Mads Mikkelsen Won't Be Playing 'Fantastic Beasts' Gellert Grindelwald The Same Way as Johnny Depp

Mads Mikkelsen is taking over the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the next Fantastic Beasts movie, replacing Johnny Depp, who played the iconic character for the past two films.

In a recent interview with Total Film, the 55-year-old Danish actor is revealing what the transition will be like and how he’s making his Grindelwald different from Johnny‘s portrayal.

“This is obviously a more direct comparison because it’s the next film,” he shared with the magazine. “So we have done a few bridges that will allow us to recognize it, but we’ve also said we have to make it our own.”

Mads added that mirroring Johnny‘s intensity in his own performance wasn’t going to work.

“I have been a fan of Johnny Depp since I saw him as a young man, and to try to bring his intensity and his way of doing it into my work is a no-go,” he said. “I have to find my own, because his is unique, and I just have to let that be, and find a different path.”

This isn’t the first time Mads has opened up about taking over the role. See what he said earlier this year…