Netflix is passing the Dutchie to Famke Janssen (Goldeneye, The House on Haunted Hill, Fox’s X-Men film franchise) for its upcoming cannabis drama Amsterdam Empire. The new project finds Janssen’s character, Betty, building a new life and getting revenge after discovering her husband’s infidelity.
Speaking with Variety at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, Janssen said, “My character, Betty, is a former pop star from the 90s who had one hit called ‘Forever.’ Her husband owns the biggest weed empire. Then she finds out he’s cheated with a younger woman, and now, she’s pregnant. He wants to buy her off with some money, but she won’t come after the money: she’ll come after the whole weed empire. And destroy him in the process.”
While Betty is out to make her ex’s life miserable, that’s not the only thing concerning her character. Betty is more than her anger. She’s smart and calculating and won’t stop until she gets what she wants. “She’s not enraged the whole time. I wanted to make sure of that, because it could get a little tiresome.” Janssen commented on famous pop stars who inspired Betty’s vibe, telling Variety, “I wanted to challenge myself, even by doing a music video and learning to dance and sing. We looked at everyone for inspiration, at Paula Abdul and all these other women who were performing at the time. Their fashion, choreography.”
Piet Matthys, Nico Moolenaar, and Bart Uytdenhouwen created Netflix’s Amsterdam Empire, which finally features Famke Janssen in a Dutch-speaking role. “All of a sudden, after a whole career of acting in English, I’m acting in Dutch. When you speak English, it’s a different part of you. You’re not the same person. It felt different. And fun.”
Other shows like Jenji Kohan’s Weeds, starring Mary-Louis Parker, Disjointed, and Family Business feature characters navigating the cannabis industry in intense and hilarious ways. However, the tone of Amsterdam Empire sounds more dramatic, like a crime thriller trapped in a Dutch oven. I can easily see Famke Janssen taking no prisoners in a show like Amsterdam Empire, and I feel sorry for anyone who gets in Betty’s way on her climb up the ladder of revenge.
