Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 star Mads Mikkelsen blames his accent for Hollywood villain roles

Mads Mikkelsen has joked that his accent is to blame for being repeatedly cast as a villain in Hollywood films.

The Danish actor, best known for playing Dr Hannibal Lecter in the television series Hannibal and Le Chiffre in James Bond film Casino Royale, said his roles in English-speaking productions have often been very different from those he is offered in Europe.

Speaking to the London Standard ahead of the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Mikkelsen said: “I get offered very different things.

Mikkelsen spoke to the London Standard ahead of the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

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“It can be from drama to comedy to horror back home, but it has been villains a lot in America and in the UK.

“I gotta blame the accent. The funny accent is always something that they find very lucrative for Hollywood.”

Mikkelsen joins the blockbuster video game franchise as Archer, although the actor remained tight-lipped about his character's motivations.

He said: “I can tell you very little. “He's obviously somebody who's got friends in this game and also enemies and that might be a blurry little line for some of the players.

Mikkelsen joins the blockbuster video game franchise as Archer

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”But he will come up with some answers that people have been looking for throughout the years.”

The actor, who previously appeared in Hideo Kojima's video game Death Stranding, said he was drawn to the new project partly because of its story and partly because of his son's enthusiasm for the franchise.

He explained: “They threw the pitch my way and showed me some of the stuff they had intentions of doing and it sounded and looked spectacular.

The Standard spoke to Mikkelsen ahead of the release of the new game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

Thestandard

“It's my son's favourite game. So he would probably have killed me if I'd turned it down.”

Mikkelsen said the process can be “surprising” for actors who have not worked on many video games, as it is so “different” from film acting.

He added: “We have a camera attached to our forehead and we are wearing tight suits and a lot of dots on our faces.

“We warm up in a funny way to satisfy the camera's needs.

Mikkelsen plays the main antagonist, Le Chiffre, in the film Casino Royale

“That's all fun and interesting, but, but once we start shooting, we're doing scenes like we would as actors in a film or on a theater, whatever it is.”

Despite his familiarity with the franchise, Mikkelsen admitted he was not a gamer himself, revealing that his son had attempted to introduce him to the game before he began working on it.

Comparing his experiences on Death Stranding and Modern Warfare 4, Mikkelsen said the latter involved a more concentrated period of filming, with the actors working together for around a week.

He believes the boundaries between cinema and gaming will continue to blur as the two industries learn from one another.

“The world I come from, which is movies and then the game world, they're morphing into each other more and more for good reason,” he said.

“There is an inspiration from both sides that we can cherish and work and build upon.”

The actor also weighed in on the growing use of artificial intelligence across the entertainment industry, predicting that it would take creative work in directions that were difficult to imagine.

He explained: “I have a hunch that the AI's gonna obviously take it somewhere we haven't even imagined, but I also think there will be some kind of eagerness just to go old school with certain things and be proud of, 'We didn't use AI, we did this.

The star believes the boundaries between cinema and gaming will continue to blur as the two industries learn from one another

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“I think we'll find a fine balance eventually.”

Away from the screen, Mikkelsen revealed that his favourite things about London were its traditional pubs, architecture, and good old British sarcasm.

He said: “I love the old school pubs. I also love the buildings,” he said. “There's just a certain style that you don't find anywhere else.

“For a person who's Danish, we have a lot in common with the English.

Mikkelsen revealed that his favourite things about London were its traditional pubs, architecture, and good old British sarcasm.

“There’s a certain sense of sarcasm and irony that's always been there which we share with English people, and especially, I guess, Londoners.

“And we don't share it with the Swedes, who are right next to us.”

The actor joked that London always seemed to welcome him with sunshine, despite its reputation for rainy weather.

However, his latest visit got off to a less idyllic start, with Mikkelsen revealing that his journey from Heathrow Airport had taken two hours and 15 minutes.

“I will say there's always traffic, but this time, what’s happening?” he added.

Mikkelsen's previous screen credits include Doctor Strange, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Oscar-winning Danish film Another Round.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is scheduled for release on October 23, 2026.