Nikolaj Coster-Waldau wants people to step back from the abyss relating to climate motion.
“It’s a very difficult balance,” said the Danish actor who played Jaime Lannister in “Game of Thrones.” “You want to make people aware, you want to inspire change. But I think we overreacted to get to this doomsday.
“It’s exhausting for everyone,” he added. – And actually, that is not entirely true.
IN “An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet” Bloomberg Originals docuseries, Coster-Waldau meets with scientists, activists and odd individuals who have developed sensible solutions to global problems – like Sargassum capturing carbon dioxide in St. Vincent, plastic-eating bugs in Spain and a zero waste village in Japan.
It’s a crazy endeavor, Coster-Waldau said, but he predicts bluer skies ahead.
“The greatest resource that we keep forgetting is that we need each other,” he said. “What people can do when we come together is amazing.”
In a video interview from his home north of Copenhagen, Coster-Waldau – who will play William of Normandy in the upcoming series “The King and the Conqueror” – explained why George the Poet’s podcast, miniatures and “The 3-Body Problem” caught his attention.
These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
1
Eske Willerslev and his genetic research
He tries to grasp who we’re, looking back. Now they will actually extract DNA from soil samples, in order that they were capable of try this in northeast Greenland return 2 million years. And meaning you possibly can now see how our world has dramatically modified many, again and again.
2
“We Drowned” by Carsten Jensen
This is an incredible novel that I actually have just returned to, about Marstal, a small town in Denmark – a sea town, a fishing town – and the cargo ship passengers from that town. It’s a historical novel, but beautifully told.
3
Those Keitels!
This is music by my best friend Joe Derrick, so please anyone reading this please test it out. I’ve known him all my life, so many of the songs mean so much to me.
4
Fukushima, Japan
I used to be with a scientist in an area that was still not open, and we were in these hazmat suits, measuring. I told him, “Is it true that no matter what, nature will be fine if we take humans out of the equation?” He said, “Well, yes, but humans are also part of nature. We have been here for therefore long, and lots of animals depend on us too. You take us out of the equation and suddenly we open the door to other predators. I never considered it that way.
5
“Have you heard George’s podcast?”
(*2*)George the Poet is of Ugandan origin and lives in London. That’s great. It’s poetic. It is gorgeous.
6
Considering algorithms
I find it interesting that in a world where we absolutely want inclusion, we create so many more boxes that we will engage in. Suddenly it doesn’t feel very casual and really open, but quite the opposite. Have we adopted what we hate about algorithms in the way we take a look at the world? That, although we don’t desire it, we focus on what is going to confirm our prejudices?
7
Nashulai Maasai Reserve in Kenya
I’ve been to Africa before, but standing with Maasaiwalking through the Serengeti after which all of a sudden he runs past 50 giraffes and there is a wildebeest and he talks about lions there and he feels the whole earth shaking – it was humbling.
8
“The Three-Body Problem”
I’m crazy excited for these two guys [Dan Weiss and David Benioff, with Alexander Woo] who created Game of Thrones. It’s science fiction and that is how I understood it: We know aliens are coming. They won’t come for long, but they are going to come to take over. So how will we take care of this?
9
‘Border’
There are so many amazing storytellers on the market. If you ought to watch a movie that may surprise you, one movie that actually stuck in my mind and moved me so much is a Swedish movie by Iranian Swedish director Ali Abbasi. I can even recommend his second feature film “The Holy Spider”. Brilliant.
10
Small is gorgeous in New York
A small gallery, but they’ve amazing stuff. I really like all the pieces miniature, the concept that we’re floating through space on this planet, and if you happen to zoom out enough, we’re literally only a pebble on the beach.
