“Nobody sees themselves as villains”: Mads Mikkelsen on Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 4

From Bond villain Le Chiffre in Casino Royale to the chillingly charismatic Hannibal Lecter, Mads Mikkelsen has made something of an art form of playing the bad guy. Now the Danish actor brings his particular brand of menace to the gaming world as the mysterious antagonist The Archer in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, the latest instalment in the blockbuster franchise.

We sat down with Mikkelsen in London to discuss why understanding a villain’s motivations is key to making them compelling, the unexpected challenges of motion-capture performance and the increasingly blurred boundaries between cinema and gaming. He also reflected on whether directing might be on the cards, his dream-come-true experience working with Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, the inevitability of AI in filmmaking and a rather amusing case of mistaken identity involving fellow actor Viggo Mortensen.

Sarah Bradbury

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was released on 23^rd October 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.

Watch the trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 here: