Actor Ludi Lin, who stars in the latest Mortal Kombat film, spoke exclusively to StarLifestyle in a two-part story. In Part Two (read Part One here), he recounts his beginnings as an actor, acting in both China and Hollywood markets as well as his visit to Malaysia.
Lin was born in Fujian, China. As a little boy, he often watched his opera singer mother slather on brightly-coloured makeup and perform traditional Chinese opera on stage, which inspired him to be an actor.
Nine-year-old Lin then moved to Australia, where he spent the rest of his childhood years there, dipping his toes in high school plays.
He later moved to Canada and majored in both theatre performance and dietetics at the University of British Columbia.
Having lived in so many places and being entrenched in so many cultures, these experiences not only enriched him but broadened his horizons as an actor.
Besides his foray into Hollywood, Lin has acted in a number of productions in China including 2015’s Monster Hunt, 2017’s Come Across Love and 2018’s Only Love Can Do This To Me.
“They’re definitely in a stage of growth, ” the actor, who is also fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, describes the Chinese film industry.
“The Chinese industry has been experiencing a growth spurt. So it’s like going through puberty and as a teenager, you’re discovering wonderful new things but you also have to go through growing pains as well, which makes things interesting.
“There’s a lot of expansion and exploration.”
Asked if he has a preference for acting in either Hollywood or the Chinese film industry, Lin believes in acting in a “world industry”.
“I know it’s not usually done but I want to make films in China and Hollywood and anywhere in the world that I feel like I could take on the role with authenticity.
“So I want to work in a world industry.”
All the world’s a stage
In recent years, Hollywood has been churning out more stories about Asian people, and it’s definitely encouraging to see more diverse films.
Interestingly, however, films like Crazy Rich Asians – which chronicles the life of the overseas Chinese living in Singapore and New York – and Mulan – an inspiring tale that’s very much a part of the Chinese culture – became box office flops when they premiered in China.
As an actor with one foot in both markets, Lin offers a possible explanation: “They’ve done well in the people that (the films) are made for, which are Asian Americans who share that experience.”
But Lin feels there’s still more that can be done to engage the audience in China.
“As an actor, I used to think that if you can just pretend to be someone, you can be that character; that if you put on someone else’s hat, you can pretend to be them. But I don’t think that’s 100% true anymore.
“If you want to play a character fully and truthfully and actually get the locals to love that character and that story, then you really have to have some authenticity.
“Hollywood is still struggling with the issue of authenticity. That’s why I think there needs to be more Asian creators to share that knowledge.”
Nomadic lifestyle
Being a “world actor” has definitely taken Lin to many places – including Malaysia. He first came here to shoot 2014’s Marco Polo. He later returned in 2019 to film the Melaka-set supernatural series, The Ghost Bride.
“The Ghost Bride took me all over Malaysia like Taiping and Penang where I really learned about how all these different cultures intermingled.”
He adds in wide-eyed amazement: “Malaysians are so humble in that they are so impressed when they find out that I can speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
“But then the next sentence that comes out of their mouths is an amalgamation of five different languages.
“And everyone just co-exists. When I go to a Malaysian food market, I can smell everything – Indian food, Malay food and food from my hometown, Fujian, ” he remembers.
Always going wherever the job takes him, Lin is currently working on the upcoming martial arts series, Kung Fu, in Vancouver, Canada. Prior to that, he was in Australia to film Mortal Kombat.
Asked if he has been able to call anywhere his home, the actor says he hasn’t. Lin has chosen a nomadic lifestyle, no matter the sacrifices that come with it.
“If I want to be a ‘world actor’, I have to be based in the world.”
Mortal Kombat is now in cinemas.
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