“So people told me to go with Keanu, but I was always for Mads. I made that character for Mads.”
Kojima told the story of signing Mads Mikkelsen: the first time he met Nicolas Winding Refn in person, Refn gave him Mads’s address. Kojima planned to pitch the role and traveled to Denmark to discuss it with Refn — who was then working on The Neon Demon and with Keanu Reeves, and kept telling Kojima he thought Keanu was better for the part. Even the Danish restaurant owner interjected that he saw Mads on TV every day. People told Kojima to go with Keanu, but he was always for Mads and said he made that character for Mads. First there was a video call with Mads, and the pitch happened later at Comic-Con.
“With Mats, the very first time I met Nicolas, he gave me Mats' address. […] I visited Nicolas in Denmark to discuss this with him, but at the time, he was doing Neon Demon and was working with Keanu Reeves. So Nicolas kept telling me he thought Keanu was better for the role.”