“The cool thing about this movie is it was made by fans of Mortal Kombat”: Karl Urban, Josh Lawson, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee and more on Mortal Kombat II

Famed for its over-the-top fatalities, Mortal Kombat courted controversy for its violent content when it first came about in the 90s. But now, fresh off the success of the 2021 film, the franchise makes a gory cinematic comeback. At a virtual press conference, the cast and crew of Mortal Kombat II discussed bringing the beloved game to the big screen for a second time.

“For the most part, a lot of people think this is a game, but this really expands everything in all three dimensions,” said the co-creator of the video game, Ed Boon. “There are these characters that… are now represented by amazing actors who’ve just really brought a lot of their kind of flair to it.”

Josh Lawson, who plays Kano, emphasised the importance of living up to fans’ expectations. “If you want to go into something with a built-in fanbase that’s fantastic because you know there is going to be an audience for it,” he said. “But with the fanbase comes an expectation to deliver upon that which they love, which is important to them. And I always felt that that was at the forefront of everyone’s mind.”

As Karl Urban reflected, “The cool thing about this movie is this movie was made by fans of Mortal Kombat and fans of the game.”

Urban also opened up about the pressures of bringing the iconic Johnny Cage to life. “Coming into a Mortal Kombat II was hands down the most challenging physical undertaking that I’ve ever embarked on when it comes to a production,” he acknowledged. “The skill set required was definitely an exponential learning curve that I have never encountered, and I’d be lying to say that I didn’t feel a little bit terrified.”

Mehcad Brooks was similarly intimidated. “Part of getting into character is knowing your fighting style, knowing your fighting vocabulary. I’d also mirror Karl: I didn’t come from a fight background. I had a couple of fights growing up. They were not organised!” he joked. However, he had a novel way of approaching such apprehensions: “I took the character to my therapist after the first film, and so I actually sat down with my therapist for a session to figure out why he was who he was.”

This time around, the female fighters are given more time to shine. “There’s a lot of really amazing female characters in Mortal Kombat,” said director Simon McQuoid. Jessica McNamee, who plays Sonya Blade, added, “People kind of keep asking me, ‘Oh, did you have to offer any advice?’ And I was like, ‘No, I mean these women hold their own.'”

Playing Kitana, Adeline Rudolph opened up about the surreal experience of embodying the much-loved character: “Genuinely, stepping into that costume for the very first time was like, ‘Oh, holy c***! This is happening. I am Kitana.'”

Desmond Chiam found playing King Jerrod similarly surreal. “I came in, and they gave me a big ol’ set of armour, like a knight, like a medieval knight, and I was like, ‘Ooh, I have to rethink this.’ But I love it, because… the armour gives him this dignity and this veritas in the king role,” he revealed.

Writer Jeremy Slater revealed that the film was a realisation of a childhood dream. “I was 13 when the original arcade machine came out and lost every week’s allowance just pumping quarters into the machine!” he recalled. “So I really tried to sort of write the movie that the 14-year-old me would have walked out of the theatre saying, ‘That was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.'”

As Jade, Tati Gabrielle discussed the pivot towards fleshing out the female characters. “I think people are used to seeing these characters from maybe more of a male gaze, maybe more of, like, a sexier vibe version,” she said. “But to see them with such strength, such grace, to carry both their vulnerability and their emotions coupled with their ferocity, I think, has been such a joy to be able to play.”

Bodybuilder Martyn Ford, who stars as Shao Kahn, embarked on a gruelling training schedule. “My day would start at 12 midnight, pickup was normally around 2, 2:30, and then four to five hours in prosthetics and costume and then to perform the fight scenes on top of that,” he recalled. “That was the most challenging part, for sure, for me, but it was an incredible experience.”

Joe Taslim shared similar sentiments: “I trained like crazy. So when I’m on set fighting, I can shoot 12 hours nonstop – it feels like playing. It feels like a kid running in the rain.”

Despite all the on-screen violence, things were wholesome behind the scenes, with the cast and crew became like a family. “They’re my ride-or-die, truly,” said Chin Han, who stars as Shang Tsung. “I mean, we’ve gone through so many things. We had a world event during which the first movie was shot, we had an industry event during which the second movie was shot, and through it all, I think there has been this real sense of camaraderie and support… I think there’s been such a feeling of family with this production that I’m so… grateful for.”

As Taslim reflected, “It’s a dream come true. Thank you so much.”

Antonia Georgiou