“During the preparations, I was immediately involved fully: rehearsals, lectures, camera tests,” Martin says of the lead-up to the recordings. “I gained a few kilos, not because Willem-Alexander was so fat in 1999, the year the series is about, I thought I was too skinny.”

In order to explain the King as well as possible and because he is “much bigger” than the actor, Martijn decided those extra pounds were welcome. “Maybe I’ll get a little closer to him that way.”

Martijn hopes there will be acknowledgment in the final product, but he gets the greatest satisfaction “from the freedom to shape a role entirely according to his will”. “To change something at the last minute, to play a slightly different scene, that kind of thing.”

It’s unclear exactly how much weight the actor gained for the role. But he must have chosen this himself. “I dare to take this liberty, yes,” he explains. “It’s the sum of the clothes and the makeup, but how I feel, how I feel about myself is just as important.”

In any case, Maxima herself does not plan to watch the series.

The whole interview is now on Jean Magazine to read. The series will be released in 2024.