Mads Mikkelsen may be the most prolific portrayer of villains working today. After appearing in the latest Indiana Jones film, Mikkelsen has acted in almost every major movie franchise, most of which see him play an antagonistic role. While some may see it as typecasting at this point, the Hannibal actor doesn’t view it that way. Mikkelsen shared his feelings about embodying so many movie villains -- and why he believes the casting has less to do with him, and more to do with a frequent trend in Hollywood. In truth, I think he might be on to something here.
The actor recently attended the Marrakech Film Festival, where he received the honorary Etoile d’Or career award and screened his latest film, The Promised Land. While he doesn’t play a villain in that film, at the festival, he addressed why he believes he’s continuously cast as a villain in American movies. He said (via Deadline):
