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'The New York Times': How an ‘X-Men’ and James Bond Movie Star Gets Creative Away From the Set [Pic: Famke Janssen surrounds herself with her paintings in her Manhattan apartment, then heads to the garment district and Pilates. But don’t forget time for chocolate.] By Lia Picard, Photographs by Lila Barth Nov. 15, 2025 Famke Janssen feels more comfortable with herself than ever before. She is best known for her roles in the “X-Men” films, the James Bond movie “GoldenEye” and the “Taken” trilogy, but at 61, she has no plans to slow down. She’s now starring in “Amsterdam Empire,” a crime drama series on Netflix. “I move to the beat of my own drum,” Ms. Janssen said. “I do everything in the way that I want, in my own timing. I’m highly energetic, so I don’t worry that I don’t have the energy to do something as I get older.” “Amsterdam Empire” gave Ms. Janssen the opportunity to act in her native Dutch language for the first time. She also served as executive producer on the show and earned a costume designer credit, which felt like an organic evolution from her 1990s modeling career. “The character of Betty was so extreme and flamboyant in certain ways, and colorful in terms of character and personality, that I wanted those colors reflected in her wardrobe,” Ms. Janssen said. Now she designs her own clothes offscreen, too. “I use existing brands and then I customize them with my own things,” she said. Ms. Janssen left the Netherlands to study at Columbia University in the mid-80s and has lived in downtown Manhattan ever since. It reminds her of a larger version of Amsterdam. “It feels very much like a village,” she said. Ms. Janssen, who lives in an apartment filled with her own vibrant, contemporary paintings, recently spent a Thursday with The New York Times. [Pic: Ms. Janssen at home in the West Village. She said coffee was her “No. 1 priority” in the morning.] [Pic: One of Ms. Janssen’s paintings.] [Pic: Ms. Janssen said she liked to customize her clothes.] This interview has been condensed and lightly edited. FIRST, CAFFEINE Coffee in the morning is my No. 1 priority. I usually go to Oslo Coffee. It’s tiny, very communal and all of the people who work there are artists. They’ve all become friends and we meet each other outside of the coffee place as well. It has a very “Cheers,” where-everybody-knows-your-name kind of vibe, but cooler because it’s more rock ’n’ roll. [Pic: Ms. Janssen, who has a gluten allergy, said she liked the many gluten-free options at Nami Nori, a sushi restaurant. On Carmine Street in the West Village.] SUSHI STOP Nami Nori is one of my favorite restaurants for lunch or dinner. They serve temaki and they have a lot of vegan options. They also have something called nori chips and they’re just the most incredible things you’ve ever had. ALL THE TRIMMINGS So much of my time now is spent customizing clothes, so I love going to B&Q Trim in the garment district and looking for patches and different applications I can use. At the moment, my creative expression is the only thing I can control. With acting, you always have to wait until you have a job and put all your energy into that. But in the in-between moments, I need a creative expression, whether that is painting or creating clothes. So there’s a lot of time I spend stitching things onto clothing. I just finished a movie in Bulgaria called “One Second After.” While I was there, I was getting ready for the press in Amsterdam for “Amsterdam Empire.” So every free moment I had, I was busy stitching and putting my clothes together for all the outfits for the press. I customize everything. The only dress I showed up in that wasn’t customized was the one for the premiere. [Pic: At B&Q Trim in the garment district in Manhattan. Ms. Janssen got her start as a model in the 1990s and has maintained a love of fashion during her acting career.] LASER FOCUSED One of the things I love to do before a red carpet appearance is laser toning at New York Dermatology Group. It’s noninvasive and takes 20 minutes, tops. It’s this sort of pulsating light that heats up a little bit on your skin, and you end up looking like you glow afterward. It’s wonderful. TEA FOR ONE In the afternoon I have a cup of green tea and a dark chocolate. I live around the corner from a Venchi and they should really give me a membership at this point. I walk in there and everyone knows my name because of my chocolate addiction. [Pic: A bit of laser toning helps her get a special glow, Ms. Janssen said.] SUNSET STROLL Anytime there’s a chance to go watch the sunset by the Hudson River is a big must because it’s just such a lovely way to end the day and to reflect on life and be a little closer to nature, which is very difficult in a city like New York. The whole Hudson River and the path going across the freeway, the bicycles or pedestrians, is very communal. People are playing tennis and playing basketball and on skateboards. There’s everything, and I love walking around there. PITTI PARTY I don’t know how to cook, so I am really beholden to other people making food for me and eating out. Bar Pitti is a great local neighborhood spot. They have a great outdoor space and it’s very nondescript. It doesn’t feel fancy, but the food is fantastic. I love neighborhood spots; I like the way it feels to be part of a community and my area where I live. [Pic: Ms. Janssen said she loved the community feel of her neighborhood, where people know, and talk to, one another.] TV TIME My evenings are a little unpredictable, but if I don’t have to get up too early in the morning I like to watch a series. I just watched the “Victoria Beckham” documentary series. I watch a lot of documentaries. I really love them because truth is stranger than fiction, so I find them to be very interesting ways to see into other people’s lives and what it took to get to a certain place. You realize, always, that it’s never a straightforward upward trajectory. It’s reassuring in a way. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/nyregion/famke-janssen-amsterdam-empire.html?unlocked_article_code=1.1k8.a3h9.3ctg4VmOjbaZ&smid=url-share

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NUMÉRO NETHERLANDS 2025 ISSUE 13 FANTASY TEAM CREDITS: talent FAMKE JANSSEN photography DANIEL SARS fashion editor JOY SINANIAN hair HESTER WERNERT makeup NATASHA FAGRI set design GINI GROOTENBOER photography assistant Timothy Hoenson styling assistants CAMILLE HUGUENIN, NASTYA BEZSONOVA, VALENTINE NOVARA, PALOMA HERNFISH location TUNGSTEN STUDIO casting and editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA interview SAMO ŠAJN cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN cover: and Numéro NetherlandsFAMKE JANSSEN STARS ON THE COVER OF NUMÉRO NETHERLANDS FA...Numéro Netherlands is proud to present FAMKE JANSSEN on the cover of our 13th issue, Fantasy, photographed by DANIEL SARS in Amsterdam. An icon of the silver screen for more than two decades, JANSSENhttps://www.instagram.com/p/DPy6r_BCFfT/

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