Cover Ludi Lin, who plays Liu Kang in ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of George Lawson Photography)
Ludi Lin, who plays Liu Kang in ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of George Lawson Photography)
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Lin, who portrays Liu Kang in ‘Mortal Kombat II’, reveals how he found his path to success through martial arts, how Stephen Chow inspires him, and his hopes for further improvements to Asian representation in Hollywood.
Ludi Lin has not always been the disciplined hero he portrays in Mortal Kombat II. As the legendary gaming franchise’s latest reboot has its release this month, the 38-year-old Chinese-Canadian actor reflects on a far more turbulent youth spent in the principal’s office.
“Fighting entered my life early because I moved around a lot. As a newcomer, I tended to get bullied. To defend myself, I got into many tussles,” he recalls, remembering a childhood defined more by "lining up cigarette butts" as punishment than by monastic meditation.
In Mortal Kombat lore, Liu Kang is the quintessential champion—a Shaolin monk defined by unwavering loyalty and a stoic sense of justice. However, Lin’s own journey into combat was born of street-level survival rather than ancient tradition. It was only after graduation, during a transformative trip to Thailand, that his relationship with fighting evolved into an art form. He discovered muay thai and, on a whim, decided to pursue it.
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Above Ludi Lin, who plays Liu Kang in ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of George Lawson Photography)
Ludi Lin, who plays Liu Kang in ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of George Lawson Photography)
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“I loved it because I was so bad at it,” he says. That initial struggle sparked a relentless commitment to self-improvement, leading him to train in jiu-jitsu and eventually return to his roots through kungfu and wushu—a formidable repertoire that would secure his place in the blockbuster franchise.
Yet, technical skill was only half the battle; Lin also had to master the art of performance. His foundation in muay thai, known for its heavy, punishing strikes, had to be entirely “unlearned” to capture Liu Kang’s elegance.
“Liu Kang’s foundation is in Chinese Kung Fu. The kicks are very snappy, very poppy, and very quick,” Lin explains, noting that the character draws heavy inspiration from Bruce Lee. Preparation for the sequel required three months of rigorous daily drills alongside Max Huang, a former member of Jackie Chan’s stunt team who portrays Kung Lao in the 2021 Mortal Kombat.
Above Liu Kang in ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
Liu Kang in ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
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“I had to unlearn that stiffness and that power. My moves had more to do with added speed and perhaps some stylistic moves to make it look good, such as how he summons fire,” Lin says. “Some components of that involve tai chi and chi in general. So, the whole character is based heavily on traditional Chinese martial arts”.
Lin’s ascent in Hollywood—marked by major roles in Power Rangers, Aquaman and Mortal Kombat—has mirrored a broader shift in Asian representation. Nevertheless, he maintains a degree of healthy scepticism, viewing the current progress as a “never-ending battle”.
“Right now in Hollywood, Asians are somewhat like The Hunger Games, where you get one tribute at a time,” he observes. Lin critiques a lingering “quota” system where Asian actors are often pitted against one another for a single slot. He also calls out the narrow, often stereotypical lens of Western casting: “Hollywood only sees Asians as looking a certain way. Many Asians will be cast but will not get the job because the producers do not think they look ‘Asian enough’, which is completely ridiculous”.
Above A still from ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
A still from ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
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To bridge this gap, Lin encourages his peers in the Asian-Canadian and Asian-American communities to reconnect with the continent to avoid “regurgitating stories through another person’s lens”. “I always recommend they come back to Asia to see what Hong Kong, mainland China or South Korea is like,” he says. “If you want to represent Asians, you need to reconnect with your roots”.
Lin is himself a tapestry of cultures: born in mainland China, he grew up speaking Fuzhou’s dialect before mastering Mandarin, Cantonese and eventually English. His cinematic spark was first lit by the kinetic energy of Hong Kong film. He famously recalls that when he left Hong Kong as a youth, half of his tears were for his family, and the other half were for Stephen Chow, fearing he would lose access to the auteur’s work abroad.
“He sparked the love of cinema for me,” Lin says. This passion was later solidified in theatre classes in Canada, leading to his Hollywood breakthrough in 2017 as Zack Taylor, the Black Ranger, in Power Rangers.
Above A still from ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
A still from ‘Mortal Kombat II’ (Photo: courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
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Now established in global franchises, Lin is leveraging his influence to dismantle creative boundaries. He is venturing into production, having contributed to the script for The Unlucky, a thriller centred on an international student in peril. He increasingly looks toward independent cinema to ground his career and prove he is more than just a “muscle-bound puncher”.
As his star continues to rise, Lin remains as eager as ever to explore new territory. “I feel like a kid in a candy shop; I would have selection paralysis,” he admits. “But I’ve always had one single goal for my career: to be able to make films and open up stories in both Hollywood and Asia—the East and the West. It has always been that simple”.
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Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
