Mads Mikkelsen made his Hollywood debut with the villain role in the James Bond franchise and has since become a major presence in several franchises. The Punisher actor’s most recent addition to this impressive list was the Indiana Jones franchise. Mikkelsen revealed that one of his friends even jokingly mocked him for not yet being a part of Indiana Jones, considering his involvement in several major franchises.
The Casino Royale actor eventually secured a role in the Indiana Jones franchise just a week later. He made a remarkable impact in Hollywood after transitioning from Danish cinema, especially with his villain roles. Mikkelsen has played antagonists opposite some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Harrison Ford.
Mads Mikkelsen Was Mocked For Missing Out On The Indiana Jones Franchise
Mads Mikkelsen has played villains in some major franchises, including Le Chiffre in James Bond, Kaecilius in MCU, and Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts. Mikkelsen also took on the role of Galen Erso in the Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One. While delivering exceptional performances in Hollywood, Mikkelsen continued to contribute to critically acclaimed Danish films such as The Hunt.
However, before he landed the role of the villain Voller in the last Indiana Jones installment, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, he and his friend joked about his absence from the franchise. His friend was listing the major franchises in which Mikkelsen had acted, just before the call for the film arrived. The Chaos Walking actor shared with Variety:
“For a Danish guy, it’s insane to be in these films. My friend made a list of all the franchises I’ve been in and went: ‘This one you haven’t done.’ It was ‘Indiana Jones.’ A week later, I got the phone call.”
Mikkelsen was still surprised at himself that he had the chance to act with legends like Harrison Ford. Yet, when in character, Mikkelsen proved to be a challenging villain. The Polar actor continued:
“It’s surreal when you think about it, so I try not to think about it. Sure, it’s Harrison Ford and he is a legend, but I will kick the shit out of him anyway.”
However, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny turned out to be a box office disaster, resulting in almost a $100 million loss for Disney. It certainly didn’t live up to the legacy of the other franchise films in Mikkelsen’s (friend’s) list.
Mads Mikkelsen Witnessed Harrison Ford’s Final Stint As Indiana Jones
Despite the film failing to impress a wider audience and facing financial failure, Mads Mikkelsen cherished the opportunity to be part of the film. For Mikkelsen, the highlight was witnessing Ford in the Indiana Jones character for one final time. He described watching the actor play the character as “beautiful”. Mikkelsen further shared with Variety:
“We were all there when he did his very last scene as Indiana Jones. The humble man that he is, he wanted to get out of that room as fast as possible when everyone was clapping, and at the same time he wanted to stay there forever and embrace the moment.”
Mads Mikkelsen’s most recent film release was the 2023 Danish historical drama, The Promised Land. The critically acclaimed film was the Danish entry for the next Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is now available for rent on AppleTV+.
