With films like Pusher and Pusher II, Danish Delicatessen, Adam’s Apples and The Hunt, Mads Mikkelsen became a well-known (and popular) actor in Denmark. In Hollywood, on the other hand, the 56-year-old is mainly used when the popular heroes of the dream factory need an equal opponent. The bottom line: The more Mikkelsen plays dark villains – and he does it so incredibly convincingly – the more likely his next role will be less than heroic.
We’ve got Mads Mikkelsen in the wake of the theatrical release of “Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Fatemet for an interview and asked what appeals to him about the villains he plays and how his role of Jürgen Voller in “Indiana Jones 5” differs from others. And above all: what makes him so evil! And his answer was as understandable as it was surprising…
Jürgen Voller is the hero of his own story…
With Le Chiffre in “Casino Royale”, Mikkelsen not only embodied one of the most convincing villains in Bond history, but also slipped into the role of the legendary cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter, battles the titular Marvel hero in Doctor Strange and replaced Johnny Depp as the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3: Secrets of Dumbledore. And also in “Chaos Walking” he made life difficult for Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley as the dark mayor. Yes, he just convinces in dark roles. So it’s no wonder he ended up landing the role of Jürgen Voller in “Indiana Jones 5″…
…but Mikkelsen wouldn’t describe the former Nazi as a villain. That may sound strange at first, but on closer inspection it makes sense:
“He doesn’t wake up in the morning and think I want to be angry,” Mikkelsen describes his character, who at least reaches the NASA employee in the course of the film – but who, of course, has his own goals: “He is the hero of his own life, the hero of his own story.”
So he is by no means inherently evil, but merely the product of his environment – much like Indiana Jones. “He believes the world can be a better place. And he thinks he’s man enough to make it happen — just like Indiana Jones. He’s just the other side of the same coin. That is why we have conflicts in the world.”
…and a villain from the audience’s point of view
In the end, of course, it all depends on what kind of story you want to tell. Who should the audience cheer for, who should they rant against – and what outcome should they hope for and eventually get?
Thanos is hailed by many as the villain of the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe, after all, he wiped out half of life in the universe with his snap fingers. And yet he acts with the conviction that he is doing the right thing – accepting a necessary evil in return. And James Bond? He has been refusing to take a “no” from a woman for decades? That didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most famous heroes in movie history. And in the end, of course, the personal perception of the characters plays a role: think of Barney Stinson from “How I Met Your Mother”, for whom it was always clear: Johnny is the hero in “The Karate Kid”, not Daniel !
In the case of “Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Destiny,” the case is clear: the audience (of course!) once again sides with Indy – which inevitably makes Jürgen Voller his opponent. The fact that some discussion is possible in this matter is solely due to the great villains that cinema always gives us. Because movie fans should agree on one point: the best villains are the ones whose motivations can be somehow understood…