Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers
Episode Title: NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU Totaled A Parked Car in Iceland
Date: February 10, 2026
Hosts: Seth Meyers, Josh Meyers
Guest: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Overview
In this uproarious and heartfelt episode, Seth and Josh Meyers welcome actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (best known as Jaime Lannister from "Game of Thrones") to reminisce about family trips, childhood holidays, embarrassing travel mishaps, and the deep connections between Denmark and Greenland. The trio explores what makes family travel meaningful—and just how quickly chaos can ensue when you total a Russian ambassador’s car in Reykjavik. Coster-Waldau shares stories about his tight-knit upbringing, romantic origins, and the enduring power of adventure.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Life Updates & Family Traditions
[00:00–07:02]
- Seth and Josh banter about past weekends, sarcastically crediting their parents for grandparent duties.
- Seth describes a cold, early-morning struggle to get his kids to "forest school," followed by the “Ponk Olympics”: inventive home competitions for the kids including Nerf can shooting, Connect 4, attic football, and more.
- An anecdote emerges about a clumsy child and a new family catchphrase: “That’s gonna leave a mark.”
Quote:
“Ash just pointed out that when you hurt yourself, you don’t want to hear somebody say, ‘That’s gonna leave a mark.’...[Later] Addie banged into something on accident and just goes, ‘Dad’s gonna leave a mark.’ Everybody laughed so hard.”
— Seth Meyers (06:32)
Introducing Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
[07:09–08:28]
- Nikolaj is spotlighted for his new season of "The Last Thing He Told Me" and his travel docuseries "The Optimist's Guide to the Planet," as well as a project specifically about Greenland.
Nikolaj’s Roots: Denmark & Greenland
[08:47–12:17]
- Currently based in Denmark, with a home in Greenland where his wife is from.
- Nikolaj candidly discusses heightened geopolitical focus on Greenland, describing feelings of unease within the small Greenlandic population (approx. 57,000 people).
- Shares that Christmas in Greenland is “cozy, relaxed, and family-oriented,” with traditions like singing and dancing around the tree.
Quote:
“The Greenlanders...are petrified because it’s a strange thing to have the big military power in the world saying, ‘We’re going to come get you.’”
— Coster-Waldau (09:49)
Love at First Sight, and Vacation Disasters
[12:24–16:45]
- Met his Greenlandic wife during a Danish radio play, fell in love immediately.
- Their early romance blossomed while filming in Iceland—culminating in an epic and disastrous Iceland road trip.
- Nikolaj totaled a parked car in Reykjavik (belonging to the Russian ambassador), didn’t have a full driver’s license, and offered two bottles of wine in apology—none of which improved the situation.
Quote:
“I reversed into it...I just reversed full...into this parked, beautiful car. The guy comes out, he’s the Russian ambassador and he wants to kill me. And then the police comes and I hand over this provisional driver’s license...Turns out the cops in Iceland didn’t know the difference between a provisional and a real license. So I got off.”
— Coster-Waldau (14:25–15:10)
Family Road Trips and Childhood Memories
[28:49–32:53]
- Grew up in a tiny Danish village (Cupi[a?]), just 50 people.
- Annual holidays as a child involved all piling into a Fiat 600—bikes on the roof—and driving for days, often to Spain, despite extreme fear of heights in his mom and sister.
- Reflects on only later appreciating his mother’s efforts to give her kids adventurous memories, even with few resources.
- Marvels at simpler times: “You don’t need much. There was water. I had a football.”
Quote:
"It’s funny, the things your parents do—you appreciate it like thirty years later."
— Coster-Waldau (31:47)
Comic Books, Simpler Entertainment, and Generational Gaps
[33:26–34:46, 37:12–38:33]
- Bonding over childhood car rides full of comics and “jumbo books” instead of digital entertainment.
- Comments on modern phone addictions, the challenge of guardrails, and shifting social norms both for kids and adults.
Copenhagen and Scandinavian Culture
[39:05–44:51]
- Reminisces about his first trip to Copenhagen as a rural kid—amazed at seeing a Burger King.
- Describes Tivoli Gardens as “the best place”—and marvels at the generational difference where parents would let kids roam freely while they relaxed.
- Discusses friendly competition and mild snobbery among Scandinavian countries.
Travel Shows: The Reality Behind the Scenes
[50:37–54:58]
- Nikolaj confirms that hosting a travel docuseries ("The Optimist’s Guide to the Planet") is grueling—“the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” especially with global locations.
- Loves the job for its authentic encounters, but admits: “No, it is hard. There’s no—people think you go to bars at night, but I just go to bed.”
- The Meyers brothers recount shooting a single episode of a travel show and finding it unexpectedly exhausting.
Surreal Places and Memorable Journeys
[62:40–65:40]
- Family vacations: ski trips, long visits to Greenland in summer, and giant multi-family gatherings in Spain/France with competitions (“28 people, everything became a competition!”).
- For his TV show, top travel memories include a sacred tree ceremony with indigenous people in the Amazon and a sunrise in the high Andes after a harrowing drive and coca gum to combat altitude sickness.
Quote:
“This guy...says, ‘Oh, it’s cocoa gum, keep you awake!’ I’m so hyper...I had a feeling I hadn’t felt for like 25 years.”
— Coster-Waldau (64:03–65:40)
Family, Parenting, and Passing It On
[58:03–61:45]
- Daughters, now 22 and 25, are venturing into acting.
- Family strives for “the two week rule” when traveling for work, prioritizing togetherness; recounts six-week stints with his daughters in Australia.
- Ensures his children feel equally connected to their Danish and Greenlandic heritage.
Lightning Round: Fast Family Favorites
[66:50–68:53]
- Ideal vacation? “Adventurous.”
- Favorite transport? “Bicycle.”
- Dream family trip? “Deer Valley, skiing with my family in Yukon.”
- Sell your hometown? “It’s done in five minutes—by the time you get there, it’s already over.”
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On apologizing after totaling the Russian ambassador’s car:
“He took the wine and smashed this wine bottle. I don’t blame him.”
[15:22, Coster-Waldau] -
On how maps warp perceptions:
“The way the maps are, it looks bigger than it is… It’s a classic, in Western Europe and the US, we made sure to make the map so we look the biggest, and now you’re really paying for it!”
[22:52–23:17, Coster-Waldau & Meyers] -
On lessons from family road trips:
“You never really appreciate the things your parents do when they do it. You appreciate it thirty years later.”
[31:47, Coster-Waldau] -
On passing on acting to his kids:
“Whatever you do in life, just love it, because…life’s short.”
[59:47, Coster-Waldau]
Memorable, Funny, or Sweet Highlights
- The “Ponk Olympics”—unconventional family games—brought the Meyers family together and started the episode on a warm, comedic note.
- “That’s gonna leave a mark” became the family running gag and then a punchline delivered brilliantly by the youngest.
- Nikolaj’s romantic proposal atop a volcano in Iceland after a disastrous road trip: “Why she went with you? True love!”
- The full-cast nostalgia about comic books, pre-internet road entertainment, and childhood freedom.
- Nikolaj’s honest, sometimes self-deprecating takes on travel mishaps (“I shouldn’t be driving. Clearly!”), parenting, and Scandinavian quirks.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [03:13] – Ponk Olympics at home recap
- [09:36] – Life in Denmark and Greenland; Christmas and current affairs
- [13:35] – The road trip in Iceland that ended with a totaled car
- [31:02] – Childhood family holidays, realization of mother's sacrifices
- [39:05] – First Burger King, Tivoli Gardens & generational child-rearing
- [51:02] – Nikolaj’s experience hosting a travel series
- [62:48] – Amazon and Andes: most breathtaking travel experiences
- [66:50] – Lightning-round travel questions
Conclusion
This episode is a delightful blend of embarrassing stories, cultural insight, and family sentiment—from winning (and losing) the “Ponk Olympics,” to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s infamous Icelandic blunder and tales of his globe-trotting docuseries. Whether you’re a fan of behind-the-scenes celebrity travel stories, reflections on parenting, or just good old-fashioned European road trip disasters, this episode delivers laughs, warmth, and a reminder to cherish the small adventures.
“Whatever you do in life, just love it, because…life’s short.”
— Nikolaj Coster-Waldau [59:47]