By Hanna Rantala
LONDON (Reuters) – Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen says his new movie “Another Round” became the most important thing he had ever done following the death of director Thomas Vinterberg’s daughter four days after shooting began in 2019.
Mikkelsen has been nominated for a best leading actor BAFTA for the movie and Vinterberg for a best director Oscar. The film has also been nominated in the foreign language categories at this year’s Oscars and BAFTAs.
Vinterberg’s daughter Ida, who was due to make her acting debut in “Another Round”, died in a car accident, aged 19, as filming commenced.
“It’s been a brutal and heartbreaking journey that ended up with a beautiful film. Obviously the price for that is too big but I think we are all really pleased that we can hail Ida through these nominations,” said Mikkelsen.
“We had a meeting, all of the actors and the writer and we sat down once Thomas decided that he wanted to continue with the film, to honour Ida,” he said. “It just became the most important thing any of us had ever done, I think.”
“Another Round” follows a group of teachers who make a pact to drink a certain amount of alcohol every day in the hope it will improve their lives. Their decision impacts their own lives and those of their students, family and friends.
“It’s an interesting thing because kids have been watching it and watching themselves up there. We’ve had anonymous alcoholics watching it and thinking the film was about them. We’ve had people my age identifying the dilemmas. So, I think you are taking out whatever you want to take out but in Thomas’s and my world it is a film about reclaiming your life, it is never too late,” Mikkelsen said.
Vinterberg and Mikkelsen previously collaborated on “The Hunt” which was nominated for a foreign film Oscar and Golden Globe award in 2014.
Mikkelsen, 55, is known for playing serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the U.S. television series “Hannibal” and parts in action movies “Doctor Strange” and “Casino Royale” and independent films such as “At Eternity’s Gate” and “Arctic”.
He is currently filming the third movie in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise in place of Johnny Depp, and has been attached to the upcoming Cold War drama “The Billion Dollar Spy”.
“I did this film (“Another Round”) a year and a half ago and then in between that and now I’ve done a couple of big blockbuster films. And going back and forth is like the best scenario I can dream of,” he said.
(Editing by Giles Elgood)
