Hannibal is, quite simply, one of the best shows on TV right now. The first 13-episode season pushed network boundaries, with visceral shocks and psychological scares, and quickly attracted a rabid cult following...

From September 2, the entire first run will be available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray - if you missed the show first time round, we insist you pick up a copy... and even if you watched, this is the kind of show that rewards repeat viewings!

Digital Spy spoke to Hannibal himself, the fantastic Mads Mikkelsen, in support of the release. Read on for some fascinating insights into the Hannibal's "bromance" with Will (Hugh Dancy), how Mads would react if he met Lecter in real-life ("I would kill him!") and what we can expect from season two...

Taking on an iconic role like Hannibal Lecter must have been nerve-wracking - but do you feel like you know the character now?

"Well, I know our version of Hannibal to a degree, but I'm sure he will still be able to surprise me, because it's coming out of Bryan Fuller's head and I would be surprised if there was not a lot more crazy stuff happening in there!



"But yes, it was nerve-wracking and I think we were all hesitating a lot bringing this to life, but then we realised that Bryan wanted to start this before the films and before the books and that meant that we had an opportunity to create a character who has a real life, and a real job, and is trying to make friends. It gave us the opportunity to do something different than the films were doing."

Hannibal already has a rabid fanbase after just 13 episodes - has that surprised you?

"To a degree - I realised that there was a huge fanbase on the internet, specifically. Being a man of the former millennium, I am not on Facebook so I have no idea what's happening in there!



"But I realised when I went to do some press in New York that [the show's following] was quite big and, yes, we are grateful and thankful for that support definitely."

Are you keen to delve into that fan world - might we ever see you at fan events like Comic Con?

"Oh yeah! I've been there before actually - years ago, just after I did the Bond film [2006's Casino Royale] - and I loved it, it was really fun. There's a really crazy energy in there and I enjoyed it tremendously."



How do you see Hannibal's relationship with Will? They seem to have a genuine bond, but Hannibal's quick to betray him at the end of the season…

"I think it is in the nature of Hannibal to be quite a genuine man. I don't think we can catch him in any lie - there might've been one, but maybe he's turned and twisted the words around, so he doesn't have to find himself lying - he doesn't like lying.



"So he's quite genuine with his emotions and he's quite genuine with his empathy, but he's also very much in control - he decides when [those feelings] happen.

"It's a bromance, as Bryan Fuller says - I am attracted to Will, in the sense that I see a young man with great potential… maybe greater potential than I had when I was a kid. So therefore I'm fascinated with him and I really have true feelings for him.

"So if he's going down the right path, everything's going to be great, but if he's going down the wrong path, obviously I have to change my game plan."

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Do you see Hannibal then as a tragic figure? He hurts everyone he gets close to - Will, Abigail Hobbs…

"Well, I do believe to a certain degree that he's a quite lonely character… but at the same time, he's also a very social man. So I don't find him [to be] the lone psychopath who's out there for reasons that happened in his childhood - that is way too banal for Hannibal and also for the character itself.



"He's in it for something bigger - he is, as I always call him, a fallen angel. He sees life as most beautiful when it's on the threshold to death - and in there is his little Satan, right?

"He's doing it because he finds it beautiful, not for other reasons. That is obviously what's so scary about him, and also sad."

Is that part of what appealed to you about Hannibal? His sophistication, that he's not an obvious villain?

"Yeah, I guess so - he's just fascinating… obviously, if I met him, I would kill him, because I'd know what he was up to! But he's fascinating in the sense that, for him, every day is an opportunity - he loves life. Life is fantastically beautiful and tomorrow is another beautiful day - if he ends up in prison, well, he will take it from there and he will make the best out of it and find it a wonderful challenge.



"So in many ways, of all the characters I've played, he's one of the most optimistic and most positive… if we just kind of forget what he's doing!"

Hannibal is usually quite restrained, so did you enjoy getting to let loose during his fight scene with Tobias (Demore Barnes) in the episode 'Fromage'?

"Oh, obviously, yes. But we are definitely trying to make him a man who is always in control - even when he loses control, he's in charge somehow. He doesn't freak out, nothing scares him.



"He can be surprised and he can be sad, but he chooses whether he's going to be real sad or not so sad. He's not in the power of his emotions like Will - he's the exact opposite."

How much of his real self do you think Hannibal reveals to Gillian Anderson's character Bedelia Du Maurier?

"It's very interesting because he doesn't have to reveal anything… so who's he doing this for? For her? She's no threat. For the audience? No - he doesn't know there is an audience.



"He likes it - he needed to get it out. He needs to get some emotions out and he uses that little session to get it out, even though in the normal world, that would be very f**ked up what he's doing!

"At the same time, he could be doing it because he wanted to manipulate someone, but I don't think that is the case right now with Gillian Anderson's character. But it remains to be seen, because I don't know where that [situation] is going yet!"

Were you surprised that Will discovered the truth about Hannibal in season one's finale? Other shows might have dragged that plot out for longer…

"Again, it remains to be seen exactly what he found out. As I see it, we have three opportunities here - three possibilities. One is that Will can't remember anything because he's sick, the other one is that he does remember everything and he tells me, and the third one is that he does remember everything but he plays that he can't remember… and then the table is turned, right?



"So it's going to be very interesting to see how [Bryan] wants to start the episodes in the new season, but I would be surprised if Hannibal doesn't know that he knows that he knows! (laughs) Hannibal's a smart guy!"

Where do you think Hannibal will go in season two? The main threat to him - Will - now seems to have been neutralised…

"Yes, but Hannibal has never had a master-plan - he's able to change his 'master-plan' every day and, as I said before, he just wants to enjoy life and have a wonderful day!



"I still believe that Will is part of his future - one way or the other - and I don't believe that Hannibal has a master-plan to take over the FBI. He likes the game and he likes the people around him, and he will just see how far he can go with them, I guess."

Bryan Fuller has talked about having a five-season plan for Hannibal - how much has he discussed those long-term plans with you?

"Oh, a lot - but like Hannibal, Bryan can change his mind in a jiffy! So whatever he said yesterday, he might have come up with an idea that is even more crazy the next day! I'm just enjoying knowing that he will bring something to the table that I would never have thought of."



Hannibal: The Complete Season One is out on DVD and Blu-ray from September 2.

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