8 Things You Didn't Know About Mads Mikkelsen
7. He Debuted In Nicolas Winding Refn's First Film
When most people think of Nicolas Winding Refn they think of the Ryan Gosling-led Drive, which released in 2011 to massive critical acclaim. In actuality, however, Refn had been making films for well over a decade by the time Drive was made.
Pusher was Refn's debut effort, released in 1996 and ultimately becoming the start of a trilogy. It tells the story of a drug dealer named Frank, who attempts to raise the money he lost after a failed drug deal.
Frank's sidekick is Tonny, played by Mads Mikkelsen in his first ever feature film role. It was here that audiences got a taste of Mikkelsen's hypnotizing screen presence, as Tonny flipped between cheerful and manic in the blink of an eye.