Mads Mikkelsen is taking over for Johnny Depp in the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the next Fantastic Beasts movie, and now the Hannibal actor has spoken about the change. He told The Sunday Times that he wishes he could have spoken to Depp, but it didn't work out. The actor also discussed how he put his own stamp on the character.

"I mean, obviously, they were going to do the film, and obviously he was not involved any more," Mikkelsen said of Depp (via EW). "But I didn't have a dog in that fight. And I don't know what happened [in his private life], and I don't know if it was fair, him losing the job, but I just knew that the show was going on, and I would've loved to have talked to him about it if I had the chance, but I just don't know him in that sense."

Mikkelsen said the producers were "obviously in a hurry" to find a replacement for Depp. Mikkelssen read the script and "loved" it, so he was quick to say yes, though he acknowledged that it's a thorny situation. "I know it was controversial for many people, but that's just the way it plays out once in a while," he said.