The Danish actor, after succeeding with ‘Another Round’, explains how he has made the role of Grindelwald his own for ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’.
Many fans of the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ saga, or Johnny Depp in general, disagreed with his dissociation from the saga after the allegations of domestic violence that weigh on him (and which, for now, he has failed to prove as false in the tribunals). Warner’s weight in finding a replacement for the charismatic actor was strong. Basically, who they chose was going to have to endure a very demanding comparison and scrutiny of public opinion.
However, even the most staunch saw that there was an option to embody Grindelwald that seemed almost natural, as if he had already done it before. That was the Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, whom some remember from the Vinterberg films ‘The Hunt’ and ‘Another Round’ and, most, for the series ‘Hannibal’ or his baddie James Bond in ‘Casino Royale’.
Last November it was confirmed that someone who dared to play Hannibal after Anthony Hopkins, undoubtedly something much more difficult, also accepted the challenge of taking over Grindelwald after Johnny Depp. The question is how will the character change a lot or will he continue with Depp’s line? That, and if he will repeat Hannibal’s move, is precisely what the Danish actor has talked about for Total Film:
Obviously this is a more direct comparison because it’s the next movie. So we have made some intermediate bridges that will allow us to recognize it, but we have also said that we have to make it our own. I’ve been a fan of Johnny Depp since I saw him when he was young, and trying to bring his intensity and the way he interprets to my work is impossible. I have to find my own, because his is unique, and I have to leave it at that and find a different path.
We will have to wait until summer 2022 to find out if Mikkelsen makes us forget Depp.
