- Simon Garner
Actor of the Week: Mads Mikkelsen
A man who, by now, needs no introduction. Mads Mikkelsen has become a household name, largely thanks to his outstanding performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the TV series Hannibal, first airing in 2013. He did, however, have many achievements well before this.
In 2006, he played the blood-crying criminal banker/accountant in Casino Royale, the gritty new take on Bond that also saw Daniel Craig make his debut as the world’s greatest spy. For Mikkelsen, this was his first big role for an international audience, but even further back he was already a massive success in his native Denmark, as early as 2000, with Flickering Lights and Shake It being two notable hits at home.
2016 was arguably his biggest year to date, with roles in two big films - Doctor Strange and Rogue One. At the moment, with the superhero genre being at its height, a turn in one of these films is a big role for any actor, even if the film itself was rather middle-of-the-road compared to other big films of the genre. In a similar vein, but multiplied many times over, a role in a Star Wars film is undoubtedly a massive honour, and his performance as Galen Erso was typically well executed.
For me, his take on Hannibal Lecter was huge. I’ve rarely enjoyed watching anything as much, and I found it even more impressive considering it wasn’t an original role, so had previous executions of the character to contend with, particularly one as iconic as Sir Anthony Hopkins’. He can do anything he wants now - check him out in the Carlsberg advert (below) - he’s just a great man being a great man.
