Every Interesting Thing You Need to Know about Game of Thrones Star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

You may know him as the bad-turned-good-turned-bad-again Jaime Lannister in the hit HBO thriller series Game of Thrones, but do you really know the actor behind that character? Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been acting since the ‘90s, however, there are interesting things about him that every fan may still not be aware of.

Rough Childhood

Not all actors are born with a silver spoon in their mouths and Nikolaj’s is one classic story of how he turned his life around after growing up in a troubled family. He revealed that his father dealt with drinking problems (he died in 1998 because of health issues related to excessive intake of alcohol) so his mom had to raise him and his siblings pretty much singlehandedly.

The actor’s mother didn’t earn much money as a librarian, so oftentimes, it was hard to make ends meet. Despite the situation, the matriarch tried her hardest to provide for the family, even overspending on gifts.

He had to learn a British accent by heart

Anything for the Role

There’s no doubt how Nikolaj effectively put pizazz on his Game of Thrones character, and it was revealed that he went to great lengths for the role. Apparently, the 49-year-old star had to ace the British accent, much like the rest of his costars who were native British actors like Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke.

While he convinced the audience that he was a Briton, he actually is a Danish native who didn’t have the accent. Nikolaj learned to speak the tongue with the help of directors and costars.

No to Horror Movies

Disclaimer: Nikolaj has played throngs of characters in different horror movies, but he revealed that he couldn’t finish a single supernatural picture. Although he admitted that he doesn’t believe in ghosts, he is scared of this type of movie.

He starred alongside Jessica Chastain in 2013’s Mama

It is worth noting that he was cast as Jeffrey in the horror flick Mama alongside Jessica Chastain. While that is the case, Nikolaj’s fear got the best of him, which is why he has yet to see the movie that premiered in 2013.

Strong Marriage

Nikolaj has been married to former Miss Greenland Nukaka since 1997 and they are blessed with two wonderful kids, making them one of the most ideal families there is. However, their relationship was threatened when one fan thought that he was cheating on her because he was seen with Cameron Diaz at a park.

Nikolaj and wife Nukaka have a strong relationship

What that fan failed to realize was that there were hordes of camera crew around the stars because they were filming an intimate scene for The Other Woman. As such, the naysayer wrote to Nukaka, informing her that he was with another girl – luckily for the wife, she knows what is asked of actors.