With an outstanding career, Mads Mikkelsen has continued to shine on camera. This is the reason why many want to work with him. Having already starred in big franchises like Star Wars, James Bond, and MCU, his portfolio makes him a solid A-lister. But this journey has experienced its own set of problems along the way.
In the early 2000s, he auditioned to play the Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in the 2005 Fantastic Four movie. It turned out to be a ‘humiliating’ incident for the actor since the studio wanted him to do something bizarre.
Mads Mikkelsen Talked About Humiliating Audition for Reed Richards Role
In an interview with Vulture, Mads Mikkelsen shared some insights on his marvelous career, wherein he also gave a glimpse of the audition he did for Fantastic Four. During that time, he was asked to stretch his arms as long as he could, which felt odd to him.
“Some of the stuff was interesting. 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.”
He further explained the audition process stating,
“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.”
That audition was a humiliating incident for him with Ioan Gruffudd getting cast for the role. However, Mikkelsen eventually got associated with the franchise in 2016 for Doctor Strange.
Mads Mikkelsen Eventually Joined MCU Through Doctor Strange
Leaving his bitter experience of the 2005 panned film audition behind, he decided to make a fresh start with 2016’s Doctor Strange. He portrayed the role of Kaecilius, a former member of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. This antagonist role was surely short but left the audience impressed.
Talking about the same in an interview with The Independent, he deemed the film to be “the hardest film he’s ever made.”
He shared,
“The hardest films I work on are those which don’t work. Physically it was tough: demanding having weeks after weeks of fighting. It was 10 to 12 hours a day, which is pushing it a little, even for people who are fit. It was quite demanding.”
Despite a challenging role, he had ‘fun’ getting indulged in that project. His decision to debut with this project in MCU turned out to be great as the movie surged past $677 million worldwide. Meanwhile, the 2006 film was critically panned, grossing over $333 million worldwide.
Fantastic Four (2005) and Doctor Strange (2016) are both available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Vulture, The Independent
