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A SECOND CHANCE: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau cast in Bier Film [AFM 2013]

Nikolaj Coster Waldau

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau cast in A Second Chance. Being pre-sold at the 2013 American Film Market, the casting of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in A Second Chance answers the question of who will star in the Susanne Bier directed film. This is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s “first leading Danish role in over 10 years.”

On the people behind-the-scenes of A Second Chance:

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The film is produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen for Zentropa Entertainments14 in co-production with Zentropa International Sweden and Film i Väst. Nordisk will distribute in the Nordic territories and TrustNordisk will start presales at the AFM.

On the plot and premise of A Second Chance:

the film…asks the question: How far are decent human beings willing to go, when tragedy blurs the line between the just and unjust?

On Nikolaj Coster-Waldau:

Coster-Waldau was educated at the National Theater School in Denmark from 1989 to 1993. He made his stage debut as Laertes in Hamlet at the Betty Nansen Theater. His role in movie Nightwatch (1994) brought him fame in his native country. He later transitioned to United States film and television.

In 2001, he began his U.S. career in Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down as Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon. Coster-Waldau says “My first U.S. movie was Black Hawk Down and a friend helped me put myself on tape up on the attic over my apartment in Copenhagen. We shipped it out and I got lucky.”

He next landed a lead role in Michael Apted’s Enigma. Scott brought Coster-Waldau back for his 2005 epic film Kingdom of Heaven. Richard Loncraine, who cast the actor in Wimbledon in 2004, cast him in Firewall two years later, in 2006. He later played John Amsterdam, an immortal New York homicide detective who will become mortal after he finds his true love, in the short-lived Fox TV drama series New Amsterdam.

Since April 2011, Coster-Waldau has played Jaime Lannister on HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, based on George R. R. Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novel series. He commented about the character: “What’s not to like about Jaime? As an actor I couldn’t ask for a better role”. BuddyTV ranked him #85 on its list of “TV’s Sexiest Men of 2011”.

Coster-Waldau starred in the 2013 horror film Mama alongside Jessica Chastain. He went on to play Sykes, a military weapons expert in the science fiction action thriller film Oblivion.

On Susanne Bier:

Bier studied at the Bezalet Academy of Arts & Design in Jerusalem and read architecture in London before enrolling for the film direction course at the National Film School of Denmark. De Saliges (1987), Bier’s graduation film, won first prize at the Munich film school festival and subsequently distributed by Channel Four.

Finding immediate success in Denmark with her features Frued Flytter Hjemmefra (Freud Leaving Home, 1990), Det Bli’r Familien (Family Matters, 1993), Pensionat Oscar (Like it Was Never Before, 1995) and Sekten (Credo, 1997), Bier’s major breakthrough came with Den Eneste Ene (The One and Only, 1999). A comedy about the fragility of life, the film won a clutch of Danish Film Academy awards and established Bier’s relationship with actor Paprika Steen. The film remains one the most successful domestic films ever released in Denmark.

A sidestep from the easy going charm of Livet ar en schlager (Once in a Lifetime, 2000), Elsker dig for evigt (Open Hearts, 2002) brought Bier’s work to much wider international attention. Acutely observed and beautifully written by Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen, the film is a perceptive and painful exploration of broken lives and interconnected tragedies. Made under Dogme 95 regulations, the film also marked a move towards a more minimalist aesthetic.

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Since the completion of Open Hearts, Bier’s reputation has continued to ascend with the harrowing Brødre (Brothers, 2004) and the emotional and engaging Efter Brylluppet (After the Wedding, 2006), which was nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the 2007 Academy Awards. After her somewhat disappointing first American film, Things We Lost in the Fire (2008) starring Benicio del Toro and Halle Berry, Bier went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film for In a Better World (2011).

Also a maker of shorts, music videos and commercials, Bier’s films typically meditate on pain, tragedy and atonement. Susan King describes Bier’s films as “infused with an intimate concern for family yet often play out on a global stage.”

In 2013 she will be a member of the jury at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Leave your thoughts on Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s casting in A Second Chance below in the comments section. For more A Second Chance photos, videos, and information, visit our A Second Chance Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like” us on Facebook.

Source: Deadline, Wikipedia (1, 2)

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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