Before we go any further, let it be known that I am a Johnny Depp fan. I’ve seen every movie he’s ever been in, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as an actor.
But Johnny’s departure from the Fantastic Beasts franchise may have been a blessing in disguise. Call it an unpopular opinion, but it’s my strong belief that Mads Mikkelsen is a far better actor than Johnny Depp.
To begin with, Mads is a much more suitable villain than Johnny.
In all the roles Johnny has performed over the course of his career, he’s played a convincing villain just one time in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street .
Mads is quite literally the villain in every role he’s ever played. Most memorably in Hannibal .
Unlike his predecessor, Mads can be genuinely terrifying when he wants to be.
Be honest: have you ever been scared by Johnny Depp? I mean, his role as the Hatter in Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass was terrifying but for different reasons.
Mads is chilling. He’s austere and mysterious in ways that we’ve just never seen from Johnny Depp.
The best days of Johnny Depp are in the past, whereas Mads Mikkelsen remains hungry and driven.
If I’m being honest, Johnny hasn’t made a good movie since Dark Shadows and even saying that is a stretch. Coincidentally, it was also the last film he made with director Tim Burton.
In the last five years alone, Mads has starred in Star Wars: Rogue One , Dr. Strange , and At Eternity’s Gate .
Johnny Depp has made a career off of doing one thing very well.
That one thing: is being Johnny Depp. He doesn’t act, he just plays himself in every single movie he’s ever been in.
In this way, he’s akin to Denzel Washington or Anthony Hopkins — you always know what you’re going to get. It may vary by a few degrees, but there’s never any real surprise.
Whereas Mads is a true character actor at heart.
Johnny Depp is one of the most recognizable movie stars on the planet. We always see him as Johnny Depp first, and whatever character he’s portraying, second.
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On the contrary, I didn’t even know Mads was in Dr. Strange until the credits ran.
He’s also one of the most highly decorated actors in the Danish film industry.
Over the course of his career, Mads has tallied over 35 European Film Award nominations. He may not has the name recognition that Johnny has, but he is every bit as serious and as decorated an actor — if not even more so.
And it appears that a number of fans are already on board.
I couldn’t have said it better myself: Mads Mikkelsen is impossible to hate. Anyone with eyes to see is aware of his talents.
With him at the helm, I feel confident in saying that the Fantastic Beasts franchise is in good hands, for perhaps the first time ever.