As we prepare to return to the galaxy far, far away with the upcoming release of director Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, there is only one question on our minds. No, not whether or not Galen Erso secretly programmed a design flaw into the Death Star. No, not whether or not Jyn Erso is somehow related to Rey. No, not how Director Krennic keeps his pristine white outfit so pristine and white. Our question isn’t Star Wars-related at all, actually; rather, it is about the man who plays Galen Erso, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen: why does he always have weird stuff coming out of his eyes?
It may seem like a weird question, but if you look back at Mikkelsen’s filmography, it is a repeated motif. In 2006’s Casino Royale, Mikkelsen dazzled audiences as the cold, cunning Le Chiffre and then horrified us when he cried tears of blood. In 2016’s Doctor Strange, Mikkelsen portrayed the villainous Kaecilius, a fanatical follower of dark, forbidden magic whose eyes seemed to be slowly turning into sparkly, purple interdimensional portals. Now, in the latest trailer for Hideo Kojima’s incredibly weird-looking video game Death Stranding, it was revealed that Mads Mikkelsen will star as a man commanding a squadron of demonic soldiers and—surprise, surprise!—has weird peepers.
Recently, at a press day for Rogue One, I sat down with actors Ben Mendelsohn and Mads Mikkelsen to talk to them about their roles in the upcoming Star Wars film. However, I couldn’t resist asking Mikkelsen just what the hell was going on with his eyes. Suffice to say, I don’t think either Mendelsohn or Mikkelsen were expecting the question, and their reactions were just delightful.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens on December 16, 2016.
Image: Sony/Kojima Productions/Marvel
Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).
