Whenever a Hollywood franchise is in need of a charming and charismatic villain who can also turn sociopathic and sinister at the drop of a dime, then Mads Mikkelsen tends to be one of the first names on the list.
Whether it’s Le Chiffre in James Bond reboot Casino Royale, his glorious three-season run as the title character in Bryan Fuller’s dearly-departed Hannibal, one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most forgettable bad guys through Doctor Strange‘s Kaecilius, the replacement Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, or nefarious Nazi Jürgen Voller in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the Danish actor is always on hand to chew on the scenery.
Being pigeonholed is something Mikkelsen is keenly aware of, but speaking to Deadline in support of the upcoming fifth and final installment in the legendary saga, he hinted that it doesn’t seem to bother him because he does all of his best work outside of Hollywood anyway.
The baddies is something that is kind of concentrated in America. I don’t think we’ve ever made a film in Denmark, where we have like villains. I embrace it. I’m lucky that it’s different genres, different frameworks and I get a chance to play some different villains… I have a career back home and in Europe, where I get the chance to play variations of real human beings.”
That’s not exactly wide of the mark, seeing as Mikkelsen has stolen the show in the likes of Pusher, The Hunt, Another Round, and A Toyal Affair to name but a small handful. Of course, heading Stateside is where the big bucks reside, so fair play to the multi-talented star to allow himself to be placed into one particular box when he’s in Hollywood, while continually proving himself to be a thespian of incredible depth and range outside of the goldfish bowl.