13.10.25
Time Well Spent
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: "Time is Our Invention"
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the talented Danish actor best known for his role as Jaime Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones, reflects on what time well spent means to him.
In the October chapter of Time Well Spent — our series celebrating those who spend time as beautifully as they keep it — we return to our ancestral home Copenhagen with actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, one of Denmark’s best known sons.
Nikolaj was born in Rukøbing, Denmark and attended the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen. He made his stage debut as Laertes in Hamlet at the Betty Nansen Theater and went on to act in many projects, including Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down, Brian de Palma’s Domino, and his best known role as Jaime Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones.
In addition to acting, Nikolaj is passionate about giving back to his community. He supports the Danish Red Cross and is a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador to raise awareness and support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals which aims to end poverty, fight inequality, and stop climate change.
It is the Urban Jürgensen philosophy that the way we keep time inspires how we spend it. We asked Nikolaj a few questions to learn more about what time well spent means to him.
What does Time Well Spent mean in your life?
A great meal, a walk, a snooze, work… usually if not always it involves being with others.
What do you do to feel most present?
Try to listen and not stare at a screen.
How do you like to begin your day?
Next to my wife.
Do you think about time as something you master or something you surrender to?
This seems to be using conflict language about time – to master/surrender. Time is our invention meant to create logic to the abstract. All we really know is now and that’s already past… A second can feel like forever and eternity can be over in a second.
Can you share a moment recently where time seemed to stretch or slow down?
Yesterday I was in a forest I didn’t know and got lost. The sun was setting and the 20 minutes it took me to find my way felt a lot longer.
If you could time travel to a different point in history, when would it be?
It’s like visiting countries right? Every place in history has incredible moments of triumph, and also horrific moments of tragedy. We should study history and learn from it but I like the present to be honest.
Where are the places you most love to spend time?
Wherever my family is.
The most generous thing somebody has ever done for me is:
My wife is still with me after 28 years.
October 13, 2025
By Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
