Mads Mikkelsen did not speak to Johnny Depp about playing Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts' series
Mads Mikkelsen and Johnny Depp
It's been a month since actor Mads Mikkelsen was named as Johnny Depp's replacement in the 'Fantastic Beasts' series. Depp, who was ousted from the third film after he lost the libel case against a UK tabloid which had called him a wife beater, had famously played Grindelwald in the fantasy series based on JK Rowling's books.
Mikkelsen, 55, spoke to Associated Press about the transition and admitted he had not spoken to Depp, 57, about the portraying the wizard villain.
"No, I don’t know him. I met him once," Mikkelsen said. "I wish I had his phone number but unfortunately, that’s not the case."
"The only approach I can have is to connect the bridge of what he did and what I'm going to do and we’ll see what it is," Mikkelsen added.
In an interview to Entertainmnet Weekly a few weeks back, Mikkelsen has opened up about the differences between his and Depp's portrayals of Grindelwald.
"Well it's going to be me, so that's a difference," he joked and added, "No, this is the tricky part. We're still working it out. There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I'm going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own."
Mikkelsensaid he was hoping to make the two versions of the character connect. "We have to find a few links (to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn't completely detach from what he's already masterfully achieved," Mikkelsen added.
Mikkelsen will be the third actor to portray the wizard in the franchise. In the first installment, Colin Farrell played a disguised version of the villain while Depp appeared in the part in a small portion at the end of the first film. He had a full fledged role in the second film.
