Mads Mikkelsen returns as a tenacious former army captain striving toward glory in an 18th-century epic.

Photography Charlie Gray
Styled by Jay Hines

Most will recognize Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen as the sadistic Le Chiffre, who cries tears of blood from his scarred eye in Casino Royale, the first James Bond installation starring Daniel Craig. The film opened the doors of Hollywood to the then 40-year-old actor, who had never seen a 007 film before auditioning for the role. Others associate him with the NBC series Hannibal, in which Mikkelsen convincingly played the titular cannibalistic psychiatrist. In fact, the actor is so believable in his roles as a villain that he also portrayed one in the music video for Rihanna&rsquo;s &ldquo;Bitch Better Have My Money.&rdquo; True to form, Mikkelsen candidly admitted in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel that he had never heard of the global powerhouse singer before being contacted by her team.

The actor prefers a slower pace of life, splitting his time between Skovshoved, a former fishing village north of Copenhagen, and Mallorca. Born in a working-class neighborhood in the Danish capital, Mikkelsen trained as a gymnast and worked for 10 years as a contemporary dancer before transitioning to cinema, studying at the Danish National Theatre School. His film debut as a drug dealer in the 1996 crime-thriller Pusher was a runaway success, and the actor went on to star in several Danish films and TV shows before finding global recognition.
His latest film, The Promised Land, which premiered at the 80th Venice Film Festival, is a period epic set in 18th-century Denmark. Mikkelsen stars as Captain Ludvig Kahlen, an impoverished war veteran who answers the King&rsquo;s call to clear and attempt to cultivate the barren and lawless Jutland heath on the promise that, if successful, he would receive a royal title. This is Mikkelsen&rsquo;s second project with director Nikolaj Arcel, coming 11 years 08after A Royal Affair, the true story of the relationship between a doctor and Queen Caroline Matilda, played by Alicia Vikander in her first major role. As The Promised Land begins its festival circuit, Mikkelsen looks back on his decades-long career.&nbsp;

L&rsquo;OFFICIEL: Tell us about your latest film, The Promised Land.
MADS MIKKELSEN: The film is a great epic drama, focused on the duality between ambition and affections, where moments of extreme brutality and other moments of delicacy and tenderness alternate. And it is spectacular, a splendid and sumptuous reconstruction of the time. I play an obstinate soldier, ready to sacrifice anything to achieve his goal, with a great sense of what is right, with immense confidence in the law and in the idea that the law applies to everyone. A man who hates nobility and at the same time wants to be a part of it. A man who has played all the games but eventually finds himself alone, in front of a very strong woman [played by actress Amanda Collin]; a man who believed himself 100 percent sure not to want anyone at his side and then is surprised. A character that is difficult to fully understand because we often make the mistake of not considering the morality of the time.
L&rsquo;O: This summer you also played the villain in the latest Indiana Jones film.
MM: How could I not? Indiana Jones inspired my entire generation. I don&rsquo;t even know how many times I&rsquo;ve seen the movie. And then all the details on the set were manicured to a level of perfectionism&mdash;just fantastic.

"I play...a man who hates nobility and at the same time wants to be a part of it."

L&rsquo;O: Thomas Vinterberg, director of The Hunt and Another Round, has described you as &ldquo;such a fine-tuned actor...like the best instrument you can get in an orchestra.&rdquo;
MM: We&rsquo;re very close. During the filming of Another Round, his daughter, who had been part of the project from the beginning and was also supposed to appear in the film, died in a car accident [at age 19]. Thomas gave us all a choice: to abandon the film or to continue and dedicate it to her, as he did, in fact, during his acceptance speech [for Best International Feature Film] at the Oscars. The result has strengthened the basic idea of the film&mdash;of taking back one&rsquo;s life&mdash;all the more important for my character, a man who wants to fly and drown at the same time. 
L&rsquo;O: Which directors would you like to work with?
MM: I like the directors of the Golden Age of Hollywood. I would also love to be directed by Martin Scorsese. Taxi Driver is one of my favorite movies ever, with a protagonist full of nuances.

L&rsquo;O: Have you ever thought about switching to the other side of the camera?
MM: Seriously never, even if sometimes I&rsquo;m tempted to ask them to let me shoot a scene. But then I think they&rsquo;re different roles. 
L&rsquo;O: What do you like to do in your free time?
MM: Sport, especially cycling and tennis. But I don&rsquo;t see many movies for someone who does my job. 
L&rsquo;O: You were recently named one of Zegna&rsquo;s six global ambassadors.
MM: Zegna&rsquo;s is a style in which I feel perfectly at ease. It&rsquo;s comfortable and of extreme quality, which slightly changes my perception of myself. 
L&rsquo;O: How would you describe yourself?
MM: Complex, with a lot of chaos.

GROOMING Ingborg Wolf PRODUCTION Cezar Grief

Mads Mikkelsen Defines His Role in Hollywood

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