Mads Mikkelsen: "There will never be a green revolution"
Mads Mikkelsen (46) is one of the biggest stars of Danish cinema
© Makela / CorbisChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: The Altona doctor Johann Friedrich Struensee was a man of the Enlightenment. He campaigned for freedom of expression, limited the rights of the nobility and strengthened the citizens. What ideals are worth fighting for in our modern world?
Mads Mikkelsen: For very similar. Unfortunately, in some parts of the world it is still not self-evident to be able to live in freedom and express one's opinion freely. Since the fight is far from over. In our part of the world, it's all about who is taking what money. We should concentrate on completely different things.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Namely?
Mads Mikkelsen: As the rich part of the earth, we need to think about how to change our way of life so that we can ensure the well-being of all. If we do not wake up slowly, the world will collapse. Only then will we all forcibly turn green.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: You've been dreaming of a green revolution for some time now.
Mads Mikkelsen: Unfortunately, that will not happen. We just hold each other's hands and promise each other to do something. But that will not work. There is only one thing that works: money. It must be economically worthwhile to produce an electric car, it has to look cool and drive as fast as possible. Only then will something change. Promises alone are useless. Otherwise there will always be a powerful one who says: If you do not change anything, I will not change anything.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: What do you do for the environment?
Mads Mikkelsen: If I had a new house, I would definitely be energy efficient, but mine is very old. That's not possible. For that I drive a lot of bicycle, try to leave the car, prefer to take the train. Of course that's easier said than done. If you have to go to five different places and need 20 minutes to get there by car, but the train takes two and a half hours, the train just will not pay. The freedom of the car that everyone loves. That's why we have to find a way to make cars even cleaner.
Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen) falls in love with the young queen (Alicia Vikander) - a dangerous liaison
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Struensee takes for his political goals, but also for the love affair with the queen high risks. Are you a risk-taking person?
Mads Mikkelsen: The risks that Struensee has taken are very big. I do not think I would go that far. That borders on suicide. But I also believe that Struensee has not seen the risk in a long time. His gaze was obscured by his passion for the queen and his power at the court. In the end, he knows that things will not turn out well. Just before he is beheaded, he is still surprised that the whole city suddenly hates him. He did not see that coming. If he was not a broken man before, he definitely is in that moment.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: How is Struensee seen in Denmark today? As a hero?
Mads Mikkelsen: I think so, in Copenhagen we have a street named after him, he is definitely accepted. Most people see him as a man who has done good things for Denmark.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: And King Christian VII.?
Mads Mikkelsen: He was never as focused as the queen and the personal physician. It is certain that he has suffered from an illness, even if one does not know exactly under which. Throughout the years, he has been seen very differently: some say he was very charming, others just think he is crazy.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: What do you think about the current Danish royal family?
Mads Mikkelsen: We probably have the smartest and smartest royal house in Europe. The Danish royal family has always evolved with society, always keeping up with the times? without bending for it. I think she is doing a fantastic job. This feeling is shared by many Danes, even politically far left people respect the royal house. I do not understand the people who scream loudly for democracy. We have a democracy.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Do you know the members of the royal family personally?
Mads Mikkelsen: A little bit, I've met both children, Frederik and Joachim, several times. I also met the queen many times before.They are all very nice.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: How do you deal with your reputation? Does it bother you if you are recognized?
Mads Mikkelsen: No, not at all. That is clearly part of my job. If you're somewhere to present a movie, you're totally aware of it. When I walk the streets in Copenhagen on the other hand, I sometimes forget that people recognize me until someone addresses me. Then I wake up and think, yes, that's right, it's me too.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Struensee leaves his homeland Altona to follow the king. What would have to happen to leave Copenhagen?
Mads Mikkelsen: I always leave it to work somewhere else. But forever? That would not work. I could never give up my cultural roots and my language. Of course, there are other great cities. I love Berlin, New York, but I would always return to Copenhagen.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: You have played so many different characters. If you had to live on as one of them, who would you choose?
Mads Mikkelsen: For Bond villain LeChiffre, before he loses all his money. No, I think I do not want to be one of my characters. I love them all, but many are brutally killed or somehow broken. I do not think that's desirable.
The trailer for the movie "The Queen and the personal physician"
About the movie "The Queen and the personal physician"
Times of upheaval: In 1768 Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen) takes up a position as personal physician to the Danish King Christian VII (Mikkel Følsgaard). In his doctor's case, he also carries the ideas of enlightenment in addition to medicines. Increasingly Struensee gains influence on the mentally unstable king and is finally appointed secret cabinet minister. But with his revolutionary ideas, Struensee quickly makes enemies in the state of Denmark. When he begins an affair with Queen Caroline Mathilde (Alicia Vikander), this love is doomed to him ...
Nikolaj Arcel may have brought this important chapter of Danish history to the screen quite conventionally, but this does not make his well-stocked history film less worth seeing. At this year's Berlinale, "Die Königin und der Leibarzt" won the screenplay prize. In addition, Mikkel Følsgaard got the silver bear for his crazy good performance as King Christian VII.
