‘It’s easy to forget Johnny Depp ever played the role’: Fantastic Beasts 3 critics praise Mads Mikkelsen performance

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “With Depp, I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to follow a wizard who comically looked like another bizarre invention out of the actor’s menagerie of eccentric characters he’s played over the years,” a review in Insider said. “In contrast, Mikkelsen plays Grindelwald with a suave, charming charisma that convinces you of why anyone would be seduced by this alluring, handsome wizard and be suckered into fighting a war for him.” The review added: “Mikkelsen slips into the role of Grindelwald so naturally that it’s easy to forget Depp had ever played the role.” Mads Mikkelsen in ‘Fantastic Beasts 3' Other critics concurred that Mikkelsen’s more relatable, charismatic Grindelwald is superior to Depp’s. While Depp’s take – essentially playing Grindelwald as a wild-haired freaky cult leader – was fine, Mikkelsen’s feels more dangerous, as he wields a public charm as crowd-pleasing, manipulative man of the people while hiding his inherent ruthless cruelty.” The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw agreed that “Mikkelsen gives a subtler and more insidious performance than Depp’s”, while Peter Debruge wrote for Variety that Mikkelsen’s iteration is “more grounded” and “less cartoonishly menacing”. “Mikkelsen’s simmering intensity adds a new layer of menace to the character but also suggests a credibly torrid romantic history with Dumbledore,” the publication’s four-star review said.