Mads Mikkelson Speaks On Replacing Johnny Depp In Fantastic Beasts

Fantastic Beasts star Mads Mikkelsen attended the Sarajevo Film Festival on Monday. Moreover, the actor received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award for his outstanding contribution to the art of film. However, many of the attendees were more interested in the Danish actor’s television work, especially the cannibal drama Hannibal.

Mads Mikkelsen at Sarajevo Film Festival

Mads Mikkelsen attended the Coffee With… event at the Sarajevo Film Festival on Monday, where the crowd had plenty of questions for him. Despite the fact that he had won the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award for his contribution to film, many wanted details of his TV career. In fact, the majority were interested in learning more about his lead in the cannibal Hannibal series on NBC.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award for his outstanding contribution to the art of film pic.twitter.com/UxyrmUSDM5

— SarajevoTimes (@SarajevoTimes) August 14, 2022

However, Mikkelsen did field questions on a wide-ranging number of subjects, including his early career in Danish indie cinema. Fans also wanted to know about his move to the US, the MCU, his love of Pink Floyd and football. Speaking about football, Mads said, “I always wanted to make money out of sports, but it never happened.”

Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore

Mikkelsen also spoke of his move recent movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. In that movie, he played Gellert Grindelwald in place of Johnny Depp. Mads admitted he had concerns about replacing Depp, who withdrew from the role due to the court case with his ex Amber Heard. However, he did hint at the possible return of Depp.

Speaking of the role, Mikkelsen said it was very intimidating. However, he added that obviously, now he has won the suit, maybe Johnny could come back. Mads added:

He might. I’m a big fan of Johnny. I think he’s an amazing actor, I think he did a fantastic job. Having said that, I could not copy it. There’s there was no way I could just copy it, because it’s so much him. It would be creative suicide.

Mikkelsen went on to explain how they had to come up with something else for his character, something that was his alone. By doing so, they could build a bridge between them. Mads added that his fans were “very, very sweet”, but also very stubborn.

Meanwhile, Fantastic Beasts fans will have to wait and see if Johnny Depp does return to the iconic role of Gellert Grindelwald.

Readers, would you be excited to see Depp returning to the Fantastic Beasts franchise? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below.