2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved / Jaap Buitendijk
In the current Marvel film » Morbius «, Oscar winner Jared Leto plays a scientist who suffers from a rare blood disease and is therefore dependent on crutches. Leto became so immersed in his role that it even delayed filming : it just takes longer to hobble to the bathroom with crutches than without. And Leto is by no means the only actor who works like this.
Jim Carrey’s performance on the set of the biopic » The Moon Man » is also legendary, where he appeared as the thoroughly annoying comedian Andy Kaufmann the whole time, thus testing the patience of his colleagues* (to be seen in the documentary film » Jim and Andy «).
Mads Mikkelsen doesn’t like the method
But there is another way: Mads Mikkelsen from Denmark, known for Hollywood films, Danish comedies and the brutal series «Hannibal», thinks absolutely nothing of this kind of acting and expressed his dislike in GQ magazine , where he gave a contemptuous , but also takes an impressively pragmatic look at the method (which is commonly attributed to method acting, although strictly speaking method acting is not about milieu studies, physical changes or staying in a role).
» That’s bullshit ,» said Mikkelsen. “Preparing for a role can be maddening. And what if you’re in a shitty movie — what have you actually achieved? Should I be impressed then that you always stayed in your character? You shouldn’t have slipped into the role in the first place! And how do you actually prepare to play a serial killer, do you then try it for two years?”
A great spectacle for the media
When it comes to the question of how much it actually brings to fully dedicate yourself to a role, there is no consensus in the acting guild. On the other hand, it is undisputed that actors* are then sure to attract the attention of the media — absurd anecdotes from the set simply make good stories. «The media then goes, ‘Oh my god, he takes it so seriously so he must be amazing. Let’s give him a price,» Mads Mikkelsen etched on .
Mads Mikkelsen is currently in theaters as the villain Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3: Secrets of Dumbledore without having first committed himself to dark magic for two years or continued to perform magic after a take was over. Instead, he was described by director David Yates as the funniest guy on set at the official press conference. Mikkelsen took over the part at very short notice after Studio Warner decided during the ongoing shooting not to continue working with the scandal-ridden Johnny Depp.
» «Fantastic Beasts 3» DVD, Blu-ray & 4K at Amazon *
The discussion about the pros and cons of acting methods is old. One of the most popular anecdotes comes from the set of the 1970s thriller The Marathon Man , starring a young Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier , who was already a British acting legend. Olivier then asked Hoffman how the scene in which Hoffman’s character hadn’t slept for three days went, and the younger actor recounted that he too went through 72 hours of sleep deprivation especially for the scene. Laurence Olivier’s dryly British comment on this:
«My dear boy, why don’t you just try acting?»
«Fantastic Beasts 3»: Is Mads Mikkelsen a good Johnny Depp successor?
In our new podcast episode, we discuss Fantastic Beasts 3: Secrets of Dumbledore, including how Mads Mikkelsen is doing as Johnny Depp’s replacement.
*The links to the Amazon offer are so-called affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we will receive a commission.
Tags
Mads#Mikkelsen#Calls#Method#Acting#’Bullsh-t’
Fantastic#Beasts#3#Star#Mads#Mikkelsen#Disses#Method#Acting
Mads#Mikkelsen#on#Method#Acting:#‘It
