Celebrated at the 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen explained why he often plays villains in Hollywood films.
He was the Cipher in Casino Royale opposite a James Bond played by Daniel Craig, the wizard Grindelwald in the third part of Fantastic Beasts, a Nazi scientist in the last Indiana Jones and the antagonist Kaecilius in Marvel’s Doctor Strange. When Mads Mikkelsen joins a Hollywood blockbuster, it’s often to play bad guys.
The Danish actor, visiting the Marrakech International Film Festival – where he received the Golden Star -, happily enjoys it. During a masterclass organized to look back over his entire career, he reveals the reason that pushes American producers to turn to him to give the heroes a hard time: “It’s my accent. It’s as simple as that.”
“Before it was the Germans, then the British, then the Russians. And for some reason, they fell in love with the Danish accent. And if Americans see something they like, they tend to try to copy ithe continues before adding: There’s a big difference between Marvel and James Bond, so I’ve been lucky to have a variety of villains, but I never think about it too much. In Denmark we don’t distinguish between bad guys and good guys. We tend to view them as complex characters.”
Walt Disney Company Mads Mikkelsen in Indiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny.
One of the most complex characters of his career developed on the small screen with Hannibal, a series for which Mads Mikkelsen played the famous doctor for three seasons. The opportunity for the actor to dive even further into the role: “In films, we have two hours to tell a character. Here I was three years old. So I could always come up with new ideas, especially since this role doesn’t follow a traditional psychological pattern. I had a lot of fun.”
Soon, Mads Mikkelsen will be starring in Dust Bunny, a horror film directed by Bryan Fuller, the creator and screenwriter of the Hannibal series. He will notably opposite Sigourney Weaver.