It was recently announced during the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California that actor Mads Mikkelsen would be joining "Star Wars: Rogue One," and when he did not appear in the recently released photo of the main heroes, many speculated that he will be playing a villain.
Speaking to Danish paper Ekstra Bladet (translation via Star Wars 7 News) the actor stated that he is not a villain in the film, saying, "No, my character is actually not a bad guy, and then I can not say more. I can also say that the movie will be shot in Iceland and England. And the filming will last for three months."
According to a report from Cinema Blend, this could mean he is one of the members of the Rebel Alliance during the time period that "Rogue One" takes place in, or he could be one of the other characters involved in the film's heist involving the theft of the Death Star plans from Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin.
However, the report also says that "actually not a bad guy" does not necessarily mean he is playing a hero, either. He may as well be playing an anti-hero type of character similar to Han Solo (Harrison Ford) as he was portrayed in "A New Beginning," eventually progressing to a more heroic portrayal in "Return of the Jedi."
To North American audiences, Mikkelsen is primarily known as an actor who portrays very powerful villains in film and television. He portrayed the main antagonist in the 2006 James Bond film "Casino Royale," and he most recently played the villainous Hannibal Lecter in the cancelled NBC series "Hannibal."
However, he did portray a hero in 2004's "King Arthur" as Tristan and he also portrayed One Eye, the main protagonist in the film "Valhalla Rising."
"Star Wars: Rogue One" opens in theaters on Dec. 16, 2016.
