Everyone has their favorite actors, ones that effortlessly make any movie/show they are in the absolute best cinema you’ve ever seen. My favorite one is the Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.
For background info he was born November 22nd 1965 in Copenhagen, Denmark. When he was young he was a gymnast, until pursuing acting school around 1996. Now, he is a winner of 50 awards and has received 54 nominations. It’s clear to see that Mikkelsen is a talented actor who can play his roles with passion, not only because of the awards but his close attention to his characters and his acting abilities.
So why is this almost 60-year-old actor so fascinating to me? Well, in my freshman year, I stumbled on a post about this show from NBC called Hannibal. After watching the show, it completely altered my brain chemistry, and I practically dedicated my four years of high school to making art for it and recommending it to people. Again, it’s a good watch if you’re a fan of psychological horror and want a mind trip, or if you watched The Silence of the Lambs.
But besides Hannibal, there is a movie called Charlie Countryman. I watched the movie just to write more for this review because I realized I haven’t seen much media with Mikkelsen in it. The movie was better than I imagined, with themes of dealing with a loved one’s death and finding love in an unfamiliar city. To be frank, it was a little cheesy with the whole guy running into a girl bit, but it was sincere enough for me to like it. But of course, Mads playing the “villain” (the ex of the girl) was the part I was most interested in. He played a Romanian gangster, and he played the role especially well. However, it was strange hearing him cuss as his other roles don’t use profanity.
A few other honorable mentions of films Mikkelsen has been in are Mufasa: The Lion King and Fantastic Beasts 3. I can’t comment much on the Lion King live action as I did not watch it, but from what others have said, they had mixed reviews. I was tempted to see it just for Mikkelsen, but he only voiced the character Kiros. He also sang the song “Bye Bye” in the movie too.
But for Fantastic Beasts 3, Mads once again played the villain role, which was Grindelwald. I did see this movie at home when it was released and I was amazed by how well the role suited him, as he plays charismatic antagonists with all the charm in the world. Some say the second and third movie in that franchise is forgettable, but I think the third one is the best (only because Mikkelsen is in it).
Overall, Mads Mikkelsen is an amazing actor and an even more amazing person. Although I could not make it in person, I did order an autograph signing from him when he was at the New York Comic Con. And that was the best 180 dollars I’ve spent. Even though it wasn’t in person, just receiving the autograph is special to me because I will be able to hang it up in my room and reflect back on when I first saw him on the screen back in 9th grade.