Mads Mikkelsen Made Some Surprising Remarks About Harrison Ford's Health

Mads Mikkelsen has been a star in international films since the mid-1990s, making his debut in the 1996 Danish crime drama "Pusher." More recently, the actor has made his name playing villains of all stripes, starring as serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the NBC series "Hannibal," terrorist financier Le Chiffre ("The Cypher") in "Casino Royale," and Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald in "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."  

One of Mikkelsen's upcoming projects has him once again joining the cast of a beloved and long-running franchise. "Indiana Jones 5" will see Harrison Ford return as the titular archaeologist, with Mikkelsen and fellow franchise newcomers like Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Antonio Banderas along for the ride. At the time of writing, the currently untitled movie is still over a year away from its planned June 30, 2023 release date. However, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mikkelsen dropped a few details about what it was like working on the upcoming film, including the fact that he plans to take six months off after spending 14 straight months filming "Fantastic Beasts" and "Indiana Jones 5." 

The actor also opened up about working with the Ford, and told a story about Ford's physical fitness that may surprise fans of the veteran actor.

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Mads Mikkelsen opened up about Harrison Ford suffering a shoulder injury during the filming of "Indiana Jones 5." When asked about the injury, Mikkelson responded by noting, "It was the first time I met him, and he's an insanely powerful person ... Not just as an actor, but physically. I remember the first day we were shooting, it was a night shoot, then we stopped at 5 a.m. — and then he got on his mountain bike and went biking for 50 kilometers. Harrison is a monster of a man, a very nice monster." 

Fans of the original "Indiana Jones" movies will no doubt be relieved to know that Ford is apparently fit and active. And fans will only be further excited to hear what Mikkelsen has to say about "Indiana Jones 5" itself. The actor said that, in his estimation, the new entry will be a return to form for the franchise, which should please those who were disappointed by the divisive "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Of the next installment, Mikkelsen said, "They're going heavily back to the first and second film and getting that original feel, the original Indy, something dense and epic." 

They'll rely on the energy of the very nice octogenarian monster Ford to bring back that original Indy, and given Mikkelsen's observations, the Hollywood legend has plenty of energy to spare.