Mads Mikkelsen has offered his thoughts on the recent news that Leonardo DiCaprio is set to produce and possibly star in an English-language remake of Another Round, the acclaimed Danish coming-of-middle-age dramatic comedy that won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and also saw Thomas Vinterberg make the shortlist for Best Director.
DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions scooped up the rights last month, with Vinterberg and his Another Round co-writer Tobias Lindholm listed as executive producers alongside the original’s Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Kasper Dissing. The plot follows a quartet of teachers who conduct an experiment inspired by psychiatrist Finn Skårderud that sees them gradually increase their blood alcohol levels to find out if it has a noticeable impact on their personal lives, which have been stuck on autopilot for quite some time.
Another Round is tragic, moving and hilarious at various points, as the four longtime friends and colleagues discover that their willingness to embrace the bottle has a drastically different effect on both their behavior and relationships with each other and their families.
In the interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mikkelsen admitted that he understands why such a popular international hit would be the subject of a remake designed with a much bigger audience in mind given the universal themes at the center of the narrative, but he also reflected on how it can’t be just a simple translation of the same core concept given the stark differences between Danish and American culture.
“It's always tricky to make a remake but on the other hand I understand why. Because even though a lot of people might watch [the original], it's not that big. Having said that I have a hunch that a lot of Americans [have] watched this one. So it's going to be interesting, the remake. There are some cultural differences with alcohol from nation to nation, especially between Denmark and America. Everyone's always like, won't they approach it really differently in America? Maybe. Maybe not. I mean the film is about embracing life and re-finding your life. I think if they get that right, they can have some freedom with the alcohol."
Mikkelsen delivered one of the best performances of his career as Another Round’s Martin, once again proving there are many more strings to his bow in terms of range and versatility, despite Hollywood’s insistence to keep casting him as a villain. Then again, DiCaprio is one of the best actors of his generation who tends to be very particular when it comes to choosing his roles, so if he does sign on to star in the remake then that would indicate the story is definitely worth re-telling from a different perspective.