20 Things You Didn't Know About Mortal Kombat

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

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New Line Cinema

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.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.