‘Amsterdam Empire’: Famke Janssen On Her Wild Weed Fueled Netflix Crime Series, Netherlands, & Why She’s Not In ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ [Bingeworthy Podcast]

Crime, corruption, and a phoenix-like comeback collide in the heart of Amsterdam’s weed underworld. Netflix’s “Amsterdam Empire” is a pulpy, fun new crime series set in Amsterdam’s glamorous and dangerous weed industry, where revenge and reinvention go hand in hand. The show follows Betty, a former pop star played by Famke Janssen, whose crumbling marriage to the owner of a Marijuana shop empire known as “The Jackal” sparks a battle that pulls in gangsters, police, and lovers. Weed may be legal to smoke in the Netherlands, but growing it is not, and the family’s illegal grow operations soon attract unwanted attention from rival factions and law enforcement alike.

Joining Bingeworthy for this episode is Famke Janssen, who not only stars as Betty but also serves as executive producer and co-costume designer. The series also marks her first time performing in her native Dutch language. She describes the experience as both nerve-wracking and exhilarating.

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“I wore so many different hats on this project,” Janssen said. “I was in Amsterdam for eight months filming it. It’s my home, where I was born and raised, but I’d never acted in my own language before. I also executive-produced and designed my costumes, so there were a lot of elements to this. It was very exciting.”

As Betty navigates a divorce, public humiliation, and the crumbling of her former life, Janssen found herself reshaping the character from within. “I’m a bit of a control freak by nature, so give me more control and I’m happy,” she laughed. “If you want me to come back and act in my native language, then I’m coming back with some demands. The executive producer part was one of them. I wanted to make sure Betty didn’t just become this revenge-driven monster. Her anger is fueled by pain, and I wanted to make sure we saw that.”

Janssen said that when she first read the script, Betty was written as a cold and vengeful caricature, and she made it her mission to reshape her into a three-dimensional person. “She wasn’t human as written,” Janssen explained. “I kept telling the writers, we need to show the pain underneath the anger. That’s what makes her compelling.” She added that she intentionally inserted moments of vulnerability that weren’t on the page. Small cracks in the armor, where the audience could glimpse the woman behind the chaos, turned Betty from a stereotype into someone viewers could empathize with, even when she spiraled.

Janssen even went so far as to film Betty’s fictional hit single, complete with an official music video. “I sang, I danced, I did the whole thing,” she said. “The moves were fast, hip-hop influenced, very high energy. I’m a perfectionist, and so is my choreographer, which made it the perfect partnership.”

Returning to shoot in the Netherlands after decades abroad came with surprises of its own. “Dutch people can be a little critical of someone who comes back,” Janssen admitted. “We don’t have a star culture there, so I was worried people would think, ‘Who does she think she is?’ However, after a few months, the language returned easily. The real difference was how casual the sets are. There are no trailers; you change in bathrooms, and everyone’s chatting all the time. It’s charming and chaotic at once.”

Given her long history with powerful and complex women, it was impossible not to bring up “X-Men.” With several of her former co-stars returning for ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ fans have been wondering if she might reprise her role as Jean Grey. Janssen was quick to set the record straight.

“I’m not [in it],” she confirmed. “I’ve really moved on in wonderful directions. I’ve been in five of those movies if you count ‘The Wolverine’ and ‘Days of Future Past.’ I’ve died as Jean Grey, I’ve died as Phoenix, I’ve come back in dream sequences. I don’t know what else you can do with her. Maybe if someone figures that out, great, come to me. But I’m not lying awake going, ‘I have unfinished business.’ I’m just grateful for where my life has gone.”

Still, she harbors no bitterness toward her old teammates who are returning for the upcoming Avengers films. “You can’t take it personally,” she said. “They’re storylines. I love the people I worked with, and it was a huge part of my life. But I’m happy where I am right now.”

That “right now” includes yet another creative venture, the upcoming thriller “One Second After,” co-starring Josh Holloway, which explores the fallout of an electromagnetic pulse that wipes out all technology. “It’s about what happens when the world stops working,” she said. “No cars, no phones, no medicine. It’s not an action movie; it’s very human. And yes, I designed my costumes again. It’s been such a fulfilling time creatively.”

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Between a Netflix crime epic and a doomsday drama, Famke Janssen seems to have fully stepped into her next chapter, one where she’s not waiting for anyone else to write her story.

“Amsterdam Empire” premieres October 30 on Netflix. You can listen to the entire conversation below:

Bingeworthy is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Deep Focus, The Discourse, and more. We can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the embed within the article.. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.

Mike DeAngelo

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Entertainment journalist, podcaster, and host of The Discourse and Bingeworthy podcasts, with bylines at Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and IndieWire.

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