Amsterdam Empire, which is streaming on Netflix, follows Jacob Derwig's Jack Van Doorn, a charismatic cannabis coffee shop tycoon whose life is upended when he decides to end his marriage with Famke Janssen's Betty. Betty isn't so happy that Jack has been having an affair with Elise Schaap's Marjolein Hofman.
As the name of the show implies, the entire series takes place in Amsterdam proper, a city where Janssen left when she was 18. But with her new Netflix series, she decided to finally return to the Netherlands. Janssen spoke with The Direct's Russ Milheim about her new show and how Amsterdam itself feels like a character.
"Over all these years and the 80 films I've done, I've never once acted in Dutch, in my own language," Janssen pointed out, which was something she was excited to be able to do and played into her decision to board the project.
She also explained that "when [she] first came to the States, people didn't want to touch anything subtitles," but now, especially with the rise of shows like Squid Game, "people are just yearning for authenticity." Janssen added that people "can watch something in Korean, Chinese, Dutch, Danish, or whatever it is, and get a real flavor of a place that they never would be able to go see."
As for Amsterdam itself, the star explained that it "definitely is a character" in the show, describing how "it's gritty, it's glamorous" and "sort of [has] everything in it."
More of the interview with Famke Janssen (who will not be appearing in Avengers: Doomsday), including her breakdown of Betty in Amsterdam Empire, can be read below.
Famke Janssen on Finally Returning to Amsterdam & Acting in Dutch
"I've Never Once Acted In Dutch, In My Own Language."
- The Direct: "What was it like filming in Amsterdam?"
Famke Janssen: I left Amsterdam when I was 18... Over all these years and the 80 films I've done, I've never once acted in Dutch, in my own language. So, this was the first time, and when they came to me with the show, I thought, Oh, wow, that's interesting. You know, I've said no in the past to things, but I think the fact that it's Netflix—it's also a very interesting time in our business... [and] people are just yearning for authenticity...
'Squid Games,' you know, being the biggest example of shows that're coming out that are in the original territory, filmed in the original language, we get a real flavor of that culture, of the people... When I first came to the States, people didn't want to touch anything subtitles. They just thought it was too complicated. And now there's an appetite for it, and it's fun...
... Because as a person who's traveled the whole world just by the nature of what I've done, modeling and acting, my favorite thing about my journey has been the travel and the cultures and the languages, and like all the people I've come in contact with. And I feel that through this experience, people can now do the same thing. They can watch something in Korean, Chinese, Dutch, Danish, or whatever it is, and get a real flavor of a place that they never would be able to go see. And so I think it's the perfect timing. I think it's a very fun show. It's an outrageously fun character to play, Betty.
- The Direct: "When it comes to Amsterdam, obviously, when a location is so central to a show, it can often be a character in of itself. How would you describe Amsterdam as a character within this series?"
Janssen: It's very much a character in the show. And it has everything in it, because it does sort of have everything in it. And I guess because we are dealing a little bit with the drug part of it, since the ex-husband jerk who cheated on my character with a woman who he also impregnated, he owns the biggest weed empire. And so we're going to get another aspect to this misconception, I think there is out there about drugs and legalization in the Netherlands, which is also not quite the way that people think it is. So it's fun.
You get to see a different Amsterdam, which definitely is a character. It's beautiful, it's gritty, it's glamorous, everything. It's like, you know, it's a village... It's a village with people on bikes, with their dogs, their kids, and their families. It feels like a village, sweet, innocent, no crime, you know what I mean? Even the red light district is like Disneyland... You'll get the sense of a little bit of all of that. So that was fun to see.
Famke Janssen Breaks Down Her Reckless Character
Betty Is Reckless, Angry, & Hurt, Which Makes Her Fun to Bring to Life.
- The Direct: "Betty, she's a very angry person [and hurt], especially right when we meet her, and throughout this show. How do those things really drive her throughout the series?"
Famke Janssen: I think that the betrayal in her life of this man, whom she had dedicated so much of her adult life to. And the fact that he impregnated a woman when she wasn't able to. He wasn't, he didn't let her keep the child when they—you know. So there's so many levels to it that when I read it, and then the public part of it, whenever I read these things of people being cheated on or whatever, in the public I always think, oh, it's already the worst feeling in the whole world to know that somebody did this, but then for everyone to know about it. So, I just felt a lot for Betty, and I really wanted to fight to not have her be misunderstood.
Janssen, who also serves as executive producer on Amsterdam Empire, expressed how she made it clear from the onset that she was "not coming back to the Netherlands to just play someone's ex-wife," and she "certainly [was] not coming back to someone who's just out for revenge:"
Janssen: When they came to me with this character and the show and all of that, I said very quickly, like, Hey, I don't—I'm not coming back to the Netherlands to just play someone's ex-wife, and I certainly am not coming back to someone who's just out for revenge. It's fun to watch for a few episodes, but you're gonna at least have to see the layers and understand where it's coming from.
So, I tried to build that in as much as possible, because I'm also executive producer on the project and co-designed my costumes on it, and all of that. I had a lot more creative expression in it than I would have had otherwise. But, yeah, it's an interesting character, and it's an interesting journey. She definitely is out to get him, but I think she learns a lot in the process. There's a lot of pain and hurt that fuels that anger.
Betty is quite the reckless character, with the actress explaining that "she's not calculated" and purely "fueled by her emotions:"
Janssen: I think this is how she's lived her life, just in a reckless [fashion]. And it's what I love about her, [and about] playing her, because this is not someone who thinks through her. She's not calculated, she's not, you know, clear on her actions and her motivations and whatever. It's just everything is fueled by her emotions. She's like a child, you know, she's angry, she's sad, she's it's just like everything comes out when, however it comes out. But we'll see a little bit of a change in Betty over the course of the [show]. but she was a beautiful train wreck to play. I loved her.
In addressing how Betty evolves throughout the series, Janssen mentioned that "she learns how to look at things differently:"
Janssen: Betty is someone who probably had already had, whether that was conscious or subconsciously, seen herself kind of as a victim. And I think through this journey, she learns how to look at things differently. So, I think there is definitely growth. It wouldn't be a fun series to watch if we don't. This is true along the way, you know. But I grew very fond of her and very protective... It was just so much fun. That whole, you know, one hit wonder aspect to her personality, which I wanted to very much have see reflected in her clothing, the colorful, you know, palette, the childlike parts of her, the way that she dresses, the way she is, and all of it. So it was super fun.
Betty, being the music superstar she is in the Amsterdam Empire, also allowed Janssen to sing a hit song and film a music video. The actress lamented that she "never a million years would have thought that [she] was going to record or have a music video:"
Janssen: And then, of course, the music video was just ridiculous, because that's like a '90s throwback music video as a non-singer dancer, and being trained by professionals. You know, Vincent Brianna was my choreographer, who was just a dream to work with. The biggest challenge is that he designed his choreography using 90s hip-hop moves. I had to do them at the speed of, like, a super quick pop song, yeah, and so we had to work up to that level to do, like, a Running Man or whatever it was at that tempo. And those were the challenges, but also the fun thing. So, yeah, I think, you know, I never a million years would have thought that I was going to record or have a music video of my name.
One of the challenges Janssen faced when bringing Betty to life was that she had to find ways to make sure she was never just a one-dimensional character:
Janssen: Betty, as a character, doesn't have a mother, she doesn't have a father, she doesn't have a child, she doesn't have a friend, literally nobody. So I, from the beginning, said, look, you're going to have to change that, because it's very difficult as an actor to bring, and especially when you write a vengeful woman, to not turn it into a one-dimensional character, like we're going to have to find ways to layer this character... So I had to layer it in with my performance.
As for whether Amsterdam Empire will have a Season 2, Janssen confirmed that there "is definitely the potential of a second season," but it would be up to Netflix and the audiences to make it happen:
Janssen: There is definitely the potential of a second season. But that really depends on how many people are watching it and the demand for it, you know? Yeah, that's a very specific model that they look at before making the decision.
For more interviews from The Direct about Netflix projects, be sure to check out our conversation with Monster: The Ed Gein Story's Leatherface star Brock Powell.
