Why Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ‘hungers for something real’

LONDON—During our recent chat with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the hunky 48-year-old Danish actor who plays Jaime Lannister in HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” didn’t just talk about enjoying his chemistry with Gwendoline Christie (the newly knighted Brienne of Tarth) and finding redemption for Ser Jaime.

He also talked about how the series, along with a different breed of TV shows, has changed the way people watch TV in the age of social media.

Nicolaj explains, “There’s good reason why we are in what people refer to as the Golden Age of Television. Like ‘GoT,’ we see more shows that feature flawed characters who are neither heroes nor villains—whatever their motivations are, it’s all up in the air. Like, ‘Breaking Bad,’ or even comedies like HBO’s ‘Barry.’

“I was thinking about this today, why there are more and more ‘real’ shows out there. Maybe it’s because of social media and our hunger for something real.

“Every day, we all go on social media and put out this fantasy version of ourselves to the world, where everything is perfect. Like, ‘Hey, I’m in London—look how great my life is!’ Do I make sense, or is it just me?

“It’s the times we live in. We live in a world where we’re constantly hiding, and we’re always projecting this ‘moderated’ or fake version of who we are.”

What is far from fake, Nikolaj says, is his fondness for Lena Headey (Cersei) and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), the actors playing his siblings in the acclaimed series.

“They’re brilliant, and I’m going to miss them!” he quips. “Working with them was fantastic, because they’re at the top of their game. More than that, they’re wonderful and funny individuals with big hearts. But we still have means of communication that allow us to catch up.”