nicolai arcel and Mads Mikkelsen They both started in their native Denmark and followed similar trajectories in international film. After making a name for himself in several Danish masterpieces directed by Susanne Bier and Nicolas Winding Refn, Mikkelsen headed to Hollywood and mastered the kind of intelligent and enigmatic villainy (the next (Exhibited under the title) casino royale, hannibal, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny). However, it is his Danish films that remain his best work. after the wedding to hunting and another round.
count royal affairs Among them too. The film, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, shows the friendship and strong working relationship between the two Danes. Arcel himself will be heading to Hollywood to obsess over his own blockbuster directed by Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. dark tower. In her seven years of working together, Arcel and Mikkelsen have both longed for home and are now collaborating on a grand historical epic. promised landbased on the book Captain and Ann Barbara Written by Ida Jessen.
This historical drama tells the story of Captain Ludwig Karlen, a low-ranking soldier who retires from the military in the 1750s and proposes to the royal court that he build a palace on the Jutland peninsula, a notoriously difficult land to cultivate. Unfortunately, the nobles have other plans and vehemently reject Karlen and his stubborn attempts to farm the land. Love, adventure, envy and pride all collide in a great epic about stubbornness and male ego, not to mention capitalism and class consciousness. We spoke to Arcel about the film, his working relationship with Mikkelsen, and his upcoming Apple TV+ project with Benicio Del Toro.
Movie web: The film is an interesting combination of a truly classic historical epic like David Lean’s and a very culturally specific Danish film. Do Danes know this man’s story?
Nicolai Arcel: First of all, I just have to say that when you mentioned David Lean, I felt my heart swell with pride. That was like the biggest compliment to me. People had no idea about this story, and that was part of the reason I was really interested. I had no idea about this man, what he did and what happened to him. I thought it was a very interesting, untold story just waiting to come out and be told. I have previously acted in films about more famous chapters of Danish history, but this person was completely unknown until then. Captain and Ann Barbaraa book, and a movie appeared.
Molecular weight: What interested you about the book or the historical story of the person?
Nicolai Arcel: Every filmmaker of any value strives to evolve in some way. If you look at my career, I think a lot of my work is a little more black and white. So sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. Some people want to do good things, and some people want to do bad things. And what really appealed to me this time was trying to make a movie about a man that I didn’t necessarily like from the beginning. There were people with ambitions and drives that were not immediately identifiable.
Nicolai Arcel: Of course, you can empathize with the fact that someone wants power and money and everything else. You can relate to that, but it’s not necessarily a positive thing. Because he wants it at all costs and he will sacrifice everything to get it. And I thought that was a very interesting character to try to bring to life on screen, and that was new to me. So, in terms of that challenge, it was interesting. And I also felt like it would be a great role for him because I wanted to do this with Mads Mikkelsen. It wasn’t just about being bad or good. It was somewhere in between, and I think he enjoyed playing it too.
Learn more about Mads Mikkelsen and his return to Denmark
Molecular weight: What do you like about working with Mads Mikkelsen? Why was he the right person for this film?
Nicolai Arcel: You know, I think I would cast him in every movie, every role in every movie. So that’s a simple question. I think the last movie was a lot of fun. royal affairs. So we became friends and had a great time working together. He was really understanding. So for the past seven years we’ve been talking about getting back together, but we just couldn’t find the right project. And indeed it was this.
Nicolai Arcel: One of my favorite things about working with Mats is that not only is he a great actor, he’s so talented and a great person, but he’s also so sweet and great to work with. He is also a very kind and down-to-earth person. He is a true partner in the sense that he carries the story with me as a director, so I think he will worry about it just as seriously as I would as a director.
He gets into the script and really helps you understand, “What are we trying to say here? What is the story at this point?” And he really helps me shape the story and always remembers every detail. He’s the kind of multi-tasking, multi-talented person who’s there for you because he’s good at watching over you.
Nicolai Arcel: We’re talking about doing something else together. I want to share with you a metaphor that Mads and I sometimes use: going home and doing something. Imagine this little playground, and we’re playing in this playground, and people leave us alone, and we’re having fun, right, and we’re just I’m just building sand castles and doing what I love, having fun doing it, and that’s how it works in Denmark.
Nicolai Arcel: Now, let’s put that playground in a building like a company. A corporation with 55 suits watches you and tells you where to build your castle, how to build your castle, and when to build your castle. The playground is a little claustrophobic so it’s not that fun anymore.
So it’s really freeing to go back to Denmark, the freedom to make the final cut, the freedom to keep your own vision. No one is allowed to interfere in the small playground while playing games. I think Mats and I both like that. Because it allows you to be your own critic. We can push each other to achieve what we want to achieve and we don’t need others whispering a lot in our ears.
Money and power make you hateful
Molecular weight: It is a historical drama set in the 18th century. promised land It feels very relevant to today. Too many people work long hours for low wages, trying to get rich quickly. We criticize the 1% elite among us, but at the same time, like Captain Ludwig Karlen, we try hard to be like them. Was the theme relevant to you? What do you want people to walk away with after this film?
Nicolai Arcel: The most important thing for me thematically was that you need to be really careful about how much time you spend in your life achieving certain goals. You can’t win if your only goal is to achieve a specific goal. I have no intention of conquering the true meaning of life. And I think that’s what I really want people to think. He is so driven and ambitious, he thinks only about one thing, that he almost loses everything that is dear to him.
I think many people can recognize that to some degree. It’s the classic “lying on your deathbed” and thinking about what was important in your life, and then suddenly thinking “Oh my god, I wasted so many years trying to accomplish this and that. What’s the point? It’s about realizing that there’s no such thing. What is truly meaningful is the love I have for my children, my wife, my husband, my parents, and my family. That felt moving and true to me.
Molecular weight: Can you tell us anything about the next film starring Benicio Del Toro?
Nicolai Arcel: All I can share is that we are developing this show monster of florence At Apple, we have a great cast and great writers, and we’re working on it. That’s why I can’t say anything more. But if you’re familiar with the story, you can easily Google it. It’s a true story, and it’s an insane story.
In the meantime, check out Arcel’s new movie for a mostly true but very great story. promised landcurrently in theaters from Magnolia Pictures.