Mads Mikkelsen Says Method Acting Is ‘Bulls**t’ And 'Pretentious'

All serious thespians cover your ears because Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has slammed method acting as ‘bull s**t’.

In an interview with GQ, the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore star called out other actors who go to extreme lengths for their roles; even labelling it ‘pretentious’.

"I would have the time of my life, just breaking down the character constantly," he said.

"I'm having a cigarette. This is from 2020, it's not from 1870 — can you live with it?' It's just pretentious. Daniel Day-Lewis is a great actor. But it's got nothing to do with this."

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The Danish star, who replaced Johnny Depp as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the upcoming Harry Potter spin-off flick, also spoke of the dangers of method acting and the 'insanity' of immersing yourself in characters off-camera.

"Preparation, you can take into insanity," he said. 

"What if it's a s**t film — what do you think you achieved? Am I impressed that you didn't drop character? You should have dropped it from the beginning! How do you prepare for a serial killer? You gonna spend two years checking it out?"

Let’s just hope Daniel Day-Lewis never has to play Jeffrey Dahmer.

The Casino Royale star also condemned the media for praising method acting and creating 'Oscars buzz' for those who display such commitment to their character. 

"The media goes, 'Oh my god, he took it so seriously, therefore he must be fantastic; let's give him an award,'" he said. 

"Then that's the talk, and everybody knows about it, and it becomes a thing."

Mikkelsen's comments come after Jared Leto made headlines earlier this month for method acting so hard in his film Morbius that it led to production delays. 

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Morbius' director, Daniel Espinosa, said the actor was highly committed to accurately portraying the physical limitations of his character, Dr Michael Morbius.

According to Uproxx, he confirmed Leto would even use crutches when the cameras weren’t rolling, pushing back production schedule as it would take him 45 minutes to go to the bathroom.

Eventually, the crew decided to transport the 50-year-old via a wheelchair to help fasten bathroom breaks to avoid shooting delays.

While his approach to the role caused interruptions to production, Espinosa said that he fully ‘supported’ Leto’s choice. 

“Even though he's alive and strong, it has to be a difference. Hey, man, it’s people’s processes," he said.

“All of the actors believe in processes. And you, as director, you support whatever makes it as good as you can be."

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Charisa Bossinakis

Charisa Bossinakis is an Associative Journalist at LADbible. Charisa has worked across various media platforms including, print, digital, radio and podcasting while maintaining the highest regard for quality work and integrity. She also covered everything from breaking news, to pop culture, entertainment and politics and is part of the editorial team for LADbible.

@CBossinakis