- Title: Mads Mikkelsen on his Oscar and BAFTA nominated 'Another Round'
- Date: 7th April 2021
- Summary: UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, SPAIN (MARCH 16, 2021) (REUTERS VIA ZOOM) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, MADS MIKKELSEN, SAYING: "It's an interesting thing because kids have been watching it and watching themselves up there. We've had anonymous alcoholics watching it and thinking the film was about them. We've had people my age identifying the dilemmas. So, I think you are taking out what ever you want to take out but in Thomas's and my world it is a film about reclaiming your life, it is never too late."
- Embargoed: 21st April 2021 10:22
- Keywords: Another Round Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen Mikkelsen award nominations Thomas Vinterberg
- Location: VARIOUS
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- Country: Various
- Topics: Celebrities,Arts/Culture/Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA005E7IVFWT
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen says his new movie "Another Round" became the most important thing he had ever done following the death of director Thomas Vinterberg's daughter four days into shooting of the film in 2019.
Mikkelsen has been nominated for a best leading actor BAFTA for his performance in the movie and Vinterberg for a best director Oscar, both a rare recognition for international filmmakers. The movie has also been nominated in the foreign language film categories at this year's Oscars and BAFTAs.
Vinterberg's daughter Ida, who was due to make her acting debut in "Another Round", tragically died in a car accident, aged 19 just as filming commenced.
"It's been a brutal and heartbreaking journey that ended up with a beautiful film. Obviously the price for that is too big but I think we are all really pleased that we can hail Ida through these nominations that's coming our way and this is especially what we are focusing on," said Mikkelsen in a Zoom interview from Spain.
"Another Round" follows a group of teachers who make a pact to consume a small amount of alcohol each day in the hope it will improve the quality of their lives. Their decision naturally not only impacts their own lives but those of their students, families and friends.
Mikkelsen said he had been overwhelmed by the film's reception, adding that he hoped audiences connected with its central theme of taking control of one's life.
"It's an interesting thing because kids have been watching it and watching themselves up there. We've had anonymous alcoholics watching it and thinking the film was about them. We've had people my age identifying the dilemmas. So, I think you are taking out what ever you want to take out but in Thomas's and my world it is a film about reclaiming your life, it is never too late," he said.
"We've all seen what alcohol can do to people and families, it can break unity and we've seen films on that and we've seen it in our lives. But we also know for sure what it can do on the positive side. It can lift a conversation. It can bring people into a zone of creativity etc and we wanted to explore that, maybe through the lens of Danish drinking culture but I think it's universal," he said.
Much of the movie was filmed in Ida's former high school, with scenes set in her classroom.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Vinterberg, 51, said he initially thought he would be unable to finish the movie following his daughter's passing but after consulting his psychiatrist and his family, they agreed that completing the project would give him a reason to get up in the morning.
"It's a strange blurry period in our lives," said Mikkelsen of the making of the movie.
"We had a meeting, all of the actors and the writer and we sat down once Thomas decided that he wanted to continue with the film, to honour Ida, we sat down and discussed how we should approach that and obviously agreed that there's not a lot of different things we should do because he would hate that. We should approach it as we always would."
"I think that the script was already full of appreciation for life, but I think that it became all about that, everything was about that eventually, without even addressing it. It just became the most important thing any of us had ever done, I think."
Vinterberg and Mikkelsen previously collaborated on "The Hunt" which was nominated for a foreign film Oscar and Golden Globe award in 2014, with Mikkelsen picking up the 2012 Cannes Film Festival best actor prize for his performance.
The actor, 55, is known for his role as serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the U.S. television series "Hannibal" and parts in action movies "Doctor Strange" and "Casino Royale" and independent films such as "At Eternity's Gate" and "Arctic".
He is currently filming the third film in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise, taking over the role of the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald from actor Johnny Depp, and has been attached to the upcoming Cold War drama "The Billion Dollar Spy".
Mikkelsen currently also stars in the sci-fi adventure "Chaos Walking", released in March, and will next be seen in the Danish movie "Riders of Justice".
"I did this film (Another Round) a year and a half ago and then in between that and now I've done a couple of big blockbuster films. And going back and forth is like the best scenario I can dream of. I love doing films with Thomas or people back home, I love doing films abroad as well that we cannot do back home."
"I see myself, if I'm lucky, that I'm doing the same kind of thing in the future. Sometimes you hit the bull's eye, sometimes not, but as long as I get the chance, I'm super pleased."
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