I Don’t Know if It Was Fair, Depp Losing the Job: Mads Mikkelsen

Mads Mikkelsen replaced Johnny Depp as Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3.

Mads Mikkelsen and Johnny Depp

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, who will be replacing Johnny Depp in the third Fantastic Beasts movie, said that he wishes he could speak to Depp about his role as the Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald.

"I mean, obviously, they were going to do the film, and obviously he was not involved anymore. But I didn’t have a dog in that fight. And I don’t know what happened [in his private life], and I don’t know if it was fair, him losing the job, but I just knew that the show was going on, and I would’ve loved to have talked to him about it if I had the chance, but I just don’t know him in that sense."

Mads Mikkelsen to UK's The Times

Mikkelsen added that Warner Bros. was in a hurry to recast after Depp's exit and he agreed to the project since he loved the script.

“But they called me and they were obviously in a hurry, and I loved the script and so said yes. And I know it was controversial for many people, but that’s just the way it plays out once in a while,” he said.

Talking about this method for the role, Mikkelsen had told Collider that he won't be trying to copy Depp's style since it would be "creative suicide".

"Nobody’s interested in me going in there and trying to copy anything; that would be creative suicide immediately, especially when it’s been done before and masterfully," he said.

"So everybody’s expecting us to find a different path. Having said that, we need a bridge between what he did and what I’m gonna do, so those bridges you have to find together, whether it’s a certain look, whether it’s a certain attitude in certain situations, but you have to make it your own. Anything else would be plainly just creatively stupid.”

Mads Mikkelsen to Collider

Johnny Depp's Exit from Warner Bros.

In November 2020, Johnny Depp announced that he would exit the Warner Bros. franchise. "In light of recent events, I would like to make the following short statement. Firstly, I'd like t thank everybody who has gifted me with their support and loyalty," his statement read.

"Secondly, I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request," he added.

The announcement came after he lost the libel case against the British tabloid The Sun. In a 2018 article, the publication had referred to Depp as a "wife-beater", referring to Depp's former marriage to Amber Heard.

Fantastic Beasts 3

The Fantastic Beasts series, rumoured to have 5 installments, is part of the Harry Potter fictional universe. It is a prequel to Harry Potter films and stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander.

Jude Law is cast as the young Albus Dumbledore, the Hogwarts headmaster in Harry Potter. The movie also stars Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, Zoë Kravitz, Katherine Waterston, among others.

Fantastic Beast 3 (currently untitled) follows Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016) and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). Fantastic Beasts 3 is slated to be released on July 15, 2022.