'Dial of Destiny' villain Mads Mikkelsen says he 'met Indiana Jones before Harrison Ford'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Harrison Ford is finally bringing an end to his decades-long portrayal of the adventure-loving character of Indiana Jones. The franchise that has spanned five decades will see Ford whip away all the villains for one last time on June 30. ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ has been a long time coming. Its predecessor ‘The Kingdom of Crystal Skull’ came 15 years ago and since then both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have lost creative control over the project, an easement that they enjoyed for years.
The fifth Indiana Jones film features Harrison Ford as the titular character who teams up with his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) to stop an ex-Nazi scientist named Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) who is closely working with NASA. Voller’s goal is to make the world a better place, which eventually sets him on the path to seek the dial of destiny, a powerful ancient artifact that he can then use for his gain. Indy is hot on Voller’s heels but given that Voller has learned from history, it will be tough for Indy to outsmart a former Nazi scientist who wishes to do something that even Hitler couldn’t. Mikkelsen, who is joining the franchise for the first time, later revealed that before he knew Harrison Ford, he knew all about the world of Indiana Jones.
What does Mads Mikkelsen say about playing Jurgen Voller?
Mikkelsen was delighted to be a part of 'Indiana Jones', a franchise he thoroughly enjoyed as a kid. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Mikkelsen mentioned, "When I was a kid, I had no idea that you could end up becoming an actor. 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." Mikkelsen recalled his first meeting with Harrison Ford and revealed, "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."
In the trailer of ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’, Jurgen Voller states that “Hitler made mistakes” and he will correct them. Mikkelsen noted that his character in the film disagreed with a lot of things that Hitler said. "I do think that he disagreed with Hitler on a lot of things. And [his ideas] might even be a better version than Hitler's, but still, one man deciding everything is never a good solution,” he said. While developing the character of the German villain, Mikkelsen didn’t go all out but discussed the specifics with director James Mangold. "We didn't want to go full-blown German accent because we've seen it a lot, and it can become borderline cliche, right? So we found a few vowels where he's insisting on being German, but that's about it,” he revealed.
What to expect from 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'?
The fifth installment of the franchise promises to be a high-octane edge-of-the-seat thriller that is bound to entertain. The plot revolves around the archaeologist and adventurer looking after the legendary Dial of Destiny against the backdrop of the Space Race. Jones' doubts are aroused when the US Government recruits their former World War II enemies in their desperation to beat the Soviet Union out in the competition to make it to space. His goddaughter, Helena, accompanies him on his journey. Meanwhile, Voller, a NASA member and ex-Nazi involved with the moon-landing program, wishes to make the world a better place as he sees fit. With the fifth installment being Ford's last rodeo as the titular character, fans can expect nothing short of fireworks.
‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' hits theatres in the US on June 30, 2023.