Don’t trust Mads Mikkelsen with your screenplay: he talks about the time he lost the “Casino Royale” screenplay on a plane!
In Martin Campbell’s 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, which marked Daniel Craig’s debut as Agent 007, Mads Mikkelsen played the villain of the story, aka Le Chiffre.
And it was during the Zurich Film Festival (via Variety), where he came to present his historical drama King’s Land, an Oscar candidate, that the Danish actor revealed an anecdote linked to the film that left the audience speechless speechless: he actually admitted to having lost his copy of the script on a plane, which could have had catastrophic consequences for the production of the now iconic film.
Casino Royale was the first storyline with my name on every page. Which also means that if you lose it, it’s your fault. I got on a plane, started reading it and fell asleep. Then I went out and left it there. I was lucky that a maintenance worker threw it away without knowing what it was. It could have been the end of my career at that point.
Before playing in Casino Royale, Mads Mikkelsen had no idea of the importance of frankness: “I had never watched a Bond film until then and of course I lied about it. I only knew this guy with metal teeth [le Requin]. I didn’t realize how important it was until we had the premiere in London and we had to meet the Queen. Or rather, she was supposed to meet us.”
Since then, he has seen them all, he said. Well almost : “I saw the ones with Daniel Craig. [À l’époque] he was the new Bond and everything about him was ‘not good’. His height, his nose, his hair”, he says of the criticism the actor received during his debut as the spy.
“I think he was happy that I also came from independent cinema. He had an accomplice. There was this scene where I tickled his balls with a rope. We had so many ideas and the director just looked at us: ‘Guys, come back. It’s a Bond movie”, he adds with a laugh.
As for the question of whether he would be up for playing James Bond himself, the answer is no, even if the “fantastic” Christopher Nolan was at the helm of the project: “If they had a problem with Daniel’s nose, I’m sure they’d have a problem with my accent”, he clarified.
Talking about his role as a villain in the film, he spoke about his character which he ultimately considers not very smart: “Smartest Bond villain? He lost $100 million to a man who didn’t know how to play poker. Not so smart.”
MADS MIKKELSEN IN ALL FRANCHISEES
Recently, the Fantastic Beasts, Marvel and Star Wars alum added another franchise to his resume with Indiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny, released earlier this year.
“For a Dane, it’s crazy to act in these films. My friend made a list of all the franchises I’ve been a part of and said, ‘You didn’t do this one.’ It was Indiana Jones. A week later I received a phone call”, he said with a laugh. “It’s surreal when you think about it, so I try not to think about it. Sure, it’s Harrison Ford and he’s a legend, but I’m still going to beat the shit out of him.”
Moreover, seeing the latter hang up his whip for good was “magnificent” as he recounted: “We were all there when he filmed his very last scene as Indiana Jones. Like the humble man he is, he wanted to get out of that room as quickly as possible while everyone was clapping, and at the same time he wanted to stay there forever and enjoy the moment.”
While waiting to be able to find Mads Mikkelsen in King’s Land which will be released on January 17, 2024, Casino Royale (2006) can be seen again on Amazon Prime Video.