Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Mads Mikkelsen teases the sequel’s villain

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will be the last time Harrison Ford suits up as the heroic archeologist, and Mads Mikkelsen is grateful that he was there for Indy’s last adventure.

Mads Mikkelsen told Entertainment Weekly that he grew up watching the Indiana Jones movies. “When I was a kid, I had no idea that you could end up becoming an actor,” Mikkelsen said. “I was just watching [these films] like everybody else. It’s always been part of me; it’s been with me always, so that is a special thing to be part of now, like 40-something years later.” The actor added that his first meeting with Harrison Ford was rather special.

Actually, I met Indiana Jones before I met Harrison Ford, because he stepped out of his trailer after he had a costume fitting. And he stepped out with the hat, the jacket, and the whip, which was fun.

Mads Mikkelsen plays Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi turned scientist and mathematician. He seeks the Dial of Destiny, which could have the power to change history. “I think the passion for what he does and passion for what he’s looking for, without giving too much away, and the passion for him knowing that this can make the world a better place — all that I can identify with,” Mikkelsen said. “[But] what does a better place look like? This is where it gets tricky. So I just have to leave that out, and then I can replace the end goal with something else [in my mind]. And then it’s recognizable, for me at least.“

As we know, the opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny takes place in 1944, which is when Indy first meets Voller. “He’s a man who is very, very passionate about his job, the science of what he’s doing, and less so with the ideology of what he’s doing,” Mikkelsen said. “But if they can go hand in hand, that will be a good day for him.”

The chance to share the screen with Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones sequel was a wonderful experience for Mads Mikkelsen. “[Ford’s] just a fantastic actor,” Mikkelsen said. “He knows exactly what he’s doing wherever the camera is. And he doesn’t use enormous means to tell a story. For me, he’s like Buster Keaton, who kind of invented the close-up. He didn’t run to the camera, he made the camera come to him. And it’s wonderful to be that close to see him work. It was just a wonderful experience for me.” Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will hit theaters on June 30th, but will first premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18th.