Mads Mikkelsen describes how he wrote his background to the character of Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Mads Mikkelsen reveals that he created his backstory for evil anti-theft wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Directed by David Yates and starring Mikkelsen, Eddie Redmayne, and Jude Law, Dumbledore's Secrets is the third film in the Fantastic Beasts prequel series and will see Dumbledore Newt Scamander tasked with infiltrating Grindlewald's army. The film will be released in theaters today and will look to deliver a solid box office hit to battle the controversy that has plagued its production up to this point.
Most of this controversy has surrounded the character of Grindlewald, played by Johnny Depp in the first two Fantastic Beasts films. In November 2020, after filming began, Depp announced that he would not be returning to the role after Warner Brothers asked him to resign in the face of a libel case the actor was fighting in London at the time. That same month, the studio announced that Mikkelsen would replace Depp in the role.
Now, in an interview with THR, Mikkelsen has described how he developed his backstory for the character to help him with the role. He states that he wants to ask c. Rowling, who created the character, to explain why exactly Grindlewald hates non-wizards so much but instead decides to come up with something on his own. Wanting to avoid portraying Grindlewald as an "instant demagogue," Mikkelsen instead chose a tragic personal history to help flesh out his background. You can read the full quote below:
"I just don't want him to be an instant demagogue. The reason is that something happened to his entire family when he was a kid that explains the hate he carries. It's a wonderful, detailed, and intricate world that [Rowling] has created, and I'd like to hear her thoughts on it. I hope to do more than this (Rolling) (the film). "
Interestingly, Rowling gave Mikkelsen the freedom to craft his background, allowing the actor to put his unique stamp on the character. Mikkelsen got into the Fantastic Beasts franchise in a tough spot by replacing Depp, so it's good to see he wasn't creatively caught up. His idea makes Grindelwald a somewhat sympathetic character, as the audience can at least understand where he's coming from (even if they don't quite agree with his methods). Rowling's approach appears to have paid off. Although Fantastic Beasts 3 received mixed reviews from critics, Mikkelsen's performance is seen as one of the highlights of the film.
Mikkelsen is keen to continue playing the character, but whether or not he will get that chance remains to be seen. Originally, there was a five-movie plan for the Fantastic Beasts series, but since then it was revealed Fantastic Beasts 4 wasn't greenlit yet. Warner Bros. awaits. See how The Secrets of Dumbledore performs at the box office before deciding on the future of the franchise. If the film can rebound from its disappointing international debut and publish stronger numbers, perhaps Mikkelsen will remove additional layers from Grindelwald's dramatic story in the next installment and shed more light on the villain's rich history.