14th June 2006 - Mikklesen about playing the Casino Royale villain & on Craig as Bond - reports The Sun.  

Ecstatic Mads Mikklesen is more than happy to be taking on one of cinema’s most-hated roles – he’s going to be a James Bond villain.

The Danish actor will be seen squaring up to new 007 star Daniel Craig in the remake of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale.

His character - evil genius Le Chiffre - is a gambling mastermind who combines his financial wizardry with his terrorist links to make a gruesome profit out of evil.

And Mads reckons the British actor - the first Blond Bond - will go down a storm with cinema-goers, despite his casting originally causing controversy with fans.

He said: "It’s like being a soccer fan and somebody else comes and plays and you hate him for the first couple of minutes. Then you start loving him.

"Working with Daniel was great.

"He’s a great actor and he’s going to be a very strong Bond. He’s definitely my favourite 007."

He added: "This Bond is strong in his mind.

"You believe in him, you believe he can kill people with his little finger and he’s got this beautiful English accent. He’s perfect."

In the film - the first story to introduce James Bond to the world - Bond is seen working independently of MI6, spying on terrorist suspects before coming across Le Chiffre, banker to the world's terrorist organisations.

And when Secret Service intelligence reveals the villain is planning to raise money in a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro at Le Casino Royale, M (Judi Dench) assigns 007 to play against him, knowing that if Le Chiffre loses, it will destroy his organisation.

Mads - whose cult film Pusher about a drugs dealer has just been re-released on DVD - says audiences will not find Le Chiffre a typical Bond foe.

He explained: "I think it’s slightly different from the other Bond films, it’s a bit more realistic.

"Le Chiffre is not trying to conquer the world, or invent something that’ll make him King of the world.

"He’s just like everybody else in the world because he’s trying to get rich. And that makes him a better villain."

But unlike the suave super-spy, there's one thing Mads's character misses out on ... having his own Bond girl.

He said: "I’m in the man’s world. I’m fine about missing out on the ladies in the film. I’m a villain, I don’t need women."

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