Before Mads Mikkelsen was Doctor Strange‘s resident villain, the actor very nearly starred in a different Marvel project. In 2005, 20th Century Fox was looking to bring Marvel’s most famous superhero family to the big screen, and Mikkelsen might have snagged himself a role in the studio’s first feature take on Fantastic Four.
That is, if Mikkelsen hadn’t walked out of his audition for the flick.
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In the past, the star has touched upon the fact that he auditioned for the Tim Story’s Fantastic Four films, but Mikkelsen recently shared new details about the ordeal. Now, fans know the star felt off about the whole audition, and it culminated in Mikkelsen walking out of the appointment.
Speaking with ShortList, Mikkelsen was asked about his so-called excruciating audition for Fantastic Four. It was there that the star admitted, “I think I walked out on the Fantastic Four one,” as he recalled the audition. “I think I actually said, ‘I can’t do it. It’s not about you, I’m sorry, this is wrong.’”
“We’ve all been there,” he continued. “We all show up and it’s a little office room with a desk and some books and they want you to do a scene where you have two lines โ maybe not even two lines โ maybe just “Bleurgh!” or “Get back!” And you’re hiding behind a palm tree that’s not there. It’s like, “Guys, couldn’t you have picked a different kind of scene to this? This is f*cking mad.” You feel like an idiot.”
Of course, there is little reason for Mikkelsen to regret his decision to walk on Fantastic Four. The 2005 film did well at the box-office but was poorly received by fans and critics. As for its sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the film floundered both critically and commercially. And, as most fans know, the most recent reboot of Fantastic Four from 2015 failed to impress.
On the other hand, Doctor Strange did do quite well with audiences. The origin tale debuted last November to rave reviews, and Mikkelsen’s antagonist was well-received alongside Benedict Cumberbatch’s lead.
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