'Game of Thrones' star Michiel Huisman on the decision that changed his life

By Karishma Sarkari|

Stars opposite Lily James in new wartime film

Michiel Huisman started his career on a soap when he was just 16 years old.

"That was really six weeks or something, it's not like I was in a soap for five years," he says humbly of his beginnings as an actor, during a chat with TheFIX in London.

Now, 20 years later, Huisman's star is bigger than ever.

He's appeared in the TV juggernaut Game of Thrones, as well as dramas such as Treme, Nashville and the upcoming Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House.

Michiel Huisman reflects on the life-changing decision that reinvigorated his career (Getty)

The 36-year-old has also got a string of feature films under his belt including Wild with Reese Witherspoon, The Age of Adaline opposite Blake Lively and 2:22 with Australian actress Teresa Palmer.

Now, he's starring alongside Lily James in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society -- a tale about the German occupation of Guernsey during WWII.

RELATED: Lily James reveals what she used to write in her childhood diary

It's a story that hits close to home for the Netherlands native, who reveals he grew up "with war stories in my own family... it's my grandparents on both sides of the family that have stories."

"Always blows my mind how close by it is," he adds.

The Dutch actor stars alongside Lily James in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, the latest in a string of big-name leading ladies he's starred opposite in recent years (Studio Canal)

"This particular story of the Channel Islands during the occupation was completely new to me and I never even realised they were occupied in the first place, how things went down in the days/weeks prior."

WATCH: The untold story behind The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Post continues) 

While Huisman is the literary hero of the piece, playing pig farmer Dawsey Adams did have its setbacks.

"My character is a man of the land and someone who's really comfortable around his animals and almost has like a sixth sense when it comes to his pigs. So when we were shooting something like that, I want to convey that I have that feeling.

Playing pig farmer Dawsey Adams has it's setbacks Huisman laughs, revealling he and the pigs didn't quite get along (Studio Canal)

"So whenever there were scenes with the pigs, I was just pretending to be so comfortable," he says with a dry laugh, adding, "Only, the pigs... they weren't really buying that, they were like 'get away from me buddy!' And they were movie pigs too!"

The handsome star certainly pulls off the charm offensive on-screen and it’s another feather in his cap.

RELATED: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society World Premiere

But the Dutch actor explains he almost didn’t make the transition from Amsterdam to America -- it's a gamble his wife of 10 years, fellow Dutch actress Tara Elders, convinced him to take.

The 36-year-old explains it was his wife, Dutch actress Tara Elders, who convinced him to move from Amsterdam to America (Getty)

"When I was in my mid-20s, I felt like I had done everything twice in the Netherlands, and they have a great film culture and make great shows but I didn't feel there was a lot of room for me anymore or different avenues for me to go into.

"So, I came to a point where my wife told me we have to give it a go and move across the pond -- whether that was here in the UK or over in the US -- or I had to reinvent myself. And that scared me so much -- that I had no idea what to do then, you know?

"That was very challenging," he says of the leap of faith, adding, "I didn't know if that was going to work out for me."

The handsome hunk says the leap of faith was challenging but worth the risk (Getty)

"I was just very fortunate that show in New Orleans (Treme) gave me time to get my feet on the ground, rather than a movie where it's just a shoot of a month or two and you're on your own again.

"This one actually went for three-and-a-half years and turned out to be the beginning of a new career -- that's what it feels like."

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is out now in cinemas across Australia.
