‘It could have been the end of my career’: The day Mads Mikkelsen forgot his James Bond script on the plane.

In Martin Campbell’s 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, which marked Daniel Craig’s debut as Agent 007, Mads Mikkelsen portrayed the story’s villain, aka Le Chiffre.

And it was at the Zurich Film Festival (via Variety ), where he arrived to present his historical drama The Land of the King , an Oscar contender, that the Danish actor revealed an anecdote about the film that left the audience speechless: He actually admitted it. He lost a copy of the script on the plane, which had disastrous consequences for the production of the now iconic film.

Casino Royale was the first story with my name on every page. Which also means that if you lose, it’s your fault. I got on the plane, started reading and fell asleep. Then I went out and left it there. Lucky for me the maintenance guy threw it away not knowing what it was. That moment could have been the end of my career.

before you play Casino Royale, Mads Mikkelsen He had no idea of ​​the meaning of sincerity: “I had never seen a Bond film before and of course I was lying about it. I only knew this guy with metal teeth. I didn’t realize how important it was until we premiered in London and got to meet the Queen. Rather, we should have met him.“

He’s seen them all since then, he said. It is said: “I saw them with Daniel Craig. He was the new Bond and everything about him was “not good”. Her height, her nose, her hair– he says about the criticism that the actor received during his debut as a spy.

“I think he was happy that I also came from independent cinema. He had an accomplice. There was this scene where I wrestled his balls with a rope. We had so many ideas and the director just looked at us and said, “You guys, come back. It’s a Bond film“- he adds with a laugh.

As for the question of whether he will be up for the role of James Bond himself, the answer is no, even if the “fantastic” Christopher Nolan is at the helm of the project: “If they had a problem with Daniel’s nose, I’m sure they’d have a problem with my accent.“, he explained.

Speaking about his role as a villain in the film, he spoke about his character, which he finds ultimately not very smart: “The smartest Bond villain? He lost $100 million to a man who didn’t know how to play poker. Not so smart.“

MADS MIKKELSEN in all franchises

The Fantastic Beasts, Marvel and Star Wars alum recently added another franchise to his resume with Indiana Jones and the Clock of Fate, which came out earlier this year.

“It’s crazy for Denmark to act in these movies. A friend of mine made a list of all the franchises I’ve been a part of and said, “You didn’t do that.” It was Indiana Jones. A week later I got a phone call– he said with a laugh. “It’s surreal when you think about it, so I try not to think about it. Sure, it’s Harrison Ford and he’s a legend, but I’m still going to beat him.“

Moreover, seeing the latter hang up the whip for good was “magnificent,” as he put it: “We were all there when he filmed his final scene as Indiana Jones. Being the humble person that he is, he also wanted to get out of the room as quickly as possible when everyone was clapping and at the same time he wanted to stay there forever and enjoy the moment.“

While you wait to find Mads Mikkelsen in King’s Landing, which is released on January 17, 2024, Casino Royale (2006) is still available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.