by Marianina Patsa

His first name in Danish means a Gift from God. He has won around 50 awards in various film and television awards, he has been voted the sexiest man on numerous occasions, Hollywood loves him in devilish roles and he is one of the few, if not the only one, who has managed to appear in Star Wars, James Bond and Marvel Cinematic Universe films – and his character to die in all of them. Oh! He also knows how to dance ballet.

Mads Mikkelsen is known for his unpretentious charm – which he doesn’t rub in your face but is impossible to ignore – and mainly for his dynamic, multi-dimensional roles. In his most recent film, “The Promised Land,” directed by Nikolaj Arcel, he plays Ludvig Kahlen, an 18th-century officer who attempts to cultivate the wilds of Jutland. The film premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, and Mikkelsen was praised for his evocative performance, which combines a “Nordic” air with his charming presence. Shortly before, in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (2023), he played the villain Dr. Voller with unparalleled seriousness, stating: “I never look for the evil. I try to understand the character’s perspective. Fans sometimes love me more as a villain than if I were a hero. I think that says something about people.” He felt this paradox with the role of the villain intensely when he played the cannibal Hannibal Lector in the eponymous television series Dr. Hannibal Lecter (2013-2015). His fans, with undying love, described his role as “sexy”. And he found himself wondering several times: “We all understand that he’s a psychopath who eats people, right?”

Mikkelsen likes to participate in stories that “make us look at the past through a modern lens”, always focusing on the truth of each character. And despite his imposing image in the films, he is approachable, down to earth and humorous. After all, even for the most demanding roles, his point of view is consistent: “We don’t cure cancer, you know! We pretend. So, let’s take it a little more lightly.”

Few people know that he has been a professional gymnast and dancer, which contributes to the comfort with which he portrays the physical nature of his roles. He often emphasizes that “dance is also a story. It has rhythm and movement, just like acting.” This experience explains his ability to express emotion through movements and expressions that give authenticity to his characters.
This whole interesting “package” also led him to the fashion world. As a global ambassador for Zegna, Mikkelsen closed the show during Milan Men’s Fashion Week in an impressive way, dressed in a terracotta leather jacket and chocolate jacquard knits, which he walked with ease. As for how he felt about the experience? It was “awkward but exciting,” he says, jokingly noting that “all I had to remember was to breathe.”

Mikkelsen’s international fame is the result of a consistent selection of multi-dimensional roles since the days of “Casino Royale” (2006). Although he plays antiheroes very often, he is also distinguished in roles with humor, such as in the film “Another Round” (2020), which gave him widespread recognition and highlighted his ability to balance both darkness and light.

As for what he is preparing at the moment? Various and varied. The film “Mufasa: The Lion King” will premiere in the US on December 20 and Mads lends his voice as Kiros in the Disney Pictures lion universe. In pre-production and/or in the works are: “Back to Reality” by Oscar-winning Anders Thomas Jensen, which will tell us the story of a bank robber who has just been released from prison and aims to unlock his brother’s traumatized memory in order to find the stolen goods. The drama “Dust Bunny” by Bruan Fuller will find Mikkelsen trying to help a little girl, who asks him to kill the monster under her bed that, as she believes, ate her family. In the story of “The Black Kaiser”, the deadliest executioner in the world, when he uncovers a deadly conspiracy that protects a powerful assassin’s guild, he becomes their number one target. In the latter, Mads participates not only in front of the cameras but also as a co-writer of the script. We cannot wait.