Mortal Kombat (2021): Joe Taslim on Delivering Sub-Zero's Cold-Blooded Menace

Mortal Kombat (2021): Joe Taslim on Delivering Sub-Zero's Cold-Blooded Menace

Of all the fan-favorite Mortal Kombat characters to appear in the new film, the most cold-blooded of them all -- both literally and figuratively -- is Bi-Han, the original Sub-Zero. Portrayed by Joe Taslim, the Cyromancer makes a lethal debut at the start of Mortal Kombat, targeting the family of rival ninja Hanzo Hasashi, the once and future Scorpion, before menacing the rest of Earthrealm's greatest warriors ahead of their martial arts tournament against Outworld.

In an exclusive interview with CBR, Taslim spoke about the unique acting challenges and advantages in a largely masked performance and finding Sub-Zero's soul beneath his frosty exterior.

A lot of your performance is behind a mask in this film. How do you capture the emotion and the menace from behind a ninja mask?

Joe Taslim: I think, as an actor -- and I think a lot of people would agree with me -- you deliver a lot from your eyes. Our eyes are the door to deliver our intentions in acting, even in the real world. A lot of people think it was going to be hard because you're fully covered and you're doing everything from your eyes but, at the same time, it somehow makes me more focused and makes what the people see of me more focused.

[Gestures to eyes] This is the door through this wide-open area. In acting, a few things started out hard but, for me, it was a benefit. It's an advantage that people can be more focused on the energy that I'm trying to give. To play Sub-Zero and deliver everything through the eyes, it's something that was just so much fun for me and just realizes that this is actually really cool because, when I watch movies, I don't see the nose or the jaw, it's the eyes. A lot of people all over the world are going to see me portraying this character and delivering my energy and message through my eyes, and I hope it delivers

With such a beloved character, what did you want to focus on in portraying Sub-Zero for this film?

Taslim: For the Sub-Zero I'm portraying in this movie, way before I knew they wanted me to play him, I just realized I've got to give more. Everybody knows he's cool and he's just kickass, but I wanted to [lean] more into that he's half-human/half-Edenian as a Cyromancer. I wanted to give more soul to him to make him feel more alive. I want people to feel his pain and to his contemplations and still have dilemmas. If you watch the beginning of the movie, I deliver a lot of intentions inside that house with the conversation with the wife, Hanzo, and the kid. I go, "Hey, you remind me of Kuai Liang, my brother," so you almost believe he's a good guy, but he's not. It made him more scary, so when I watched it the first time, I was like, "I'm good now," because sometimes you give so much, then watch the movie and it's not there. So when I watched that and the whole movie, I [felt] justice for Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero deserves this.

Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Bridges, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Matilda Kimber as Emily Young and Laura Brent as Allison Young. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max April 23.

KEEP READING: Mortal Kombat Enjoys Pre-Pandemic Opening Numbers