Elise Schaap on the world of Netflix series Amsterdam Empire
Whether you are talking about Undercover or SUGA: if there is a good Dutch film or series, then Elise Schaap is in it. And yes, she can't get enough of that crime world, because the Netflix series Amsterdam Rijk is again about the underworld. Only now it's about the Amsterdam cannabis scene. We talk to Elise about the series, what it's like to play the flame of a drug lord again, her favorite film moment in Amsterdam, and her further ambitions. Because there are still plenty of stories on the shelf that she wants to make.
After that interview with Famke Janssen you didn't think I was done with Amsterdam Rijk? No, of course not. I want to know more about this exciting story, so it's my lucky day: I get to travel to (guess where) Amsterdam to... Drumroll... interview Elise Schaap. She plays one of the lead roles in this crime series: the self-assured journalist Marjolein. So yes, off I go. On the train to our capital. After a nerve-wracking quarter of an hour waiting in a long hallway filled with other journalists (no, just kidding, it's not that bad), it's finally time. Before I know it, I'm sitting across from one of my favorite actresses.
And I must honestly say: I'm a bit starstruck. But yes, we have to move on, so I start at the beginning: why Elise didn't hesitate for a second to participate in this project. “Amsterdam Rijk is made by the creators of Undercover and Ferry, by Nico Moolenaar and his team Bart Uytdenhouwen and Piet Matthys. So yes, I know them all very well. When Nico came up with the idea for this series, he said: ‘I would really love it if you could be part of it. And then we will look for a role that is really the opposite of Daniëlle.’ It had to be something completely different, so I found that very intriguing. And when Nico mentioned that he also had Famke in mind to play Betty, I sensed how grand they were thinking. And that moment when I read the script for the first time gave me exactly the same feeling as eight years ago when I Undercover read it for the first time: the same sharpness and pace, humor and tension, where I really thought: wow. They have developed their own signature in how they write. I had to be part of this.”
Back in the criminal circuit
Of course, Elise is used to playing the love of a criminal by now. In Undercover she played Daniëlle Bouman, the wife of Ferry Bouman, who heads one of the largest ecstasy networks in the world. And in Amsterdam Rijk Elise dives back into the criminal circuit as Marjolein, who gets caught up in an affair with cannabis magnate Jack van Doorn (Jacob Derwig). His coffee shop empire Jackal is threatened to collapse when his betrayed wife, Betty (Famke Janssen), seeks revenge for his affair. She knows all his weak spots and will not rest until his life, and thus Marjolein's, is a hell. Have all those experiences as Daniëlle helped her? Not really: “Marjolein is very different from Daniëlle: she is a very self-assured, solid journalist. As a well-known talk show host, she has a talk show with just her first name; that already indicates how famous she is. She is someone who always has control, and that crumbles very quickly. That makes it so interesting for me as an actor to play someone who is going to wobble like that. She goes pretty down the drain. That's what makes Marjolein so fun.”
If you thought Elise resembles her character, then you are quite mistaken. “I think I'm a bit less well-read,” Elise smiles. “Marjolein is someone who reads a book and three newspapers every day before she starts a editorial meeting. I read at most one book on vacation – if I'm lucky, if I have the time. So she is a different kind of woman. That's why it's important, as with every project, to ask yourself if you understand the character. Otherwise, you can't play someone like that, and I understand Marjolein very well. In how she reacts, for example. Something happens with bitterballen and, yes... She does something that you wouldn't expect from such a down-to-earth, neat woman. But she does that because she gets caught up in this bizarre struggle between Jack and Betty. She is really pushed to her limits. I can imagine it, yes, she just loses her whole shit. She didn't expect that when she started an exciting affair. That's fantastic to play.”
Between the canals and cameras
Now that we are talking about Marjolein, I can't help but think about what it would be like to film in Amsterdam for a longer time. In those long streets with canals and tall mansions in all colors. I always get such a cozy feeling from it, but we are not here for me. “It feels very lively here, it's so cozy,” Elise tells. “This was also such a grand set. I've never experienced anything like this in the Netherlands. I realized that when a whole part of the Red Light District was closed off for our series. Filming right in downtown Amsterdam doesn't happen that often. Really next level with a drone and huge crane over the Red Light District.” Of course, I also want to know what her favorite filming moment in the city was. The thought of it immediately makes her laugh. “My first shooting day, that was so fun. It was on the canal and I had to ride my bike up. And Amsterdammers are not easily impressed by a lot of fuss. So someone from the set tries to block the road, but there is always a neighbor who needs to be there and then says very Amsterdam-like: ‘Yeah, hello. Can I just get by?’” Elise laughs hard as she on the spot imitates an Amsterdam accent. “I think that's very good about the Netherlands. It's so typically Dutch: ‘Yeah, guys, nice filming, but I need to get into my front door,’ or ‘That light bus, how long is it going to be there?’ You know, like that. That's really fun.”
On that set, Elise was certainly not alone. The collaboration with the other top actresses made it all the more special. One by one, we see strong female roles in Amsterdam Rijk coming by. “It was amazing. They are all such powerhouses. Everyone stands in their strength, but it is also very contrasting. It's not just about ‘look at us being very self-assured women,’ on the contrary. There is more depth. Betty may seem like a very tough, cold woman, but underneath, Famke beautifully shows her vulnerability in those quiet moments. The same goes for Marjolein, who is very strong at the beginning and gradually has to shift her entire moral compass. Jade, who plays Katja, has to take over her father's empire. You see how she becomes wiser through trial and error. And Romana is really the comedic relief in this series. She plays such a funny role as Jack's first wife. It's a beautiful interplay between really cool roles.” And that is evident. Every woman, young or old, stands firm in her shoes. The stories are told from their perspective, instead of the most used ‘male point of view’. In my opinion, this series is an example of how to portray women in a powerful way. “We have certainly embarked on a beautiful path with female roles that are not only young but also older. And women who don't just have to be ‘pretty’ but can also be ‘gritty.’ Women can identify with these characters.”
New roles, new opportunities, and a heap of ambition
Besides her work in the Netherlands, Elise has also broken through internationally since her role in Undercover the Flemish crime series Dood Spoor and has completed the filming of the European English-language production Drone Land . She really enjoys filming abroad, and in the meantime, she has discovered that secretly the filming process is the same everywhere: “This was such a large set, maybe even bigger than Amsterdam Rijk. There was always one more man in each department. But at the same time, it's very nice to see that film is a universal language. They mainly spoke German on set, but I could understand every word. While I don't speak a word of German. But just because I know the jargon from a film set. The same issues and fun things happen every time, it's nice to see how such a team functions. And how great is it to meet new talent? That inspires me so much.”
After all her international and national successes, Elise can write a lot on her CV. And she is certainly not done acting. In fact, there are still so many roles she wants to play. She lights up completely when she reveals a hint about something very big: “I've been working on a project for a few years that I can't say too much about. It's a biopic about a woman I really want to play. Yes, you can't get more out of me,” she laughs hard. “But that project is really going to happen as far as I'm concerned. The ambitions are there.” Her driven passion for the profession goes beyond just acting. In recent years, she has increasingly taken a seat in the producer's chair, and she finds that incredibly fun. “I hope to expand that role more. I got to make it with Bracha de Z of Sister . We are even working on a new film now. Making a film yourself is so amazing: at the beginning, the sky is the limit. Then you have no limits and barriers: anything goes. That brainstorming at the beginning of ‘What do we want to tell? What are we going to make? With whom? And how?’ I find that the most fun.”
Does she have any ideas? That's a question with thousands of answers. “Yes... I still have quite a few,” Elise laughs loudly. “A lot. I have a whole book full of ideas.” And not just about the crime genre, but everything: “Think of the most diverse genres. As long as it always resonates with the viewer. And: in everything I do, there must be a lightness and airiness. Especially in the heaviness. That's what it should be about. And I also always think about interesting female roles; we want to include something that many women can identify with. And tell it from the female angle. Fortunately, we see that more and more.”
Well, one thing I know for sure after a first screening of the series and this pleasant conversation: you won't find me in the Amsterdam underworld, but among the press for Elise Schaap.
Image: Netflix
