20 Things You Didn't Know About Mortal Kombat

3. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Was The Only Choice To Play Shang Tsung

One of the most distinctive and memorable performances in the entire movie is that of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as antagonist Shang Tsung.

But Tagawa wasn't some lucky find on the part of the filmmakers: he was both their first choice to play the villain and the single actor they even considered for the role.

Nevertheless, Tagawa auditioned for the part, arriving to his audition in a costume and deciding to read his lines while standing on a chair.

Tagawa's performance was widely praised by fans, such that he reprised the role in the 2013 web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, and more recently lent both his likeness and voice to the character in the game Mortal Kombat 11.