“It was the authenticity”: Amsterdam Empire star Famke Janssen reveals what attracted her to the show

Famke Janssen has impressed everyone with her stellar act in Netflix’s Amsterdam Empire. The crime drama marked the actress’ first Dutch-language series after a string of US-based productions, and it’s safe to say she did not disappoint.

Janssen starred in the series as Betty Jonkers, a former pop star married to a cannabis coffee shop tycoon. When she finds out that her husband is cheating on her; she vows to ruin his life by exposing his business’s dark secrets.

The actress has now opened up about why she chose Amsterdam Empire as her first Dutch project. In an interview with Variety, Janssen revealed that the authenticity of the series attracted her. She said:

“What I really liked about it was the authenticity. I think that we’re living in a time where there’s appetite for authenticity in the way that we haven’t seen in a long time, or maybe ever.”

Famke Janssen reveals why she starred in Amsterdam Empire

During the interview, Famke Janssen cited the examples of Squid Game and Adolescence, highlighting how regional shows have made a global impact in recent times. She saw the same potential in Amsterdam Empire as it was being released on an international platform like Netflix:

“We have shows like Squid Game and Adolescence, these very locally made shows that found global audiences because they were so authentically made for their territory. That’s very much Netflix’s platform and idea with these local-for-local projects.”

Talking about how the authentic portrayal of the Dutch culture and the reach of Netflix prompted her to join the project, Janssen said:

“Amsterdam Empire fit because it’s very authentically Dutch, and because Netflix is behind it, we have a global platform, and I really hope that it will reach a large audience.”

The actress not only starred in the series but also served as an executive producer. In her interview, she revealed that she got involved in the project at a very early stage, and demanded an EP credit considering the long and illustrious career she has had in Hollywood:

“I said, ‘I’m very interested in this, but I want to come on as an executive producer,’ because now I have a 30-year career behind me. I’ve done 80 films or projects, and I’m going back to the Netherlands for the first time to act in my own language.”

Janssen started her career as a model and has been acting since 1992. Some of her notable credits include playing Jean Grey / Phoenix in the X-Men franchise, Susan Hargrave in The Blacklist franchise, Eve Rothlow in How to Get Away with Murder, and Lenore Mills in the Taken film series.

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Coming back to Amsterdam Empire, the series premiered on Netflix on October 30, 2025, and has been loved by the audience for its twists and turns. Apart from Janssen, the show stars Jacob Derwig as Jack van Doorn, Elise Schaap as Marjolein Hofman, Jesse Mensah as Patrick van Doorn, Yannick van de Velde as Erik Ketels, and Jade Olieberg as Katja van Doorn.

All episodes of Amsterdam Empire are streaming on Netflix.

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