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Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has been a part of many franchises. The actor played the role of Hannibal Lecter in NBC’sHannibal, featured inRogue One: A Star Wars Storyas Galen Erso, and took over from Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald inFantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.He even recently joined theIndiana Jonesfranchise as Dr Jürgen Voller.
However, one of his most memorable roles has been his appearance as Kaecillius inDoctor Strange. The actor played the antagonist in the film which starred Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular. Mikkelsen was reportedly convinced by filmmaker Scott Derrickson to join the film without even reading the script with three magical words.
Doctor StrangeDirector Won Over Mads Mikkelsen With Just Three Words
ActorMads Mikkelsenplayed the role of Kaecillius inDoctor Strange. The character was the film’s main antagonist, an old student of Tilda Swinton’s Ancient One, and had his own agenda for opening the Dark Dimension and a desire for eternal life. Mikkelsen’s performance was acclaimed and he was considered to be one of the better villains of the MCU.
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Mikkelsen mentioned that he played Kaecillius as a person who believed in the agenda to convince other followers to join the cause. He told in an interview withThe Playlistthat Kaecillius was a man who had a strong point, which even Doctor Strange agreed with.
“If you are a demagogue you can believe in what you are talking about like Jim Jones. Not that Jim Jones was necessarily passionate because today we go, ‘Oh, man. That’s scary drama.’ We don’t like that. How can we believe in that? There is a certain belief in self. You have to believe what you are talking about to convince other people. So, he believes what he’s talking about is the savior of the world. This is the most beautiful thing that can happen to the planet. It’s a passion of his, it’s a devotion.”
The actor reportedly accepted the part even without a script forDoctor Strangeas Scott Derickson had appealed to a particular interest of his while offering him the role. Mikkelsen mentioned that he was not allowed to read the script before accepting the role and that Derickson appealed to his love for martial arts movies and kung-fu with the role. He said,
“Scott pitched the story to me before I was allowed to read anything and then he said the magic words, ‘flying kung fu’ and I went, ‘whoa, whoa, wait. I’m on. I’ve been waiting since I was nine to do that.’”
Mads Mikkelsen mentioned that he grew up with Bruce Lee and Charles Bronson films and when Scott Derickson put the film across in that way, he was immediately on board.
Mads Mikkelsen Felt Benedict Cumberbatch Was Perfect For Doctor Strange
Benedict Cumberbatchbecame one of the faces of the MCU when he starred asDoctor Strange. He reprised his role as the Sorcerer Supreme inThor: Ragnarok,Avengers: Infinity War,Avengers: Endgame,andDoctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. He also had an important role inSpider-Man: No Way Home. The actor received acclaim for playing the role and many appreciated him for bringing in Strange’s arrogance and heroism.
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Mads Mikkelsen mentioned that he felt Cumberbatch was perfect for the role when he read the script. He mentioned that the actor had played arrogant characters before while he was a sweet person in real life. Mikkelsen said to The Playlist,
“Once I read the script I could not picture anyone but Benedict playing this because it’s such a fine balance, because he is the sweetest man on the planet but he has a fantastic ability to portray arrogant people. And that arrogance is in the character a lot.”
Cumberbatch has played roles such as Sherlock Holmes in BBC’sSherlockand Khan inStar Trek Into Darknesswhich had a similar arrogance and power to them. Mikkelsen also mentioned that he could not imagine anyone else pulling off the role due to the depths of the journey that the character goes through in the film.
“He’s going from being so arrogant as a character and then opening up, knowing more about the world and learning about himself and embracing other people. It’s one of his bigger journeys in the film and he’s just a master of doing that. He has the other side of the coin. When I heard that and I read the script I thought, ‘It’s a great part and such a great choice I can’t imagine anyone else doing it.’”
The film also starred other heavy hitters such as Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, and more.
Doctor Strangeis currently streaming on Disney Plus.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2416
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
