Johnny Depp portrayed the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the first two Fantastic Beaststhat Harry Potter prequel series. But after recent events Mads Mikkelsen took over the role in the third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Many liked Depp’s portrayal in the role, but Mikkelsen makes sure he doesn’t copy Depp’s portrayal of Grindelwald.
Johnny Depp played Grindelwald in the first two Fantastic Beasts films
In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Johnny Depp only had a brief role as Grindelwald was mostly in disguise and was played by Colin Farrell. However, Grindelwald’s crimes dropped the Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) story and made Grindelwald the central villain. His quest for war with the non-magical world, along with his history with a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), became the main conflict.
In 2020, Depp lost a defamation lawsuit against a British news outlet The sunwho published his ex-wife’s allegations belongs to amber that he was abusive. After losing that case, Warner Bros. distanced itself from Depp and removed him from the case Fantastic Beasts Franchise. Since Grindelwald is the main villain for this series, they couldn’t just ditch the character, so they hired Mikkelsen to play him in the following films.
Mads Mikkelsen doesn’t want to copy Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts
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In conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Mikkelsen recalls the ‘messy’ process with Warner Bros. When Warner Bros called him about the role, the studio reportedly only gave him ‘two days to decide’. He also noted how he wanted to differentiate the role from Depp’s portrayal.
“It was pretty chaotic,” shared Mikkelsen. “You don’t want to copy anything [Depp was] do – that would be creative suicide. Even if [a role has] was made to perfection, you’ll want to make it your own. But you still have to build a kind of bridge between what came before.”
Director David Yates said so too THR that this version of Grindelwald suited Mikkelsen’s talents. The director wanted to make sure the things that made Depp’s performance unique were left behind.
“Mads has exceptional range, he can be both scary and vulnerable, and he’s sexy,” Yates said. “I wanted Mads to explore a version of Grindelwald that suited his strengths as an actor – and that inevitably meant a departure from what Johnny brought to the role.”
Mads Mikkelsen has experience portraying different versions of the same character
Mikkelsen is no stranger to bringing something new to a role previously played by another actor. In Hannibalhe played Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal psychiatrist formerly played by Brian Cox and Anthony Hopkins.
Hopkins won an Oscar for his portrayal of Lecter in The silence of the Lambs, so it’s a difficult plot to follow. However, many believe that Mikkelsen’s portrayal of Lecter is fantastic and want it to be Hannibal continue series.
So far, Mikkelsen’s performance as Grindelwald has been a highlight for many critics. The ratings for The Secrets of Dumbledore are mixed, but praise for the actor’s performance seems unanimous. Many critics also say that Mikkelsen does not copy Depp and is able to bring his own to the role.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore hits theaters on April 15th.
TIED TOGETHER: Fantastic Beasts 3: Eddie Redmayne shares what he learned from his role in the wizarding world
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/fantastic-beasts-3-mads-mikkelsen-says-copying-johnny-depp-creative-suicide.html/ Mads Mikkelsen says copying Johnny Depp would be ‘creative suicide’
