Mads Mikkelsen on “The Last Viking,” Toxic Masculinity, and a Truly Unforgettable Hairstyle
The Danish superstar reflects on his latest collaboration with Anders Thomas Jensen, a film attracting over 600,000 moviegoers, and the enduring power of finding empathy in even the most outlandish characters.
Mads Mikkelsen, arguably the world’s biggest Danish movie star, doesn’t shy away from discomfort in his work – but he’ll never forget the sewer-smelling permanent hairstyle he endured while filming “The Last Viking.” The film, a screwball comedy from the uniquely eccentric Anders Thomas Jensen, has proven a major hit, yet for Mikkelsen, it was the hair that truly took the prize. “Maybe we went a little too far with the hairstyle?” he laughs, gesturing to his head, now adorned with his natural gray locks.
The actor was speaking from an outdoor sofa in a deserted “lounge club” on the Lido in Venice, where “The Last Viking” had its world premiere in September. Dressed in a tan suit and chain-smoking filterless cigarettes, Mikkelsen spoke as rain poured down, caught by a soaked parasol overhead.
“The Last Viking” centers on Manfred, a mentally ill man portrayed by Mikkelsen, who sports a curly rock star hairstyle and a blue windbreaker. Manfred is a quirky character who steals dogs, jumps out of windows, and casually requests “a glass of blackcurrant juice.” The plot thickens with the return of his older brother, Anker (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), fresh from a long prison sentence and demanding his share of buried loot – loot only Manfred remembers the location of, lost as he is in a dissociative identity disorder and a rotating cast of alter egos, including John Lennon. This leads Manfred into a psychological experiment, forming a cover band playing songs by The Beatles and Abba.
“I see this dude as someone who just wants to be loved and accepted – at any cost,” Mikkelsen explains, recounting a key line from the film: “Everybody loves me.” “Because you’re John?” “Yes, because I’m John.”
This is Mikkelsen’s sixth collaboration with Jensen, a partnership spanning 25 years, beginning with “Flashing Lanterns” and continuing through films like “The Green Butchers,” “Adam’s Apples,” “Men & Hens,” and “Riders of Justice.” Jensen’s work is known for its twisted, tragicomic exploration of dark themes – incest, fetal experiments, neo-Nazis, cannibalism, and even cancer-curing headshots – all delivered with a blend of anarchic humor and biting satire on toxic masculinity.
Mikkelsen wryly describes “The Last Viking” as another “boy’s ass film” – a “macho boy film.” However, he quickly adds, “But there is always something deeply poetic and empathetic in Anders Thomas’ films. He takes on the very biggest questions in the universe – God, Satan, life and death – and packs them into total madness.” He smiles, adding, “I am simply in love with his way of making films and feel blessed to be part of his small group. He is a unique filmmaker who is one of a kind. We should be happy that we have him in Denmark!”
The Danish public appears to agree. In just over a month, “The Last Viking” has drawn over 600,000 viewers. Mikkelsen believes this success reflects a gradual evolution in their collaborative work. “’Flashing Lanterns’ was the most innocent and ‘safe’ film, but since then we have become braver, step by step. We have pushed the boundaries for each film – both in terms of the characters and the way of telling. We don’t want to repeat ourselves.”
In Jensen’s previous film, “Rättfärdigheten ryttare” (2020), Mikkelsen played a soldier investigating a conspiracy. Ironically, he and Lie Kaas were originally slated to swap roles in “The Last Viking.” “Since I was a ‘straight guy’ last time, Nikolaj wanted to change this time. But even Jensen’s ‘straight guys’ are a bit crazy,” Mikkelsen laughs.
He admits finding it difficult to identify with Manfred, unlike many of his other roles. “Haha, no, I don’t recognize myself that much in Manfred – but I’m trying to find his emotions in me, even if they are triggered by something else. For him, everything is manifested in the name, ‘John Lennon,’ but fundamentally it is about something deeper. Like when advertising sells a lifestyle – he sees it and thinks: ‘If I do, I will be loved.’”
Mikkelsen emphasizes the distinction between inhabiting a role and genuinely believing oneself to be a Viking or a rock star. “As an actor, I always have to be a little smarter than my character, even if I play Einstein. It’s the only way to control the story. Drama occurs when a character does not see himself clearly – and that probably applies to all of us, we often live on premises we are not even aware of.”
“The Last Viking” also features a parallel, animated saga serving as a “woke satire” about a Viking group practicing radical equality. “Both parts of the film deal with issues of identity and how much one should tolerate other people’s self-images. Deep down, it’s about my character missing his father’s love – and thirsting for his brother’s.” Mikkelsen and Jensen meticulously worked to establish “anchors” within the story – grounding points amidst the chaos. “As soon as we find those points, we can go very far with the insanity, but without them there will only be chaos. We are constantly balancing on the line between the believable and the exaggerated – and sometimes we step over it.”
He explains that the extremity of the characters allows for almost anything, but maintaining balance is crucial. “If we go too far, it is immediately noticeable in the cutting. When I first read the script, I was most drawn to the dynamic of the dysfunctional sibling relationship – one yearning for love, the other just wanting to get away. But as in many of Anders Thomas’s films, there is always a bond of fate. The family is the heart.”
Ultimately, as Mikkelsen suggests, all you need is love.
Image of “Bastarden”
Photo: Henrik Ohsten
Image of “The Hunt”
Photo: Zentropa Entertainments/Kobal/REX
Image of “One more round”
Photo: Henrik Ohsten
Image of “Hannibal”
Foto: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
Fact: Mads Mikkelsen
Born in 1965 in Østerbro, Copenhagen, Mikkelsen is the younger brother of Lars Mikkelsen (“Crime,” “House of Cards,” “Sherlock”). He began his career as a dancer in the 1980s before transitioning to acting in the mid-1990s, debuting in Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Pusher” (1996). He won the Best Actor award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival for “The Hunt” and received an honorary prize at the 2019 Gothenburg Film Festival. He has twice been awarded Best Male Lead at the European Film Awards, for “Another Round” (2020) and “Bastarden” (2023), which is currently competing at the 2024 Gothenburg Film Festival.
Notable film and television roles include:
- “Pusher” (1996)
- “Flashing Lanterns” (2000)
- “Love You Forever” (2002)
- “Casino Royale” (2006)
- “The Flame and the Lemon” (2007)
- “A Royal Affair” (2012)
- “Hannibal” (2013-2015)
- “Doctor Strange” (2016)
- “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)
- “Arctic” (2017)
- “At Eternity’s Gate” (2018)
- “Another Round” (2020)
- “Riders of Justice” (2020)
- “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (2023)
- “Bastarden” (2023)
- “The Last Viking” (2025)
You can read more about Anders Thomas Jensen’s work here. You can also find more information about Mads Mikkelsen’s career here.
