Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has warned that the world’s obsession with youth and technology comes from a fear of death.
The 55-year-old actor, best known as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones, shared his thoughts while promoting the BBC drama King and Conqueror.
He explained that fear of death drives people to buy treatments and products to pretend it does not exist, from facial therapies to hormone injections and plastic surgery.
He added that no matter what we do, death is unavoidable.
Talking about William the Conqueror, the king he plays in the show, Nikolaj described how his body became bloated in the heat during transport and eventually exploded.
The actor said the story shows that everyone faces the same reality in the end.
He also spoke about the rise of artificial intelligence, saying people are being pushed to move fast as if there is only one way forward. However, Nikolaj criticised politicians for following the rush without asking why and pointed out how companies’ stock prices often rise while society chases speed over purpose.
Moreover, Nikolaj connected history to the present, saying King and Conqueror shows that ambition, wars, and manipulation have not changed in a thousand years.