SINGAPORE – Singapore’s homegrown Hollywood star Chin Han agreed to play Mortal Kombat villain Shang Tsung once he saw the costume.
That was how Mortal Kombat director first-time feature filmmaker Simon McQuoid persuaded Singapore’s Hollywood star to play an iconic role in one of the top video game movie reboots.
Chin Han shared the story when recently interviewed by CNA Lifestyle.
According to CNA Lifestyle, McQoid first won the heart of our Singaporean actor with a sneak peek of the soul-stealing sorcerer Shang Tsung’s costume design.
Han was so fascinated by it, he said: “I don’t know if you realise this, but Shang Tsung’s breastplate and his shoulder armour – they all have faces of the souls he has taken on the actual armour! And so when I saw that, that was the thing that sealed the deal for me.”
In case you don’t recognise Han, here’s a little fun fact:
The actor has a list of prominent Hollywood credits including his supporting roles in top films such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Independence Day: Resurgence, Skyscrapper, and many more.
With his record, he told CNA Lifestyle, he didn’t think he’d be a part of a movie like Mortal Kombat, but after the director showed him the goods (aka the armour), he couldn’t help but say “yes” to the proposal.
“He’s one smart director. He knew that if he showed me all that stuff, I mean, it was just impossible to say ‘No’!” the actor shared.
When it was finally time to wear the costume, it apparently took a team to put it on.
“It had to be (done) piece by piece because only (doing it) piece by piece could we move in the way that was necessary. And to be able to fight it in it as well,” he said.
Han’s character, Shang Tsung, is known for its demonic shapeshifting abilities and stealing the souls of fallen enemies in order to maintain everlasting youth and power.
“On the first day, when we put that on and we did some test shoots and stuff, I felt possessed basically. It was completely emotional for me, in terms of character, because it is so heavy. But you feel so fierce and you feel so powerful,” Han added.
Besides that, it’s also thanks to director McQuoid’s decision to have an appropriately assembled Mortal Kombat cast that encouraged Han’s interest in the role.
“It is such a warm feeling when you go on set and you see Asia represented in such a diverse way. I think a lot of people say ‘Asia’, yet miss the nuances of what that means,” he said.
Han highlighted that Asia is big and includes various cultures. Stepping on the set, for him, felt like a whole new experience because there were proper representatives from different parts of Asia.
”And so, it was very important. There was a feeling that was very important in putting this movie together. Because that’s what the movie is about, right? I mean, Mortal Kombat is all about groups of champions from different realms, fighting each other, but none of them can do it alone, right? They all have to do it in a group. And so I think the group of us as cast and crew kind of reflected that,” Han added.
Mortal Kombat is now screening in cinemas near you. Check it out today!