Mads Mikkelsen is such an eccentric little duck, and it’s hard to get a grasp on his everchanging physicality. He can look super beautiful or really rough. I think it all has to do with whether he’s showered and moisturized. He is a gorgeous man and oh-so-seductive (in varying ways) in his different roles.

Mads got a feature in the August issue of Flaunt. Somehow he looks polished and grungy at the same time. I approve. The photoshoot is really hazy and weird, and there’s one shot where he’s looming against some power lines just like Godzilla. The journo is a major Mads fanboy. He and Mads went out for beers, chicken tacos, and odd conversation:

On being voted Sexiest Man Alive in Denmark: “In little Denmark, yes. Everybody who’s on television becomes the Sexiest Man Alive eventually. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing the weather report. I did prefer to be the Sexiest Man Alive than the Ugliest Man Alive.”

He was a dancer before acting: “Well, I was a dancer out of coincidence, a little like I became an actor out of coincidence. I was a gymnast as a kid, and there was a choreographer who went out and saw us and asked if we wanted to be part of this musical–they needed somebody in the background to do jumps and flips and sh-t. And then she asked me later on if I wanted to learn the craft of dancing. So, I did the math: there were a lot of really hot chicks, and not a lot of boys around. I stayed with that for a while, eight or nine years.”

What he learned from dancing: “I’m not super conscious about it, but obviously I have an awareness of myself physically. Any character has a kind of energy–he’s either fast or slow, or he’s light–and I think, subconsciously, I’m using some of that stuff without really putting a finger on it. One thing I have learned that is a virtue among dancers is discipline.”

Is he a perfectionist? “I do insist on getting some answers if I have some questions. Most people find that nice to work with, but–“‘ he laughs to himself, “–but I can be very insisting, like, this is not f—ing working and let’s try something else, you know?”

Does he like whiskey? “No. Stuff tastes like f—ing deodorant!”

Obligatory Hannibal discussion: “It’s a decision when he blinks, when he becomes human. He has no master plan. It’s a decision in the situation that this is the side he wants to show, a benefit from doing this as opposed to doing that. I mean, it’s always a challenge to play any character, but I think there’s a beautiful simplicity in it. I think he can be as honest as you or I, but in some situations he’ll react completely different from anybody else. He decides when to show what. And that’s his whole circus. His interest lies with Will Graham. He finds him interesting, he’s intrigued. His mission is to become close to him and become friends. And hopefully, one day, show him the light. That would be beautiful.”

[From Flaunt]

The idea of Mads as a dancer makes perfect sense. He’s very graceful both in motion and in pictures. Every slight motion he makes seems pre-planned like he’s marking time in his head. He also seems very humble about his sex-symbol status in Denmark. Has he achieved the same in the US? He’s on the rise. Slowly but surely, and with more delicious pictures like these to come.

P.S. How does Mads know what deodorant tastes like?

Photos courtesy of Flaunt