had about seven or eight. I’m wondering; I know that you have already shot several episodes for this. Are the later episodes very different? 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?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I think it did change a bit from the first pilot. Then we did some re-shoots, once we got picked up. Then, of course, this show evolves, and I think there’s a truth in the way that the series takes a while to really understand what a show can do. I think we discovered in the last three or four episodes, more and more where we could take the show, and what we could achieve with going back and forth in time with the love story. So, yes, it does. It’s the same guy, more or less. It’s the same basic story, but the way we tell it does change a bit.
Moderator:
Thank you. We’ll go back to the line of Joel Brown of Meve.com.
J. Brown:
I just wanted to follow-up a little bit on the schedule over the last however many months it’s been. Can you just talk about that in terms of doing? Obviously, this is something that happens in TV a lot, but I think this year, for a lot of shows, even more so, and especially with Fox shows, shows coming on in the second half of the season when American Idol is there, when there’s no baseball. It’s been nine months since you shot your first scene. Can you just talk about that as an actor, keeping that character within the lines? What’s that like just to live through? This was a huge deal for you.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes. 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, I felt anyway. 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 think it’s never really bothered me. I’ve been focused on doing my job and when we finished that, there was a strike, and I knew that things would change at the time. It’s the name of the game, and it’s not just television. It’s in movies. You see people juggle the movies around all the time as well. I think you should maybe ask the programmer, or whoever is in charge, because I’ve not wanted to think too much about that.
Moderator:
Thank you. We have a follow-up from Ian Spelling of Scifi.com.
I. Spelling:
What is your sense of John? If the woman is really the one, he’ll become mortal and 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?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I think what he wants is some kind of normality, and also experience what it’s like to be with someone, to have a relationship that lasts and to grow old with someone. I think that’s the biggest dream he has, to actually spend his life with one person and have a family and to be able to be there for his children, and also 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 of course, I think that’s one of the things that would be interesting to examine is basically, 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.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next we’ll go to the line of Rae Hanson of Seatfortwo.com.
R. Hanson:
In line with that, in the first episode, he comes in contact with his true, or so we suspect, because his heart can feel her. Will he use that as a barometer in the future to try and find her? Will it spur him to start looking, obviously, within the group of people in the subway there where he feels it?
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes. I think he takes it as a definite sign that she was there, and that’s why he starts. He gets hold of surveillance tapes and he tracks her down, or tries to track her down. It’s a new energy in his life and new excitement that maybe what he’s been searching for all this time is actually just happening without him noticing, more or less.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next we’ll go to the line of Jeremy Bonfiglio of The South Bend Tribune.
J. Bonfiglio:
Hello. Thanks again for doing the call. I apologize if this is repeating earlier information, but I joined late.
N. Coster-Waldau: Not a problem.
J. Bonfiglio:
I wanted to ask a little bit about the whole concept, the idea of being immortal. There’s been other series that have played on that fact. What do you think it is about that concept?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I think immortality is if there’s one thing that unites all of us, it’s the fact that were dying, and for a lot of us, I think myself included, you look at he idea of death with some anxiety and fear. Of course, immortality, I guess it’s always been part of literature. We’ve had that forever really, using what would it be like. What if we were immortal, what could we do, time travel and all that stuff?
I think it’s 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, first of all, the history of New York, but also that whole thing about learning from your past mistakes. That’s very much what John does, and I guess that’s what I wish I would be able to do more. He’s able to remember and able to look back and see, well, that happened then, how can that affect my life or my work now.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next we’ll go to the line of Cynthia Boris of Sci-Fi Universe.
C. Boris:
Could you talk to us a little bit about your co-stars?
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes. My partner, Eva Marquez, is played by Zuleikha Robinson, who is a British actress, whose been living in Los Angeles for ten years, I think. She’s great. She was in the movie The Namesake, and Rome, and I don’t know her CV. She’s a great actress.
Then there’s the guy who plays Omar, Stephen Henderson. He’s just a wonderful man. He’s done a lot of stage work in New York. He plays my best friend. He plays the one guy in the show who knows my secret, and he’s really the guy who is very important for the show to work, because he gives the audience the information they need by being able for me to be honest with this guy.
Then, of course, there is Alexie Gilmore, who plays the girl I think is the one. I’m sure you have her CVs. She’s done loads of great work. I know she did the movie that’s coming out later with Matthew McConaughey.
I was very lucky to get to work with those guys, and also, I heard it before when they say that the reason that some shows shot in New York have great supporting casts, and it really is true. I was amazed, because I’ve tried a number of times myself to come on a show or a movie and have three or four days. It’s always difficult, and these guys, they just nailed it. I was really impressed.
Moderator:
Thank you, sir. At this time, there are no further questions in queue. I’ll send it back to you for any closing comments.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Thank you all again for taking the time to talk to me, and have a good day. Thank you.
Moderator:
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude your conference for today. Thank you for your participation, and for using AT&T Executive Teleconference Service. You may now disconnect.
FBC PUBLICITY
Host: Michael Fabiani
February 28, 2008/1:00 p.m. CST
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FBC PUBLICITY: New Amsterdam
February 28, 2008/1:00 p.m. EST
SPEAKERS
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
REPORTERS
Ian Spelling, Scifi.com
Cynthia Boris, Sci-Fi Universe
Troy Rogers, The Deadbolt.com
Magda Iwinska, OC Post
Rae Hanson, Seatfortwo.com
Alex Strachan, Camwest New Service
Joel Brown, Meve.com
Tara Bennett, FFX Magazine
Jeremy Bonfiglio, The South Bend Tribune
PRESENTATION
Moderator:
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by, and welcome to the New Amsterdam conference call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode, and shortly, we will conduct a question and answer session. As a reminder, the conference is being recorded, and I would now like to turn it over to our speaker, Mr. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Please go ahead.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello, everybody. Thank you all very much for taking the time to talk to me today.
Moderator:
Thank you. We’ll go to the line of Ian Spelling of Scifi.com. Please go ahead.
I. Spelling:
Hello. Thanks for doing this. We appreciate it.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello, Ian. How are you?
I. Spelling:
Very well, thank you. Do you look at this as science fiction, or is it just a wrinkle in a procedural type of relationship show?
N. Coster-Waldau:
It’s a combination I think. I think that’s what we’re trying to use flavors of each are. We go back and forth in time in each show, so there is a big element of sci-fi in it.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next we’ll go to the line of Cynthia Boris of Sci-Fi Universe. Please go ahead.
C. Boris:
Hello, good morning, depending on where you are. Your character on this show is an artisan, and I wonder if you have any hidden talents yourself.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Any hidden talents? No. I know a lot of bits and pieces everywhere that I’ve taken up, but no, I’m not a specialist in anything. That’s why I’m an actor.
C. Boris:
Is there anything you would like to be a specialist in that you aren’t?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I would love to be really good at history, to be able to quote various people throughout history. That would be great. That’s what I can think of at the top of my head.
Moderator:
Thank you. We’ll go the line of Troy Rogers of The Deadbolt.com.
T. Rogers:
Hello, Nikolaj.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello. How are you?
T. Rogers:
Not too bad. Thanks for doing this by the way. I was wondering if you could actually live to be 400 years old, when do you think boredom would start to kick in.
N. Coster-Waldau:
That’s a good question. I think anxiety would kick in a little sooner, and fear. I guess John Amsterdam is a little lucky. He’s lucky the way he happens to be blessed or cursed in New York. Doing this show, of course, I’ve been reading a lot on the history of New York, and its breathtaking the amount of events that have unfolded in this city. So, I’m not sure he’s been bored.
Here, where I am right now, yes, I think 400 years is maybe pushing it a little bit, yes. I would say 124 years.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Magda Iwinska of OC Post. Please go ahead.
M. Iwinska:
Thank you for doing the call. What attracted you to this role?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I liked the script. I heard the concept first and I was a little, does this mean I have to have false teeth and all, but then I read the script and I really liked it. You know that feeling. I went up in the attic the other day and I found old notebooks that I wrote when I was in my teens, and it was funny, because I kind of recognized the guy, but still, he was someone else.
To have a character here, John Amsterdam, where you get to go back in his life, and you go back a long time and 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, and it’s been really interesting to make some choices that, of course, the audience would still recognize John and John Amsterdam, but also make sure that it made sense that he was who he was at that given time.
Then, on top of that, of course, for the pilot, I’ve been a fan of Lasse Hallstrom a long time. When I found out he was doing the pilot, that was also a big draw, and they offered me the part. That’s a big part.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Rae Hansen of Seatfortwo.com.
R. Hanson:
Hello.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello.
R. Hanson:
You mentioned that we’ll go back and forth and see John’s history, along with his present day. Are there any scenes that you preferred to film, like the flashbacks versus the modern day?
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes. Some of the flashback scenes I really enjoyed. I guess it was a change, but also, it’s 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. That was a great show to make. Yes, it was a lot of fun to go back in time, but also, still, running down the streets as a New York detective wasn’t too bad either.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Alex Strachan of Camwest News Service.
A. Strachan:
Good morning. Thank you for doing this.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Thank you.
A. Strachan:
I have a couple of quick questions. This has been a crazy season. A couple of weeks back, maybe, you didn’t even know you might be available to do this today. I’m curious; the show is going to be starting up post-strike, a lot of shows because the production is being forced into reruns. Do you think this is an advantage for you to draw viewers who maybe would not otherwise have known that the show was even on, or does it make it more difficult knowing that?
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes, I’ve speculated. I have no idea. The only thing I know now is that we have these two post American Idol slots, and, of course, that is huge. It gives an opportunity to reach a big audience to begin with. Would we have done those slots without the strike? I don’t know. I guess if you call me four weeks from now and ask me, I can tell you if it was good or bad.
Moderator:
Thank you. We do have a follow-up from the line of Rae Hanson of Seatfortwo.com.
R. Hanson:
This is a follow-up to that exact question. Do you have a feel for how the network is feeling about the show, now that they’ve, obviously, seen several episodes?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I can only speculate. I think I sense that there’s an enthusiasm growing, and when they saw was David Manson delivered, they got really excited. That’s my gut feeling. I think they do support it a lot and also by getting us those two American Idol slots. That is pretty good, to say it’s great.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Joel Brown of Meve.com.
J. Brown:
It feels like this show has been on our radar for a long time, and with the strike, obviously, things have been on hold even longer for you. Can you just take us through when you did the episodes and what it’s been like? You must have been on hold for a while now, haven’t you?
N. Coster-Waldau:
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. Of course, early in May, we were told it was a fall show, so, of course, we were pushed back to mid-season, but yes, it’s been a long way, but it’s only on Tuesday. That’s all that really matters to me.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next, we’ll go to the line of Tara Bennett of FFX Magazine.
T. Bennett :
Hello. Thank you so much for your time.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Hello.
T. Bennett :
Doing a one-hour drama is so time consuming, and it’s really tough being the lead of the show, so having come over to work on this project, what surprised you either in terms of being really rewarding and satisfying being the lead in a show like this? Also, the challenges of really the rigors of doing a show like this.
N. Coster-Waldau:
There were some surprises. Of course, the workload, before you tried it you can’t really imagine. I’d never done television before, so you work hard and you work long hours, but I had such a good time. The part is, because, I think, of the mix of stories in a way. We have the crime stories, and you have 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.
I guess a thing that surprised me is how alike it is, and, of course, you shoot faster, but people that do television, do movies, you get the same sense of team spirit, which is really rewarding. I think I’ve experienced it in every film set I’ve ever been on really that there’s just something unique about it. Did I lose my thread there? I probably did. I apologize.
Moderator:
Thank you. We have a follow-up from the line of Alex Strachan of Camwest News Service.
A. Strachan:
Hello, sorry, it’s me again. I just had one other quick on, but a little bit different.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Sure.
A. Strachan:
We’ve just seen with Sarah Connor Chronicles that the show really grew and progressed and actually became quite a different show in the later episodes than it was at the beginning. They only had about seven or eight. I’m wondering; I know that you have already shot several episodes for this. Are the later episodes very different? 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?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I think it did change a bit from the first pilot. Then we did some re-shoots, once we got picked up. Then, of course, this show evolves, and I think there’s a truth in the way that the series takes a while to really understand what a show can do. I think we discovered in the last three or four episodes, more and more where we could take the show, and what we could achieve with going back and forth in time with the love story. So, yes, it does. It’s the same guy, more or less. It’s the same basic story, but the way we tell it does change a bit.
Moderator:
Thank you. We’ll go back to the line of Joel Brown of Meve.com.
J. Brown:
I just wanted to follow-up a little bit on the schedule over the last however many months it’s been. Can you just talk about that in terms of doing? Obviously, this is something that happens in TV a lot, but I think this year, for a lot of shows, even more so, and especially with Fox shows, shows coming on in the second half of the season when American Idol is there, when there’s no baseball. It’s been nine months since you shot your first scene. Can you just talk about that as an actor, keeping that character within the lines? What’s that like just to live through? This was a huge deal for you.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes. 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, I felt anyway. 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 think it’s never really bothered me. I’ve been focused on doing my job and when we finished that, there was a strike, and I knew that things would change at the time. It’s the name of the game, and it’s not just television. It’s in movies. You see people juggle the movies around all the time as well. I think you should maybe ask the programmer, or whoever is in charge, because I’ve not wanted to think too much about that.
Moderator:
Thank you. We have a follow-up from Ian Spelling of Scifi.com.
I. Spelling:
What is your sense of John? If the woman is really the one, he’ll become mortal and 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?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I think what he wants is some kind of normality, and also experience what it’s like to be with someone, to have a relationship that lasts and to grow old with someone. I think that’s the biggest dream he has, to actually spend his life with one person and have a family and to be able to be there for his children, and also 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 of course, I think that’s one of the things that would be interesting to examine is basically, 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.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next we’ll go to the line of Rae Hanson of Seatfortwo.com.
R. Hanson:
In line with that, in the first episode, he comes in contact with his true, or so we suspect, because his heart can feel her. Will he use that as a barometer in the future to try and find her? Will it spur him to start looking, obviously, within the group of people in the subway there where he feels it?
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes. I think he takes it as a definite sign that she was there, and that’s why he starts. He gets hold of surveillance tapes and he tracks her down, or tries to track her down. It’s a new energy in his life and new excitement that maybe what he’s been searching for all this time is actually just happening without him noticing, more or less.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next we’ll go to the line of Jeremy Bonfiglio of The South Bend Tribune.
J. Bonfiglio:
Hello. Thanks again for doing the call. I apologize if this is repeating earlier information, but I joined late.
N. Coster-Waldau: Not a problem.
J. Bonfiglio:
I wanted to ask a little bit about the whole concept, the idea of being immortal. There’s been other series that have played on that fact. What do you think it is about that concept?
N. Coster-Waldau:
I think immortality is if there’s one thing that unites all of us, it’s the fact that were dying, and for a lot of us, I think myself included, you look at he idea of death with some anxiety and fear. Of course, immortality, I guess it’s always been part of literature. We’ve had that forever really, using what would it be like. What if we were immortal, what could we do, time travel and all that stuff?
I think it’s 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, first of all, the history of New York, but also that whole thing about learning from your past mistakes. That’s very much what John does, and I guess that’s what I wish I would be able to do more. He’s able to remember and able to look back and see, well, that happened then, how can that affect my life or my work now.
Moderator:
Thank you. Next we’ll go to the line of Cynthia Boris of Sci-Fi Universe.
C. Boris:
Could you talk to us a little bit about your co-stars?
N. Coster-Waldau:
Yes. My partner, Eva Marquez, is played by Zuleikha Robinson, who is a British actress, whose been living in Los Angeles for ten years, I think. She’s great. She was in the movie The Namesake, and Rome, and I don’t know her CV. She’s a great actress.
Then there’s the guy who plays Omar, Stephen Henderson. He’s just a wonderful man. He’s done a lot of stage work in New York. He plays my best friend. He plays the one guy in the show who knows my secret, and he’s really the guy who is very important for the show to work, because he gives the audience the information they need by being able for me to be honest with this guy.
Then, of course, there is Alexie Gilmore, who plays the girl I think is the one. I’m sure you have her CVs. She’s done loads of great work. I know she did the movie that’s coming out later with Matthew McConaughey.
I was very lucky to get to work with those guys, and also, I heard it before when they say that the reason that some shows shot in New York have great supporting casts, and it really is true. I was amazed, because I’ve tried a number of times myself to come on a show or a movie and have three or four days. It’s always difficult, and these guys, they just nailed it. I was really impressed.
Moderator:
Thank you, sir. At this time, there are no further questions in queue. I’ll send it back to you for any closing comments.
N. Coster-Waldau:
Thank you all again for taking the time to talk to me, and have a good day. Thank you.
Moderator:
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude your conference for today. Thank you for your participation, and for using AT&T Executive Teleconference Service. You may now disconnect.
FBC PUBLICITY
Host: Michael Fabiani
February 28, 2008/1:00 p.m. CST