Mads Mikkelsen's fairly unknown origins made his casting as the titular psychiatrist-turned-cannibal in Hannibal perfect. The Danish actor played the role in all three of the NBC show's seasons. Co-starring alongside him were Hugh Dancy as criminal profiler Will Graham and Laurence Fishburne as BSU Agent-in-Charge Jack Crawford.
While Mads Mikkelsen was neither a cannibal nor a psychiatrist in his youth, he was, in fact, a gymnast and professional dancer. Mikkelsen trained as a gymnast as a child, with the intention of becoming a professional athlete, before studying ballet at the Balettakademien in Sweden. He spent almost a decade as a dancer before moving on to study drama at the Århus Theatre School in 1996 and making his screen debut in Nicolas Winding Refn's directorial debut Pusher that same year. Mikkelsen's background in gymnastics and ballet gives his version (over Anthony Hopkins') of Hannibal Lecter a certain physicality. He also clearly demonstrates his physical skill in Hannibal's impressive fight scenes, especially during season 2.
Mads Mikkelsen’s Dance Origins Make Hannibal's Fight Scenes Even Better
Mads Mikkelsen's background as a dancer shines in his impressive fight scenes in Hannibal. Through his background, Mikkelsen's familiarity with choreography prepared him to actually perform the majority of his stunts in the fights without the necessity of a stunt double. This results in more visceral and intimate fight scenes, due to the crew not having to hide a stunt double or untrained actor, with controversial techniques like shaky cam or fast cutting.
The greatest example of Mikkelsen's background as a dancer is found in one of the fight scenes shown in the second season of Hannibal. Mikkelsen gracefully jumps over his kitchen island, after having thrown a knife in Jack Crawford's hand, in order to attack him. It is shot cleanly, with Mikkelsen's face in full view. The fight then highlights the differences between Crawford and Lecter; Crawford's attacks are strong, but lack focus, whereas Hannibal always looks for ways to take the advantage, usually by making use of his kitchen utensils. A scene as physically demanding, yet so character-focused would not have been possible without an actor with intense physical training, such as Mikkelsen.
Mikkelsen's Past Helps Make His Hannibal Different To The Movie Version
Mads Mikkelsen's past as a gymnast and trained ballet dancer gives his Hannibal Lecter a physicality not present in Anthony Hopkins' version. This is not to say that Anthony Hopkins' turn as Hannibal Lecter is bad, by any means. Hopkins gives one of his greatest performances in The Silence of the Lambs, without even mentioning the fact that he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1992, despite only having 24 minutes of screen time. Hopkins makes every second of his performance count, and it truly leaves a terrifying impression. However, Mads Mikkelsen's background as a dancer gives his Hannibal a certain gracefulness that Hopkins' rendition of the character does not have.