Hannibal Creator Regrets Not Having Mads Mikkelsen Kiss His Costar
He wishes they'd smooched.
This article is more than 2 years old
The creator of Hannibal has recently expressed his feelings and regrets not having actor Mads Mikkelsen kiss his co-star, Hugh Dancy in the NBC drama series, Hannibal. The series was full of drama as it revolved around the notorious Hannibal Lecter, played by Mads Mikkelsen and Will Graham, played by Hugh Dancy. The series went on for a total of three seasons, and a scene in particular in the season 3 finale has been brought up by the creator of the thriller series, Bryan Fuller.
In the series finale, there is a scene between Hannibal and Will Graham where the two hug in a monumental and climatic moment in the series. Hannibal actor Mads Mikkelsen mentioned that he did almost kiss Dancy in the scene, but eventually did not. According to Entertainment Weekly, creator Bryan Fuller talked to the publication about that scene in particular. “The issue for me was always, I didn’t want to make their love story expectational or artificial or forced. I always wanted it to be organic.” The show had built such an interesting and close bond between Hannibal and Will Graham, that it was very important to not make anything seem forced or unnatural. Although a kiss never happened between the two characters, there seemed to be a moment where the opportunity was quite close. Fuller also told EW, “…But there was a lingering [in one take] where Mads’s lips parted, hovering over Will’s mouth in a way that went on… For a while.”
At the end of the day, keeping the plot authentic was the main goal when filming the finale. However, if Fuller could take a leap back in time, he might try something different with the Hannibal actors Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy. “But if I had to do it again, I might suggest to kiss and see how it played,” Fuller told EW. Ultimately, however, there was no kiss to end the series with a bang. Instead, according to Movie Web, the series ended with Hannibal and Graham falling off a cliff together, closing out the show in the most dramatic and significant way possible.
According to CBR, Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen brought up the series finale in an interview with Vulture, where he did discuss how an alternate ending was questioned, but eventually not pursued. “Never went for the kiss. Bryan loved it, but he was like, ‘Too much, guys. It’s too obvious.’ And he was absolutely right…” Hannibal first premiered on NBC in 2013, and over the course of the three seasons, the show developed a close following from fans and critics. The show was nominated for awards, and even won a Saturn Award for Best Television Network Series amidst the course of its run.
With old series being revisited and reboots a trend, perhaps fans will see Hannibal stars Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy reprise their roles, with new plot twists to take place. There have been rumors and talks about Netflix possibly bringing back the series. For fans who felt like the story was cut short and came to an abrupt stop can now hold on to renewed hope. Mikkelsen and Dancy have been occupied with various other projects, but there might be a chance the actors would have great interest in diving back into their Hannibal characters sometime in the future.
