Mortal Kombat: Ludi Lin Says He Made a Special “Commitment” to Liu Kang When Cast

After being cast as Liu Kang in the Mortal Kombat movie reboot, actor Ludi Lin needed to do some research to get better acquainted with the role. In a Mortal Kombat set visit, the actor was asked how he and Kung Lao actor Max Huang prepared for their roles in the upcoming movie. Both actors played some of the Mortal Kombat games to familiarize themselves with their respective characters, but Lin made a special commitment to Liu Kang: he would only play as the fighter until the movie was finished filming. Clearly, the actor has dedicated himself to the role!

“I played a game,” said Huang.

“I think that’s what we all did,” replied Lin. “See these callouses? This is the training we got. Thumbs. As soon as I found out I got cast it, I bought the game and then I made a commitment to not play any character except for Liu Kang until this film is over. This is proof.”

It’s interesting to see the creative process for the actors in the film! Outside of the games, Lin has a lot of additional media to draw on for his take on Liu Kang. The character has been a major presence in the franchise since 1992, and was one of the leads in the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie. Of course, the new movie represents an entirely different continuity, so Lin’s take may have some differences from previous iterations.

Unfortunately, Kung Lao does not have nearly the same amount of history for Max Huang to familiarize himself with. While the character has been a staple of the series since Mortal Kombat II, he did not appear in either of the previous theatrical releases based on the games. As a result, Huang dove deep into the games, familiarizing himself with the various fatalities and brutalities the character uses. Huang even created his own hat before the studio provided him with the real thing!

It remains to be seen whether or not this commitment from Lin and Huang will result in a strong film, but it certainly bodes well for the finished product. Fortunately, fans won’t have much longer to wait to find out. The Mortal Kombat film reboot will release in theaters and on HBO Max April 16th. Readers can find out more by checking out the rest of ComicBook.com’s coverage of the Mortal Kombat reboot right here.

Are you looking forward to the Mortal Kombat reboot? Are you happy to see this kind of commitment from the actors? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!