Mads Mikkelsen On Playing Le Chiffre And Cards In Casino Royale
The Sunday Mail today reports on Mads Mikkelsen and his experiences during the Casino Royale filming, as well as how the cast got into gambling ‘in a big way.’
‘The cast got into gambling in a really big way.’
‘A lot of the film is set in a casino playing poker so we did that as research at first, then went to casinos to see how that works. And we became pretty good at it as a result.’
‘I like to think I got so good I wiped the floor with everyone but if you asked the rest of the cast they would say they did, too.’
‘It’s like a fishing tale – everyone remembers what they want. But I did get pretty good at it.’
Mads, who has been married to Hanne for 20 years, says he loved playing his evil role in the movie.
He said: ‘Le Chiffre was fantastic. Baddies are interesting, they are full of drama. There is something hidden that is appealing to everyone.’
Mads, who has two children, Carl and Viola, revealed his favourite Bond baddie of all time is Christopher Walken, who played Max Zorin in A View To A Kill.
He said: ‘Christopher is a fantastic villain and a fantastic good guy.’
‘He’s got dualism, which is what it takes to be a good villain – there is something likeable and unlikeable about him at the same time.’
The Dane said he did not have to do much preparation before putting on the Bond baddie mantle.
He went on: ‘If you play a dentist and 80 per cent of your acting is going to be in a dentist’s office then you are obviously going to research how to drill teeth but in this case the research was basically in the script.’
‘I just had to find a character we all liked that was subtle and icy.’
Mads also revealed how he enjoyed dressing up in his character’s expensive clothes.
He said: ‘My make-up made me look slightly different, as Le Chiffre has a blind eye. He is vain and wears expensive clothes and just wearing that made a big difference.’
‘Setting my hair and being very neat about the set was fun and I looked forward to getting into costume.’
Mads, who also stars as Tristan in King Arthur with Keira Knightley, made the Bond writers add in extra action scenes for him.
He said: ‘I got the part and I read the script and thought, ‘Where’s my action?”
‘I am an ex-gymnast and I have been doing stunts all my life so they added more just for me. I have a scene where I gave Daniel a hard time, and I have a scene where someone is giving me a hard time. I didn’t get to drive cars over cliffs, sadly!’
Like past villains Jaws, Blofeld and Oddjob, Le Chiffre is sure to be a hit with the kids and Mads’ son Carl is already more than impressed with his dad’s latest acting job.
He was delighted to star opposite Daniel Craig who, he believes, makes the perfect James Bond.
Mads said: ‘Daniel is a brilliant actor, he is perfect for the part. Bond has been around for many years and this Bond needed a very strong actor.’
‘Daniel looks like a guy who can kill people with his bare hands and this is the character. He was fantastic, and you could work with him.’
Mads admitted he never watched the original 1967 Casino Royale and has never read the book. He said: ‘I haven’t seen the original film, and I didn’t read the book. I have done several films based on books and I never read them or saw the film.’
‘This is this script and this film -this is to do with the director, the script and what I come up with.’
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Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond 007 film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production began shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006. Casino Royale will premiere on 14 November in London. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond; locations include the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.
The film co-stars Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies, Ivana Milicevic, Clemens Schick, Ludger Pistor, Claudio Santamaria, and Isaach De Bankole.
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