Mads Mikkelsen often plays the role Of the villain.Image: Shutterstock
Interview
Mads Mikkelsen has challenged the greatest, from James Bond to Indiana Jones. He opens up about his relationship with Hollywood on the occasion of the release of his new film, the Danish western King’s Land.
Interview: Matthias Lerf / ch media
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Recently, Mads Mikkelsen (58) made life difficult for Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny. He also played the villain in the James Bond Casino Royale or the bloodthirsty Hannibal in the television series of the same name. But he also plays regularly in his native Denmark, for example in the drama Another Round.
Today he is showing in King’s Land. Mads Mikkelsen plays an 18th century Danish soldier who returns from Germany to farm land for the king. A western with powerful images, with a main actor whose look is worth a thousand words.
watson: Mads Mikkelsen, your new film is a kind of Danish western. How would you qualify it?
Mads Mikkelsen: The era in which takes place King’s Lan» is difficult to understand. It is already difficult to understand today what people experienced in Denmark during the Second or First World War. But 250 years ago, imagine!
What was so special?
Mads Mikkelsen: No democracy for miles around. No agriculture on the Danish mainland. Human rights violated. And no one wanted to change that.
“Then comes the stubborn character that I play. And he can, with the help of a woman, turn the world upside down.”
Did you know this historical character before reading the script?
Mads Mikkelsen: No not at all. And history, especially that of my country, is a kind of hobby horse for me. But I had never heard of all this.
A movie villain for all ages: Mads Mikkelsen as the evil Le Chiffre in Daniel Craig’s first appearance as James Bond in Casino Royale.Image: imago
You said it, your character is not very likeable. How did you work on your interpretation?
Mads Mikkelsen:
“As often: with as little effort as possible”
That doesn’t mean I didn’t prepare. I want to talk about the game: not too many grimaces, not too many big gestures. I try to do everything on a small scale.
Yes, there is almost no emotion on your face. Like Buster Keaton…
Mads Mikkelsen: It’s a huge compliment you pay me. I am the biggest fan of this silent film actor. As a child, I was hypnotized by his films. In general, it is said that he never made a face. That’s not true, he just tried really hard to look it.
Did you really think of Buster Keaton when you saw the Danish peasant you play?
Mads Mikkelsen: Of course, I don’t want to overuse it. But it was simply necessary to interpret it in a “reduced” way.
Don’t actresses and actors prefer roles with a lot of dialogue in order to excel?
Mads Mikkelsen: They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. It is not always necessary to say everything. But that’s not a rule. With Anders Thomas Jensen, who collaborated on the screenplay, I made some crazy films that are extraordinarily rich in dialogue. That’s what I like about Danish cinema, it’s very diverse.
How do you explain its success?
Mads Mikkelsen: It’s probably already linked to this diversity. We too, in Denmark, as throughout Europe, have filmed realistic stories about the world of ordinary people. I have nothing against that, it’s important, and there is always a lot to tell. But it’s also fortunate that we were able to broaden the range.
You yourself often work in Hollywood.
Mads Mikkelsen: Yes, but coming back to the country from time to time is a necessity for me. I think ten years ago I didn’t care where I played. Now I want to be in Denmark from time to time.
The man for difficult cases: Mads Mikkelsen as soldier and pioneer Ludvig Kahlen.Image: Henrik Ohsten
For what?
Mads Mikkelsen: I could say the clock is ticking, but that would sound a little pathetic.
“I’m getting older, I need more and more to be with my family, my friends”
Is it different for you to be on camera in your native language?
Mads Mikkelsen: For sure. It’s my language, the language of my stories. It already makes me feel more at home. But it’s not just a question of language: I benefit from a smaller film crew in Denmark. I can call the director in the middle of the night if I have an idea.
Isn’t that how it is in Hollywood?
Mads Mikkelsen: No, I wouldn’t dare. There, I speak with the director when he is on set, there can be intimate moments. But it’s not the same relationship.
You have also directed French films.
Mads Mikkelsen: Here, it’s even a little more complicated. Not least because the French love their language so much and fear – probably rightly – that I will destroy it.
However, in King’s Landyou play as a soldier of German origin.
Mads Mikkelsen: German is fine. It’s very close to us Danes. I get by, I can get by anywhere. But I have no idea about German grammar. All that Der-Die-Das stuff, for example, doesn’t come to mind.
“Three genders is really stupid!”
The Danes also know how to make westerns and Mads Mikkelsen in King’s Land is proof of this.Image: imago
You are Denmark’s most famous actor. But you have never worked with Lars von Trier, your country’s best-known director. How is it possible?
Mads Mikkelsen: He never asked me. That’s all.
Hard to believe…
Mads Mikkelsen: But it is nevertheless the reality. I love what he does and I could see myself playing for him. Maybe I wouldn’t like his way of working, who knows. But he really never asked me, and that’s fine.
It would be exciting to see a Lars von Trier film with you.
Mads Mikkelsen: Didn’t he say that he only wanted to make one or two films? Well, he never tells the whole truth, perhaps he has more films in mind than we think.
Your soldier in the film absolutely wants a title from the king. You own one yourself, don’t you?
Mads Mikkelsen: Only one? (Laughs) No, I have two. One from France, which is certainly not a monarchy, but where I was knighted.
“And then I also have a Danish title. I love our royal family, they are simply part of history”
And I think these people are doing very well. They no longer have political power, but they work hard to serve the country in their own way.
In Hollywood, you have also been ennobled by American cinema: you have been part of all the major film series.
Mads Mikkelsen: Not all: Star Wars, James Bond, Indiana Jones, Hannibal and the Marvel Universe.
Mads Mikkelsen received the Golden Eye at the Zurich Film Festival 2023.Image: keystone
Does this allow you to shape your characters in your image, like in Denmark?
Mads Mikkelsen: Oh yes, I don’t deprive myself, even in Hollywood. But I am loyal, I do not want to impose my point of view at all costs. When Harrison Ford said “no” to one of my ideas, I didn’t persist.
Can you explain your popularity in Hollywood?
Mads Mikkelsen: My fame sometimes seems surreal to me, as a small Danish actor. But Hollywood was looking for a funny foreigner for certain roles. They found me.
Funny? You are often the bad guy!
Mads Mikkelsen: Exactly. It’s funny is not it?
Who is your favorite villain?
Mads Mikkelsen: I really liked Hannibal from the TV series because he is unpredictable. But I don’t think too much about the things I’ve done.
And for the future, what role do you absolutely want to play?
Mads Mikkelsen: Speaking of multi-faceted villains: I think the world could do with a new Dracula, with a slightly more modern approach. So, if you have a script… (aargauerzeitung.ch)
