Mads Mikkelsen has Heated Exchange With Reporter Over Question About Cast in 'The Promised Land'

Mads Mikkelsen had a slightly heated exchange with a reporter during a Q&A promoting his new movie The Promised Land at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.

The 57-year-old Fantastic Beasts actor is attending the festival and walked the red carpet with his son Carl Jacobsen Mikkelsen.

He fired back at a reporter who raised a question about the seeming lack of diversity in the film’s cast during a promotional event.

Read more about Mads Mikkelsen’s exchange…

During the Q&A session, a reporter asked about the “lack of diversity” in the film, which is set in Denmark in the 1750s, via Deadline.

The outlet noted that Mads interrupted to ask what the reporter was “on to.” They responded by asking if there were concerns that the movie might not be eligible for the Academy Awards due to new standards for inclusion. The standards will go into effect with the 2024 ceremony.

“Are you [concerned],” Mads asked. “I’m serious and honest, because you’re putting us on the spot, so you answer the question.”

Director Nikolaj Arcel chimed in, saying, “Well, first of all, the film takes place in Denmark in the 1750s. We do have a big plotline about a girl of color who is being subjected to racism, which was very rare, any people of color in Denmark… almost nobody. She was probably at the time the only one in the entire country of Denmark.”

He opined that it “would be a little weird” and not historically accurate to have added more diversity to the cast.

Read more about the inclusion standards ahead of the 2024 Oscars.

Earlier this year, Mads explained why he enjoyed playing characters that he identified as “losers.”