Mads Mikkelsen Reveals His Rogue One Character

Actor Mads Mikkelsen talked to Sky Atlantic about his upcoming roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as well as Marvel’s Doctor Strange, and in the process, revealed who his character is in the first Star Wars standalone film…

In an interview with Sky Atlantic, Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen discussed his role in the upcoming Star Wars standalone film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Mikkelsen is receiving one of the top civilian awards from France, called the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres).

Here’s the video interview, and beware of SPOILERS FOR ROGUE ONE, obviously. Mikkelsen’s big reveal comes around 1:50. Check it out:

"“I read the script…it was very beautiful. And Felicity [Jones] is playing this lovely young, strong woman. I play her father.”"

So there we have it, Mads Mikkelsen has officially confirmed that he will play the elder Erso, to Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso. What we don’t know, however, is how much Mikkelsen will have to do with the actual story of Rogue One. He does mention a stormtrooper’s uniform, at one point in the interview, but that could have been the actor spinning yarn.

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It’s long been held — because of his other villainous roles — that Mikkelsen would portray a villain in Rogue One, and that still may be the case, even though he plays the father of the protagonist of the film. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from each and every Star Wars film, ever, it’s the recurring themes of both good and bad being displayed in the family unit (Vader — Dark Side — Luke — Light Side), so if Mikkelsen were a badguy, then I would not be surprised.

Regardless of what side Mikkelsen lands on, just adding an actor of his caliber in Rogue One, to an already extremely talented cast, helps the film’s chances of really making a strong impact on the Star Wars franchise. Rogue One hits theaters worldwide, in December of this year.