The Danish acting star Mads Mikkelsen (57) plays the Nazi Jürgen Voller in “Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Destiny”, who makes life difficult for the main character “Indy”. This is not the first time Mikkelsen has played the antagonist in a major Hollywood production.
In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the mime, who has also become known through films such as the Oscar winner “Der Rausch” (2020), talks about his impression of screen legend Harrison Ford (80), the psychology of the character he plays and his favorite Indiana Jones villains.
Mads Mikkelsen: It was quite special for a number of reasons. A week before I got the call, I was sitting with a friend. He listed – as you say – the various franchises in which I’ve played the villain. Oh, and occasionally the good guys too. He laughed and was like, ‘It’s crazy how much you played.’ As a Dane, that’s hard to understand, you know?
Then he wrote down another movie – ‘Indiana Jones’ – and he was like, ‘But you haven’t done that one yet.’ A week later I got the call. To be honest, I had a hard time concentrating on the call. I just wanted to message my friend.
Mikkelsen: Exactly. Oh, and Hannibal. Is he a villain? I’m not sure.
Mikelsen: No. I have many opportunities to do something different in Europe, Denmark or other places. It would be nice if they gave me something different, but in Denmark, Sweden and Germany I play a whole range of different characters. Then I’ll go over there and be the bad guy. I can handle that.
Mikkelsen: No, in all those scenes it’s me and Harrison. We played all these scenes, it’s completely based on us. In Harrison’s case, they only found pictures where he was 35 or 40 years old. Then they turn it into him. But that’s his choice as an actor – every single shot.
Mikelsen: No. I think there are always people who are a little lost. Then when they meet someone who has all the answers to their problems… we’ve seen that throughout history. It’s not as complicated as you might think.
Mikkelsen: I didn’t look at the films specifically for inspiration. My favorite, of course, is the crazy guy who burns his own hand (laughs). He’s very iconic. Some performers pull this off because it’s a real character trait. I don’t copy it. We’re just trying to set the scene for an Indiana Jones movie. There are certain limits and certain freedoms for it to fit into this type of film.
Mikkelsen: I didn’t do that many stunts, which was a shame. Because I love doing my stunts and I’m pretty good at it. I think Harrison knocks me out a few times. oh, that was it. Otherwise, Voller has henchmen for the dirty work.
Mikkelsen: Yes, a legend. That’s what he is. Because of his talent and the things he’s already done, but mostly because he doesn’t act like a legend. He is a very down to earth person who makes the job and life and what we do very easy. So we all forget who he is and that’s something you have to do first.
