SINGAPORE – A Bond villain, a cannibalistic serial killer, a dark wizard and now, finally, a Nazi.

Ever since his turn as a memorably sadistic poker player in Casino Royale (2006), Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has carved a career out of being Hollywood’s resident evildoer in television series like Hannibal (2013 to 2015) and movies like Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore (2022).

Now, the 57-year-old is Jurgen Voller, a nefarious bespectacled scientist in the fifth and final film of the Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, which opens in Singapore cinemas on Thursday.

When asked why he has been typecast as the creepy bad guy in Hollywood, Mikkelsen says in a video conference interview with regional media: “There are probably a few reasons. One is that in America, if they see something they like, they kind of want to repeat it.

“But I’ve been lucky enough that my characters have been quite different villains in different genres and stories, and I’m very appreciative of that.

“Another reason is that I have a funny accent and they like that.”

Mikkelsen’s turn as the antagonist to American actor Harrison Ford’s eponymous daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones is a particularly memorable one for him since the character is his first on-screen Nazi.

Voller first crosses paths with Indy when he is working for Hitler’s regime during World War II, and both square off while retrieving a legendary dial that can change the course of history. 

“I’d say that Indiana Jones – he needs a Nazi. I’m glad that it’s in an Indiana Jones film that I did my first Nazi. They belong in his universe because he needs to punch them,” he says.

Mikkelsen, who grew up watching the Indiana Jones films, which began in 1981 with Raiders Of The Lost Ark, says it was “surreal” getting cast in Dial Of Destiny.

The star, who has portrayed villains in popular film franchises like James Bond, the extended Harry Potter universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, called a friend once he heard the news.

“He had listed down all the franchises in America where I’m playing the bad guy. At the end of the list, he wrote Indiana Jones and said, ‘You haven’t played that one’, so I gave him a call when I knew.”

Getting cast also gave Mikkelsen the opportunity to star opposite Ford.

At their first meeting, Ford exited his trailer in Indy’s iconic hat, jacket and whip combination.

On his experience acting opposite the film franchise’s 80-year-old leading man, Mikkelsen says: “He’s an amazing person, amazing actor and amazing legend.

“And he is that because he doesn’t behave like a legend, he’s just a very nice person, very easy-going and so easy to work with. He makes everyone feel comfortable to work with him. That made him twice as big a legend in my eyes after I met him.”

Ford’s last take on set as Indiana Jones rightly received a standing ovation from the cast and crew.

While it was an emotional day, Mikkelsen recalls: “For (that) last take, he was in a big tank of water doing some of the diving scenes he has in the movie, so he was standing there in a diving suit completely drenched while we were clapping.”

Aside from getting to work with Ford, Mikkelsen was also deeply impressed by the scale of the movie. With action set pieces that took the cast underwater, atop moving trains and car-chasing through Morocco, Dial Of Destiny’s budget is reported to be around US$295 million (S$398 million).

“Everything was fantastic, there’s very little green screen in Indiana Jones, they build the real deal,” Mikkelsen says.

“It’s magical for us to be part of such a massive set piece. One set piece costs the same as the budget of a Danish film so the scale is absolutely insane. The train in the beginning of the movie was beautiful. We shot the exterior in (Scottish city) Glasgow – they found an old train there and we had all the extras running around. That was such a beautiful set.”

Now that Indiana Jones is ending its run, Mikkelsen – who won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for psychological drama The Hunt (2012) – looks to new projects like horror movie Dust Bunny directed by American writer-producer Bryan Fuller, who was also the showrunner on Hannibal.

But Mikkelsen made sure he had something to remember his mark on the Indy universe before he moves on.

“I stole (Jurgen Voller’s) glasses. I always steal a little thing,” he says.

And did he try to make off with Indy’s famous hat too?

“Yes, and I wasn’t the only one. Everybody tried. But there were too many eyes on that hat, it was just in safe hands constantly. And you know what? Harrison would have kicked the s*** out of us if we got away with it.”

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny opens in cinemas on Thursday.