Casino Royale
With the release ofFantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore , Mads Mikkelsen has now reinvented his third iconic nefarious role in cinema , the others being Le Chiffre inCasino Royaleand Dr. Hannibal Lecter inHannibal . The latest installment of theHarry ceramicist - basedWizarding Worldfranchise not only aims to pay off thepromises of the previousFantastic Beastsmoviesbut also looks to bestow another fiendish Mads Mikkelsen performance to his already impressive resume of villain roles .
After a critically acclaimed career in international cinema , the Danish actor made his way to Hollywood and soon found mainstream success with his 2006 performance as the James Bond villain Le Chiffre inCasino Royale — the first part of the Daniel Craig era of the 007 franchise . His was the third screen portrait of the character , after Peter Lorre in a 1954 video adaptation and Orson Welles in a 1967 parody ofCasino Royale . Years after , Mikkelsen go on to reinvent another one of movie theatre ’s most iconic villain , Hannibal Lecter , in the 2013 - 2015 tv set seriesHannibal . Previousactors who toy Hannibal Lecterin film let in Brian Cox , Gaspard Ulliel , and Anthony Hopkins , who acquire an Oscar for his take on the graphic symbol .
Related : Mads Mikkelsen ’s Two Favorite Scenes From Hannibal
Now Mikkelsen add together to his filmography one of the most brawny villains in theWizarding Worldfranchise : Gellert Grindelwald , who was former portrayed by Johnny Depp in the first twoFantastic Beastsinstallments . That brings his total number of consummate reinventions of major movie villains to three . All of these iconic use came with a hefty legacy , yet his unique talent , grooming , and professionalism have allowed him to focalize on the work and deliver nuanced yet unequaled performances that both pay protection to previous iterations of the reference and totally make the role his own .
Why Mads Mikkelsen Plays So Many Villains
Ever since he became a well - known actor in the United States , Mads Mikkelsen has perfectly typecast as villainsin blockbuster movies . This is because of his slightly severe facial features , his Danish dialect , and the method acting in which he approaches these role . In addition to his reinventions of Le Chiffre and Hannibal Lecter , Mikkelsen ’s far-famed villainous characters also include the evil magician Kaecilius inDoctor Strange . He often tell that his scoundrel think they are the heroes , which is why they are so sympathetic and relatable . Mikkelsen is also a trained gymnast and dancer , so he has honed every part of his body and mind to focus wholly on each character ’s objective . This physical presence and mental focus make his villains even more terrifying because they will do anything and everything to get what they need .
How Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre Changed & Modernized James Bond Villains
Mads Mikkelsen ’s characterization of Le Chiffre completely deepen modern expectations for a Bond baddie and help makeCasino Royalethe most democratic Bond movieof all prison term . Bond baddie had often been nerveless , collected , depend , and dapper . While Le Chiffre also defend all of those qualities , underneath his calm outside is a do-or-die man willing to pass to whatever depths he needs to in order to save his skin . This led to the infamous torture scene inCasino Royale , which prove the new James Bond era was darker than ever before , thanks to baddie like Mikkelsen ’s Le Chiffre . This depiction of such a heroic and calculating baddie grounded the novel 007 movies in a grittier space where the stake for Bond ’s survival were higher than ever .
Mads Mikkelsen Completely Reinvented Hannibal Lecter
In Bryan Fuller’sHannibalseries , free-base on the books by Thomas Harris , the successive killerHannibal Lecter and FBI profiler Will Grahamplay a deadly cat and black eye game as they try out to outsmart each other . audience were familiar with Hannibal " the Cannibal , " particularly via Anthony Hopkins ’s performances inThe Silence of the Lambsand two additional adaptation , but Mads Mikkelsen present the lineament in an exclusively new light , deliver Lecter initially as trusty and charming . His European charisma made it easy to bury that Mikkelsen was playing one of fiction ’s most bestial murderers , and this allow viewers to understand why Lecter was so severe and why it took so long for the FBI to catch him . Although Mikkelsen did n’t portray Lecter in picture show theaters , his performance will be remember as one of the most interesting and terrific portrait of the character reference , just as iconic as Hopkins ’s take on the role .
Related : Who Was A Better Hannibal Lecter ? Anthony Hopkins vs. Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald Is A Big Change From Johnny Depp’s (& Better)
After the controversialrecasting of Johnny Depp ’s role inFantastic Beasts , Mads Mikkelsen stepped in to play the dealership ’s key antagonist , Gillert Grindelwald . The player adjust out to build a bridge circuit between what Depp had done for the character reference — without copy him — and bring a new interpretation that well suited the indigence ofThe Secrets of Dumbledore . Mikkelsen play the king - athirst wizard with the gravitas of a human being on a mission who believes he is fully absolve in his action . And the worker ’s knowing and prankish take on Grindelwald more closely equate the Department of Energy of Jude Law ’s delineation of a young Albus Dumbledore , which made their characters ' partake past even more believable .
Some even claimMikkelsen ’s Grindelwald is good than Depp ’s , though his focus was always on rescue an interesting performance rather than beating his predecessors . This ideology has been uniform throughout his career , as he always graciously accent performing a purpose to the best of his abilities rather than trying to outdo or outshine anyone . In doing so , he link up with consultation ' expectations for his portrayal of iconic baddie while also giving them an completely raw interpretation of that character to love . Mads Mikkelsen has embraced the delight and craft of playing establish villainous lineament , as seen in his performance inCasino Royale , Hannibal , and nowFantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore , so audience can expect him to continue reinventing maniacal yet openhearted fiends in the time to come .
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