If you’re an American moviegoer of a certain age, chances are you didn’t get introduced to Mads Mikkelsen until he played Le Chiffre in Casino Royale in 2006. But if the stars aligned differently, the Danish actor’s international breakthrough could have happened a year earlier. In a new interview, Mikkelsen recalled his audition to play Reed Richards in 2005’s Fantastic Four.
Mikkelsen previously claimed that he “walked out” of his Fantastic Four audition while speaking with The Shortlist in 2017. But in a new wide-ranging conversation with Vulture, he revealed just how embarrassing the experience was. Apparently, the movie’s producers wanted him to give them an idea of what he would look like while using Mr. Fantastic’s trademark stretching abilities, and it sounds like he just couldn’t pull this off.
“Some of the stuff was interesting,” said Mikkelsen when describing some of the projects that came his way in the early 2000s. “And other things were just like — this is where I felt you can completely lose your confidence as an actor. Standing in an office with a person who looks down at his paper, and you pretend you have long arms and say one line.”
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“Yeah, and actually a good friend of mine got it, Ioan Gruffudd,” continued Mikkelsen. “I know a lot of casting is just first impressions — is there anything there that reminds the producer and the director of the character they’re looking for? But I find it rude to ask people to come into a room and say one line while pretending you have 80-foot arms like the rubber man. ‘Grab that cup of coffee over there’ — it’s like, Are you crazy? There’s not even a scene here. It was kind of humiliating.”
Although he never got to play Reed Richards, Mikkelsen later found another entry point into the Marvel Universe when he played Kaecilius in Doctor Strange. Since then, he’s appeared in Rogue One and he will replace Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3. Last week, Mikkelsen was also added to the cast of Indiana Jones 5, which hits theaters in 2022.
Do you think Mikkelsen would have been a good fit to play Mr. Fantastic? Let us know in the comments down below!
Recommended Reading: Fantastic Four Vol. 1: New Departure, New Arrivals
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