Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers “Amsterdam Empire” is available on Netflix.
Famke Janssen was born in the Netherlands, but only began acting after moving to the United States in the 1980s. She started appearing in commercials and TV shows as a fashion model. But today, she is best known for starring in blockbuster series such as “X-Men,” “Taken,” and the 1995 James Bond film “Goldeneye.” After decades of making a name for herself in Hollywood playing formidable heroes and villains, she recently made her acting debut in her native country and language, returning to the Netherlands for Netflix’s new Dutch-language crime series Amsterdam Empire, set in the eponymous city.
In the show, which premiered on October 30, Janssen plays Betty Yonkers, a former Dutch pop star who is married to Jacques Van Doorn (Jacob Derwig), one of Amsterdam’s biggest marijuana tycoons and the owner of coffee shop Jackal. When Betty discovers that Jack is cheating on her with a younger Dutch TV host (Elise Sharpe), she threatens to expose Jack’s secrets about his shady business unless he agrees to divorce her.
As Betty, Janssen also recorded original songs and music videos for the series with Dutch-based musician Parvomen. She also served as an executive producer on the series, which was created by Nico Moolenaar, Bert Widdenhauen, and Pete Mathis and directed by Jonas Govaerts.
In an interview with Variety, Janssen spoke about returning to the Netherlands for the role and his blockbuster career back in the country.
How did “Amsterdam Empire” come about and how did you get involved in this project?
I actually got involved pretty early in the process. Nico Moolenaar came to me through Netflix and offered me the role of this character, Betty Yonkers. I think I only had one script written at that point, so I talked to him and we got a deal with Netflix. I said, “I’m really interested in this, but I’d like to be involved as an executive producer.” Because I have a 30-year career. Although he has appeared in 80 films and projects, he is returning to the Netherlands for the first time to act in his native language. That was very exciting, but I also thought that with Netflix working with us, it could become a show that would be watched all over the world. It’s still in Dutch so it’s a possibility but no guarantees.
But what I really liked was its authenticity. I think we live in a time where there is a desire for authenticity like we haven’t seen in a long time, or perhaps ever. There are shows like “The Squid Game” and “Youth,” which were very locally made shows that were so faithfully tailored to the region that they found a global audience. This is very much the Netflix platform and the idea in these local-versus-local projects. “Amsterdam Empire” is a perfect fit as it is very authentic Dutch cuisine. Also, with Netflix behind it, it has a global platform and we really hope it reaches a large audience.
Speaking of authenticity, some viewers may be surprised at how intensely Amsterdam is portrayed as a place, especially in the world of coffee shops.
So, first of all, it’s fiction. Don’t forget that it’s a myth. I feel that life in the Netherlands is very misunderstood and misrepresented in the media. The funny thing is that life there is the exact opposite. There is no sense of drug culture at all. It’s family friendly. people ride bicycles. They put dogs and kids and everything else on it. I think it’s more like a village than a city. It feels quite different. Even the Red Light District, where we shot, is like Disneyland. It feels very quiet. I’ve never been deep into that world, so I’m sure there are other aspects that I’m not familiar with, but the truth of the matter is that marijuana legalization in this country isn’t working the way people think. It works the way it is described in the series. Although it can be carried in small quantities and smoked in so-called “coffee shops,” it cannot be legally grown. Therefore, there is a criminal aspect to the entire production of this work.
Did you enjoy returning to the Netherlands for this role?
It was a great opportunity. It was fun to go back to where I grew up because it was a character I could run with. I was born and raised in the Netherlands. Dutch is my first language. My family is there. But since I started acting after coming to America, it was my first time acting in Dutch. It was really interesting to go back deep into my career and do something I’ve never done before. There were a lot of things I did for the first time, and it was a lot of fun. I loved the fact that I was the executive producer and had more creative say. I love being able to design my own costumes. It was a huge leap in my career. I’ve worked very closely with costume designers in the past, but I grew up in the modeling world, so fashion has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. I also produced a music video for this series, and I had to sing and dance in it, so I took singing and dancing training throughout the filming. And that was definitely the best part of this whole experience.
Was it something you always wanted to do, or did the opportunity just come along by chance?
It was a serendipitous opportunity. I think over the years, a few things have gotten to me, but they weren’t right yet. This time around, the timing and authenticity part, and the fact that the world is ready to see more of these kinds of authentic stories with Netflix as a distributor, just changed the whole game. For me, there is a big difference between doing a project that can only be seen in the Netherlands and doing a project that could be seen by people all over the world.
What was it like acting in Dutch? Was there a learning curve in performing in the language, even if it was your native language?
It was daunting at first and that was probably the thing I was most nervous about, but in the end it was the easiest of all the things I was worried about. It felt so natural to come back and talk. Thankfully, it wasn’t as much of a hurdle as I had expected. I was happy because suddenly I was able to create characters that I couldn’t create before. I had never acted in Dutch or played a Dutch person before, so I was already bringing something different. And then there’s the fact that Betty is a very unusual, very unique creature. We really had a lot of different colors, not only in the costumes but also in the personalities. It turned out to be a very fun and interesting project.
How did you get into the role of such an intense, multi-layered character like Betty?
I think my perspective on acting is based on all my life experiences. Everything I have met, all the people I have interacted with, all the pain and hardships I have felt, all the joys I have experienced, they all overlap with you. As an actor, I find it very helpful because I can bring these life lessons and experiences into my work. It’s a very cathartic experience at times. I think the more experiences you have in life, the more you can give back to the characters. Playing Betty was a satisfying experience, and I think it was the right role at the right time for me. I empathize with her a lot. She seems so alone and isolated in the story that I felt like I had to fight for her a lot. She was misunderstood and quickly labeled as this evil bitch. Every time that conversation was thrown at her, I felt so hurt because I thought, “No, she’s misunderstood! She’s in deep pain.”
Imagine being fooled in public. Being cheated on is bad enough, but in public, and on top of everything else, add the fact that the new person is having a baby. I empathized with her a lot. I wanted to give her a chance to be seen as someone who was not only angry but also deeply hurt, who was coming from a lot of pain and who had to learn a lot of lessons in life. She is very childish, but she had to grow up and learn to protect herself. I was really there to help her grow as a person. But it was fun to play such a role. I wanted to give her that kind of unpredictability. She is full of emotions that come out in all sorts of ways, without control.
And while the season ends with Betty getting what she wants regarding the Jackal, she still ends up running a pretty risky business. Do you think there’s more to Jack and Betty’s story? Is there a possibility of a second season?
Whether there will be a season 2 is up to Netflix and its numbers. We’ll find out in the near future, but there’s definitely room for an interesting journey to see what Betty does with the Jackal and how Jack tries to get him back.
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As for the future, many of his X-Men co-stars are set to reprise their roles in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, and we’ve already seen Hugh Jackman return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Wolverine and Patrick Stewart as Professor X. You have stated on the record that you have not been asked to return as Jean Grey.
And when I say that, people don’t believe me. So I’m going to wait for the movie to come out so people can see it for themselves.
If offered, would you want to return to that character in this new world?
I’m always open to anything. I’m very open-minded and love my career and the trajectory it has taken over time. I’m grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way, including the “X-Men” movies, “GoldenEye” and the “Taken” series. It was a truly wonderful journey. So, it depends. It depends on the timing. This is just a hypothetical question. I don’t know if they’ll get my Jean Gray back. At that point, I’ll consider it. But I love the fact of where my life and career are heading now. I wrote, directed and produced a movie with Milla Jovovich 15 years ago. The costume design elements are also great, and I designed the costumes for that movie as well. Now that my life is fulfilling in every aspect, it’s really difficult to go back to a project where I just appear and say my lines. It suits me so I thought I could continue on this journey of establishing more capabilities within the industry.
After “Doomsday,” the MCU plans to rerun “X-Men” with a new cast. What advice would you give to someone who ends up playing Jean Grey?
No, I’m looking forward to seeing who comes next. Sophie Turner was great and I’m sure the next one will be great too. They’re so good at casting great actors that no one needs any tips from me. I’m looking forward to seeing who will be cast.
The James Bond series is also in a period of transition. In GoldenEye, you had the opportunity to play the role of Xenia Onatoppin, a Bond girl who is also a Bond villain. What do you hope the next Bond brings to those archetypes?
I wish there were more female villains, because they’re great characters. We’ve seen a lot of interesting characters appear in this series over the past 60 years, and we’re curious to see what they do next. They are very smart to reinvent themselves over and over again to stay relevant with the times. I can’t wait to see who will play Bond, who else will be in the cast, what the storyline will be, and what exotic locations they will go to.
Do you have any advice for the next actor taking on the role of a Bond girl or Bond villain?
Be who you are. No matter who you cast in any role, I hope you don’t just think about the people who have played that role before and the pressure that comes with playing that role. I hope they can be themselves and I’m sure it will be absolutely amazing to see.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
