The meme originates from a high-budget 2023 promotional short film titled "The Call," produced by the Saudi telecommunications company STC. In the scene, Mads Mikkelsen portrays a mysterious, cold-blooded professional—reminiscent of his roles in *Polar* or *Hannibal*—navigating a dark, rainy night while receiving cryptic instructions over the phone. His stoic, thousand-yard stare while gripping the steering wheel captures a sense of detached intensity that immediately resonated with internet subcultures. The clip began circulating in late 2023, largely driven by the "Sigma" and "Literally Me" film communities on TikTok and X (Twitter). It went viral because it perfectly encapsulates the aesthetic of total emotional dissociation or intense focus during mundane tasks, specifically nighttime driving. Users typically pair the footage with slowed-and-reverb synth-wave music or Phonk to represent the feeling of "locking in" or driving home after an exhausting shift. Common usage involves contrasting the dramatic, cinematic lighting of the clip with humorous captions about trivial life experiences, such as "Me driving to the grocery store for one lemon." Notable variations include crossovers with other cinematic icons like Ryan Gosling’s character from *Drive*, or green-screen edits where Mikkelsen is placed in absurd locations like the Rainbow Road from *Mario Kart*. This meme has solidified Mikkelsen's status as a premier face of the "unbothered" aesthetic, representing a specific brand of modern, stylish melancholy.