One of the most recognizable international stars in the business, Mads Mikkelsen joins me for this week’s edition of my Deadline video series The Actor’s Side to talk about a stellar career that now includes his acclaimed performance in The Promised Land, Denmark’s official entry for the Oscars this year.
In it, Mikkelsen plays Ludvig Kahlen, who goes against all odds in order to develop what is considered useless land called the Heath, where no crops seemingly can grow, and prove to the King that he can do what no others have done. It is a stirring, old-fashioned epic with relevance for today that proved a hit on the fall festival circuit including at Venice, Telluride and Toronto. We talk about the challenges of taking on this role in a career that has taken him around the globe and sparked success not just in his native Denmark, where four films in which he starred brought Oscar nominations including a win for 2020’s Another Round, as well as in such massive franchises as Fantastic Beasts: Secrets off Dumbledore, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Doctor Strange, Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale, and most recently as the villain in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. On television he did the iconic Hannibal in addition to starring in such classic stories as King Arthur, The Three Musketeers, and Clash of the Titans in new versions.
Click on the video above to get the “actor’s side” of it all from Mads Mikkelsen.
Join me every Wednesday during Oscar season for a new edition of The Actor’s Side.
