1.Prologue
The other day I got the opportunity to interview Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen for the show. Mikkelsen was in Japan promoting his film Arctic, the tale of a stranded man attempting to survive in the stark arctic tundra. He is a big name actor in his native country, known for his intense, haunting eyes and striking cheekbones. To American audiences, he is known for playing the villain in films like Casino Royale and the TV drama Hannibal.
2.Meeting Danish Actor Mads Mikkelsen
The interview took place at The Prince Park Tower Tokyo, in a spacious room with a combined living room, kitchen, and dining space. The interviews I’ve done in the past were mostly in relatively small spaces where only essential staff and crew remained; on this day a significantly larger number of people—who may or may not have had anything to do with what was going on—packed into the room as I nervously greeted Mikkelsen and sat down for the interview. He had just come from lunch.
Just as Mikkelsen was about to answer my first question, there were some technical difficulties with the audio equipment. Mikkelsen was calm and comfortable throughout, even helping the crew check if it was a problem with the cable connecting his lapel mic to his wireless transmitter. The pause also gave me an opportunity to just talk with him and ask him about his trip so far (he had just come from some sightseeing in Kyoto the day before). If anything, the technical issues helped loosen me up.
After a while, the same technical issue flared up again. I turned to Mikkelsen and asked if he’d experienced any similar technical trouble while shooting Arctic. He answered that the difficult weather conditions had posed all sorts of technical challenges, not the least of which was the tendency of batteries to stop working in low temperatures. It seems you could go to the ends of the Earth and still be unable to escape technical difficulties.
Arctic
This is the harrowing tale of a man left stranded in the Arctic after a plane crash. Recognizing that imposing a degree of order to his days will keep him mentally calm and focused, he follows a strict daily routine of signaling for help and fishing, until one day, a helicopter suddenly appears in the distance. This film contains very little dialogue and is mostly told through the actions, reactions, and expressions of the protagonist, played by Mads Mikkelsen.
3.About Mads Mikkelsen
Pusher
Set in Copenhagen, this crime thriller is about a low-level drug dealer who owes money to his drug boss scrambling to pay back his debts, only to sink further and further into trouble. Mikkelsen plays the protagonist’s sidekick, and subsequently starred in a sequel, Pusher 2.
Casino Royale
In a dramatic departure from the camp of the Pierce Brosnan years, this Daniel Craig-led reboot takes a more serious tone, and was met with critical and popular acclaim. Mikkelsen plays the villain Le Chiffre, who cries tears of blood.
Hannibal
This TV drama series depicts cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter’s years working as a brilliant forensic psychiatrist for the FBI.
4.On the “Gifts" of Nature
Mikkelsen has referred to Arctic—filmed in 19 days in freezing conditions in Iceland—as the most challenging shoot of his career.
When I asked him about the experience, he answered, “We spent 12, 15, 16 hours out there in this kind of weather, and it does take a toll. You are drained when you get back, and it was super cold." Then he said something I wasn’t expecting: “So we got some free gifts from the nature, and it’s just all about grabbing on to them and using them."
The concept of a gift in this sense is best translated into Japanese as either megumi (恵み) or okuri-mono (贈り物). Mikkelsen likely meant it in two senses.
The first is from a filmmaking perspective. The strong winds, sleet and snow, and -25 to -30 degree temperatures might have posed a challenge from a technical standpoint, but they also gave the film a sense of palpable danger that would likely not have been possible through the use of CGI. In fact, two days before filming was scheduled to start, Iceland was hit with the heaviest snowfall it had experienced in 50 years.
The second sense is about accepting nature’s blessings rather than attempting to subjugate it to our will. It is about an attitude of wanting to coexist with nature. It’s not surprising that Mikkelsen would feel that way, given the fact that he comes from a country known for its natural environment as well as for being one of the happiest countries in the world.
Mikkelsen actually used the word “gift" a second time in the interview, when I asked him about the film crew. “When we do a film like this, it’s obviously a difficult task for a film crew, but it also gives us some gifts that we can only dream of."
5.Mikkelsen’s Outlook on Life
Denmark’s official language is Danish, but it has a very effective English language education system, and a majority of Danes speak English as a second language. Mikkelsen is no exception, and speaks the language fluently.
In the second half of the interview, I asked him about English language education in Denmark. He explained to me that children in Denmark are exposed to Hollywood films and overseas television from a young age; crucially, the content is presented with subtitles rather than as dubbed versions. He talked about children being exposed movies and shows not just in English but French, Japanese, and other languages as well.
When I asked him about his own experience with languages, he spoke about how he enjoyed the fact that “they are very tightly connected with the culture as well.” He continued, “I fall in love with all languages if I spend time with them. Some can feel harsh in the beginning, but then, when you learn them, you can see all the nuances and it grows on you.”
By contrast, for many Japanese, learning English is seen as being difficult, and in especially bad cases, as a nuisance that’s not worth one’s time. When it comes to English, the Japanese harbor an inferiority complex, largely because the education system conditions them to hate the language. Many English teachers have never been to English-speaking countries, and some have never even had a meaningful encounter with a native English speakers. It is a hellish situation for both students and teachers. All of the hubbub surrounding the debate about introducing English education to elementary school students and the recent private English test fiasco all contribute to this unflattering image. Japanese students face a reality that is worlds apart from the romantic view of language that those like Mikkelsen possess.
In that sense, there is something we can all learn from Mikkelsen, who accepts harsh weather as a “gift” and sees language as something to enrich his life. And I’m certainly no exception, as the days grow shorter and colder and I find myself muttering samui, samui ( 寒い寒い, meaning cold, cold) under my breath.
Looking back, the technical difficulties the crew had during my interview with Mikkelsen were a “gift”—a blessing in disguise.
6.My Wardrobe for This Interview
Brown paisley necktie by Luigi Borrelli
Charcoal gray double-breasted suit by Global Style
