Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, known for his roles in films like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Another Round and Casino Royale, expressed dismay over his norther neighbor Sweden becoming so politically correct in recent years.
Speaking with Svenska Dagbladet, Mikkelsen hailed his home country as a haven for artistic freedom, describing it as the “naughty little brother” when compared to Sweden, which he referred to as “the good big brother where you have to follow the system.” He noted how up until 2021, artists in Sweden had to obey “diversity requirements” in order to get state funding.
Mikkelsen said a “cultural shift” in the Scandinavian country led to the collapse of Swedish filmmaking, which once served home to cinematic masters like Ingmar Bergman and Victor Sjöström and timeless movie stars like Max Von Sydow. and Bibi Anderson.
The Hannibal star previously hinted at his displeasure with political correctness and its offspring wokeness during a Q&A at the Venice Film Festival last year when a reporter asked if his film, The Promised Land, a period piece set in 18th century Denmark, would be welcome in Hollywood due to its lack of diversity.
“This is a cast and Danish production that’s entirely Nordic, and, therefore, has some lack of diversity, you would say, There’s also new rules implied in Hollywood,” the reporter said. “I’m just curious: It’s not because of artistic reasons, it’s because of a lack of diversity, that this can’t compete in that competition. Are you worried about it?”
“Are you? I’m serious and honest, because you’re putting us on the spot, so you answer the question,” Mikkelsen shot back.
Mads Mikkelsen's response to a woke journalist questioning about diversity in a movie based in 1750s Denmark Europe. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/K65vrt0GW2
— Mikhail Dudiy (@MikhailDudiy) September 8, 2023
Director Nikolaj Arcel interjected to quell the tension.
“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 said.
“I think it would be a little weird,” he added. “It’s just historical — how it was in the 1750s,” added Arcel.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
