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Mads Mikkelsen Walked Out Of A Fantastic Four Audition

Mads Mikkelsen is clearly no stranger to the limelight, appearing in well-loved films and TV series like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Hannibal, and Doctor Strange. But one audition could have set his acting career on a completely different path.

In an interview with ShortList, Mikkelsen stated that he walked out of his audition for the 2005 feature take on Fantastic Four. The experience was "excruciating" for Mikkelsen, leaving him feeling both unsure and uneasy throughout the entire process. "I walked out on the Fantastic Four [audition]," Mikkelsen said. "I think I actually said, 'I can't do it. It's not about you, I'm sorry, this is wrong.'"

However, Mikkelsen did continue to say that every actor has gone through tough auditions, and that his for Fantastic Four was just another uncomfortable one. "I've had tons of [bad auditions]. We've all been there," he said. "We all show up and it's a little office room with a desk and some books and they want you to do a scene where you have two lines, maybe not even two lines—maybe just 'Bleurgh!' or "Get back!" And you're hiding behind a palm tree that's not there. It's like, 'Guys, couldn't you have picked a different kind of scene to this? This is f***ing mad.' You feel like an idiot."

Though he did end up turning his back on the audition, Mikkelsen shouldn't feel too horrible about his decision. The flick saw commercial success at the box office, but was a swing and a miss with both fans and critics. Similarly, the follow-up flick Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer lurched, struggling to garner any positive reception through revenue and reviews. It appears three times is the charm (or curse) for the Fantastic Four film franchise, as the 2015 reboot floundered big time.

Mikkelsen may not have shown up in Fantastic Four, but he has appeared in a bunch of other (and we venture to say better) roles in the years since his painful audition. Check out what his Doctor Strange character, Kaecilius, should really look like.