Fantastic Beasts 3 has Mads Mikkelsen taking over as the franchise's central villain, Gellert Grindelwald. As it turns out, he's the perfect choice.
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore had the daunting task of recasting the role of Gellert Grindelwald, but it turns out Mads Mikkelsen is not only remarkable in the role but far more effective than his predecessor Johnny Depp. Recasting a prominent character in a well-known franchise has always been a tough undertaking for any studio, and an actor as well known as Johnny Depp is no easy act to follow. But it does seem Warner Bros. made the right choice with Mikkelsen and in fact improved the character in the process.
Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald used Johnny Depp to portray the wanted criminal wizard Grindelwald to great success. Whatever flaws any viewers may have found in the movie, Depp’s performance was deemed worthy of the classic character audiences had not yet seen fleshed out on the big screen. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them also featured Depp in the role but not until the very end after Colin Farrell had played Grindelwald under the guise of Lord Percival Graves through most of the movie. However, Depp was let go from the franchise after the second film, forcing Warner Bros. to search for a suitable replacement for one of the most central figures in the franchise.
When it was announced Mads Mikkelsen was to play Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore, reactions were mixed. Some felt Mikkelsen was an acceptable replacement, but many were insistent Jonny Depp should have remained in the role. Public reaction aside, the studio moved the franchise forward with its new Grindelwald. When the first trailers were released, some viewed Mikkelsen a bit more favorably in the role, but the detractors were still prominent and loud. Many found it off-putting that Mikkelsen’s look and demeanor as Grindelwald were not very similar at all to Depp’s from the previous installments. It took until the release of the film in theaters to fully gauge Mikkelsen’s performance, and it does look as if the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Ironically, the differences between Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald and Depp’s are what have been receiving the most praise. Consequently, despite initial skepticism, it's now clear that Mads Mikkelsen's Grindelwald is a better representation of the character than Depp's original version.
Clearly, no actor is capable of fully replicating the performance of another, even if they’re meant to be portraying the same character. In the case of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, it seems Mads Mikkelsen has made little effort to resemble the characteristics Johnny Depp employed when portraying the same role prior to him. Rather than take a stylistic approach to the role the way Depp did, Mikkelsen is a more grounded Grindelwald. While Depp chewed the scenery whenever he was on screen, Mikkelsen manages to play the villainous wizard with more subtlety. He’s less cartoonish and more relatable as a man. Depp’s Grindelwald, though memorable and captivating, can be seen as a bit too similar to his various other outlandish cinematic roles.
Mikkelsen’s appearance is quite different as well. Depp was given almost unrealistically pale skin and usually bleach blonde hair, and his heterochromia was so pronounced it was distracting at times. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore tones down Grindelwald’s appearance by having his hair appear to be greying as man in his middle age. The bleach blonde mustache Depp donned in his two films was shaved off for Mikkelsen’s portrayal as well.
As a more grounded character, Mikkelsen is able to enter each scene with his counterpart Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) with an ease and believable back-and-forth that Depp’s Grindelwald would have been unable to. From the very beginning of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Mikkelsen and Law portray their respective roles with intimacy, intensity, and charm that gives audiences a deep sense of who these wizards are to each other. For the first time in wizarding world (and possibly the entire fantasy genre) cinematic history, a love story between men is a key element to the plot. This type of narrative requires relatable moments and palpable chemistry. Mikkelsen’s understated tone and slightly affectionate gestures play perfectly with Law’s sophisticated yet endearing nature. This gives their scenes together the right tone to effectively indicate the love between Grindelwald and Dumbledore, even if it is amid their deep rivalry.
While Johnny Depp has a wealth of talent when portraying larger-than-life characters, his choices as Grindelwald would not have worked opposite Jude Law’s Dumbledore. The two actors had the good fortune of not appearing in any of the same scenes during Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, so their characters never needed to match or play off each other. Had Depp continued his role in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, his slightly cartoonish Grindelwald would have felt awkward opposite Jude Law’s dignified Dumbledore. The closeness of the two wizards may not have come through.
An important distinction between Mikkelsen’s and Depp’s portrayals of Grindelwald is that the former is a much more believable extension of the wizard readers of the Harry Potter books have come to know. While Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald fleshed out the character in more detail than any references he received in the literature on which the film franchise is based, Depp’s character choices and line deliveries seemed at odds with the personality of the young wizard introduced to readers of the books. Grindelwald in the books spoke of leading the magical world to a better future and inspiring the masses to follow him. His passion and drive was enough to have a young Dumbledore not only join his cause but also fall in love with him. Depp portrayed the same man with almost a one-dimensional barbarity that would make it hard for any reasonable witch or wizard to want to follow him, let alone fall in love with him.
Mikkelsen, on the other hand, plays Grindelwald as a dynamic villain who possesses a grace and sentiment that make his appeal believable. His exchanges with Dumbledore as well as Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), and Yusuf Karma (William Nadylam) show how alluring his words can be and help audiences understand why those around him would want to join him. While exuding a towering presence when addressing his crowds of followers, he maintains his engaging charm amid one-on-one conversations. The young wizard readers met in the books would more likely grow up into the man Mikkelsen embodies rather than Depp’s caricature of a villain.
Perhaps the most important difference between the two actors’ performances is that Mads Mikkelsen is simply the better actor, at least in regards to their shared role. Johnny Depp is a superb actor, and his talents should not be undervalued. But in Mikkelsen's portrayal of Grindelwald, his subtleties, expressions, and line delivery arguably outshine the performance of his predecessor. When portraying many of his previous roles, Depp’s acting fit perfectly with the over-the-top nature of the characters. But Gellert Grindelwald, while magnetic and driven, is not an exaggerated figure. Mikkelsen said more with a look and a facial expression than Depp did in an entire monologue.
Mads Mikkelsen had everything to prove when assuming the role of Gellert Grindelwald, and, as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore shows, he has delivered exactly what he needed to and more. Few actors have been able to, or even been willing to, take up a role made famous by another actor. The few that have tried were often compared endlessly to their predecessor. But in the case of Grindelwald, it seems like the second time’s the charm. While the future of the Fantastic Beasts movies may be uncertain, the work of Mikkelsen as the films’ central villain gives the franchise a push in a positive direction.
