Mads Mikkelsen says it would have been ‘creative suicide’ to copy Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts

‘We had to make it our own,’ star said

Mads Mikkelsen has opened up about replacing Johnny Depp in his latest film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

The Danish actor took over the role of Grindelwald when Depp resigned at the studio’s request after losing a libel case against The Sun over a 2018 article that called him a “wife beater”.

In a new interview with GQ, Mikkelsen discussed the “pressure” and process for differentiating his version of the Potterverse character from Depp’s earlier portrayal.

“To copy him would be creative suicide,” he explained, adding that he sees his Grindelwald as more of an extension rather than a hard reboot.

In the film, Mikkelsen shows a dramatically different Grindelwald: the shock-white hair is gone and the pale eye has been toned down.

He said: “We had to make it our own.”

While Mikkelsen acknowledged “there’s so much pressure” to save a franchise initially deemed “doomed” by the press, he said: “If you started listening to everything, you wouldn’t dare to take one step.”

Mads Mikkelsen in ‘Fantastic Beasts 3' (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

Despite any prior apprehension of Mikkelsen taking over for Depp, he has already received positive reviews from critics.

“Mikkelsen slips into the role of Grindelwald so naturally that it’s easy to forget Depp had ever played the role,” a review in Insider wrote.

He likened his approach to that of actor Daniel Craig, who “went to work” and stayed focused amid similar criticism during his 2006 debut as James Bond in Casino Royale.

“That’s the only thing you can do – and it’s the same for us,” Mikkelsen said.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is out in cinemas now.