The gore-filled thriller series Hannibal allowed Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen to explore and portray a character as complicated and fascinating as Hannibal Lecter. The tense relationship between him and FBI profiler Will Graham was also the focus of the narrative.
Fans were devastated after NBC canceled the series in 2015 despite its cult following and critical acclaim. Hannibal only lasted three seasons, and requests for the show’s renewal have plagued social media.
Mads Mikkelsen Reminisces Role As Hannibal Lecter
In his video interview with GQ, Doctor Strange actor Mads Mikkelsen recalled his most iconic roles and reflected on his time as Hannibal Lecter. He reminisced about the character’s personality, as well as the things he had to learn while on the set. He stated:
“Hannibal is a very different animal. He can be impulsive, but rarely, it’s a choice if he does it. He’s in complete control. He sees the world differently than we do. He’s like a fallen angel. He just sees the opposite. He sees love where we see something horrifying. He sees beauty when we see something very ugly.”
The Indiana Jones star also shared that he did all the culinary techniques viewers saw on the screen. The series is known for exhibiting Food Network-level cooking sequences, only Hannibal Lecter adds a different touch. Mikkelsen revealed:
“I did it all, yeah, that’s all me doing the stuff, flipping and catching an egg there. That’s a lot of juggling in that, which I’m fairly good at myself. There were things that I didn’t know why I did them in the beginning, and then it makes sense later.”
Moreover, the 57-year-old former gymnast and dancer turned actor shared why the team made some changes in the way they presented Hannibal Lecter as a psychopath. He further added:
“We didn’t want him to be a classical psychopath. If that’s the case, then we’re gonna dive into his past, what happened to him, ‘Oh, there was something.’ It becomes a banal story that could’ve been solved early on, but we didn’t like the idea of understanding his path, we just wanted him to be this, and not a classical psychopath.”
Indeed, the series portrayed Hannibal Lecter as a man of emotions, which served as a contrast to the main lead, Will Graham, who lacks control of his own empathy.
Will There Be Hannibal Season 4?
Mads Mikkelsen has responded to the idea of reprising his role in case Hannibal Season 4 gets the green light. In his interview with Deadline, he remarked:
“There’s always a chance. It’s all about finding a home for it. Of course, we’re running out of time. We can’t wait 20 years. But in the next couple of years, if somebody finds a home, I think we are all ready to take it up again.”
Even his co-star Hugh Dancy admitted the whole cast is game to return to the show, though he confessed not being surprised about the cancellation. The Downton Abbey star explained to Collider:
“We keep saying when we get asked, ‘Oh, we’d love to do it’, which is true. Maybe it’ll take one of us to say, ‘I will absolutely never do a fourth season of Hannibal’, but that would be a lie. I’m not exactly surprised, because essentially, first and foremost, somebody has to write a fairly sizeable check. I’m not talking about me being paid. I’m talking about the cost of making a season of television.”
True enough, the Hannibal series was axed after three seasons due to concerns about the ratings. The low viewership was the reason for pulling the plug, and the company producing it had no other option but to terminate the show.
Hannibal is available to watch on Hulu.
Sources: GQ, Deadline, Collider
