“I want to bring back the spirit of martial arts on the big screen, and I want to remind people of what real martial arts movies are about… it is about the art.”

Max Huang‘s turn as Kung Lao – the deadly, hat-throwing, Shaolin-trained kung fu cousin of Liu Kang – in the 2021 reboot of Mortal Kombat was a delightful surprise; a scene-stealing performance complete with comedy, drama, action, and an almighty ‘fatality’ which just about steals the movie. But the notion of Max being something of an ‘overnight success’ could not be further from the truth. The German wushu wunderkind has been planning this career from the moment his dad first introduced him to Bruce Lee movies on VHS as a child. His training took him to Asia and, eventually, the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, where his childhood hero would personally oversee his development from a young, eager stunt performer to an assistant stunt coordinator on films like The Foreigner (2017) and Bleeding Steel (2017). Max’s short film, No Way Out (2020), is a masterful expression of his many talents: he acts, directs, writes, produces, handles the action and even sings the theme song. We now find Max at an interesting crossroads in his career; still very much in his prime, full of ideas, and with opportunities available in Europe, Asia and Hollywood. So what will he do next? Find out more about Max Huang via his IMDb page, and follow him on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Mortal Kombat lands on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and digital on 13 July from Warner Bros. Buy it now from Amazon.

Jackie Chan and Max Huang on the set of Skiptrace (2016).

Max Huang as Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat (2021).