Mads Mikkelsen Says Kung Fu Sold Him On 'Doctor Strange,' Talks The Secrecy Of 'Rogue One'

When director Scott Derrickson first approached Mads Mikkelsen about starring in the big screen incarnation of “Doctor Strange” there were three words that immediately caught his attention. They were not “Oscar winning co-stars” or “box office blockbuster” or “your own toy” or “guaranteed back end.”

Mikkelsen recalls, “Scott pitched the story to me before I was allowed to read anything and then he said the magic words, ‘flying kung fu’ and I went, ‘whoa, whoa, wait. I’m on. I’ve been waiting since I was nine to do that.’”

“Doctor Strange” is a cast full of legendary actors or actors who are clearly on their way there, including Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, Rachel McAdams as Stephen Strange’s medical colleague Christine Palmer and the good Doctor himself, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Mikkelsen is no slouch, however, first making a name for himself in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Pusher” trilogy and then roles in “Casino Royale,” NBC’s “Hannibal” and “The Hunt” which earned him a Best Actor honor at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Make no mistake, Mikkelsen was keenly aware of what an intriguing cast he was surrounded by.

“Super cool ensemble,” Mikkelsen says. “Once I read the script I could not picture anyone but Benedict playing this because it’s such a fine balance, because he is the sweetest man on the planet but he has a fantastic ability to portray arrogant people. And that arrogance is in the character a lot. He’s going from being so arrogant as a character and then opening up, knowing more about the world and learning about himself and embracing other people. It’s one of his bigger journeys in the film and he’s just a master of doing that. He has the other side of the coin. When I heard that and I read the script I thought, ‘It’s a great part and such a great choice I can’t imagine anyone else doing it.’”

In ‘Strange,’ Mikkelsen plays Kaecilius, a former student of the Ancient One’s who believes opening the world to the dark dimension of Dormammu and the promise of eternal life for all. He’s also intent on exposing the potential hypocrisy of his former mentor.

“Obviously we don’t have two hours with this guy so he can’t explain him completely, so I would love to see six more hours of him explaining what his mission is, but, obviously, he describes him as a man who has a point,” Mikkelsen says. “He’s not wrong what he is talking about. Even Doctor Strange believes he has a strong point, but his means?”

The Danish actor describes Kaecilius as a passionate demagogue noting, “If you are a demagogue you can believe in what you are talking about like Jim Jones. Not that Jim Jones was necessarily passionate because today we go, ‘Oh, man. That’s scary drama.’ We don’t like that. How can we believe in that? There is a certain belief in self. You have to believe what you are talking about to convince other people. So, he believes what he’s talking about is the savior of the world. This is the most beautiful thing that can happen to the planet. It’s a passion of his, it’s a devotion.”

Mikkelsen does get to participate in a significant amount of kung fu inspired fighting during the film, but at one point he’s momentarily trapped by Strange in what will be known as the MCU’s “Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.” In the comic books that constituted an infamous spell Strange would conjure up. In this case, it’s something that can only be described as something Christian Grey might enjoy. It certainly didn’t appear comfortable, but Mikkelsen shrugs it off.

“The prop guys were amazing. They made something I could lean on,” Mikkelsen says. “It looks like I’m off balance and I am, but I can actually lean in. Unfortunately, I had something I did with my rib just days before and they immediately turned [that piece] around so I was resting on a different rib. It wasn’t nice and easy, but it was something I could easily take off.”

He adds, “It took awhile to get in and out of it. So, it’s like, ’Are you man enough to do another take before we break?’ ‘Yeah f**k this shit, let’s do it.’”

Amazingly enough, Mikkelsen has yet another of the year’s most anticipated films hitting theaters just six weeks after ‘Strange,’ a little movie called “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” It’s also a picture he shot before his Marvel Studios adventure. Of course, with both franchises now known for keeping secrets it begged the question: Which film or filmmakers were you more concerned about spoiling something in the press?

“For a long time I was fearing ‘Star Wars’ more because it was extreme, the secrecy level,” Mikkelsen admits. “And so was this one as well, but at that point I was used to it.”

He bluntly reveals, “I’m touching all these storm trooper helmets and we’re walking around with all these secrecy capes on, but aren’t we always dressed like this in the film? What’s the secret? Yeah, it’s something you have to respect because they want to leak it when they leak and you have to respect it but it’s a little tricky because it’s fun to be part of.”

Not much is known of his ‘Rogue One’ character, Galen Erso, except that he’s the father of the film’s heroine, Jyn (Felicity Jones), and supplying information to the Rebels. Mikkelsen reveals as excited as he is to be part of the “Star Wars” universe he didn’t really get into the series when he was a kid.

“I was a little young for the first one and for some reason I didn’t catch it. I watched them in my 20s. Not all of them, but the ones that were there,” Mikkelsen says. “As a kid I was a big Bruce Lee and Charles Bronson kind of guy. I also watched the ‘Star Wars’ and I liked them a lot, but it was maybe a universe…I dunno. I was a little more of a down to earth, kung fu guy.”

“Doctor Strange” opens Friday nationwide. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” opens nationwide on Dec. 16.