"I don't know what happened, and I don't know if it was fair"
Mads Mikkelsen wishes he could have spoken to Johnny Depp about replacing him in 'Fantastic Beasts 3'.
Mikkelsen will play the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the upcoming sequel after Depp was fired from the 'Harry Potter' spin-off.
The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star exited the movie after losing his libel suit against The Sun.
The UK tabloid referred to the actor as a "wife beater" and referenced allegations that he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard.
In an interview with The Times, Mikkelsen said: "I mean, obviously, they were going to do the film, and obviously he was not involved any more.
"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.
He added: "But they called me and they were obviously in a hurry, and I loved the script and so said yes. And I know it was controversial for many people, but that's just the way it plays out once in a while."
Mads Mikkelsen has previously talked about taking over the role from Depp and whether he will recreate the actor's prior performance of Grindelwald.
He said: "Well it's going to be me, so that's a difference.
"No, this is the tricky part. We're still working it out.
"There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I'm going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own.
"But also we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn't completely detach from what he's already masterfully achieved."
Mikkelsen can be seen in 'Another Round', which hits Irish cinemas this Friday. He has also been cast in 'Indiana Jones 5'.