Karl Urban on the complexities of becoming Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II

It’s not easy to steal scenes in a movie and gaming franchise famous for its ultra-violent “Fatalities”, but Kiwi actor Karl Urban does just that playing a human among superhuman characters in Mortal Kombat II.

Of course, Urban is no stranger to battling superhumans and can be seen doing that right now in the final season of the acclaimed Amazon series The Boys.

But Mortal Kombat is an entirely different proposition, and so is playing Johnny Cage, a beloved character from the original 1992 iteration of the computer game.

In Urban’s hands, Cage, a washed-up action movie hero, becomes the heart and humour of the film, which is a sequel to Perth director Simon McQuoid’s 2021 adaptation of the game.

“I would describe Johnny Cage as a character who is down and out; he has no self-confidence, his movie career is in the tank, his agent’s not calling him, he has neglected his martial arts training and he no longer believes in himself,” Urban says over a video call with PLAY.

“And it’s at this sort of lowest juncture of his life that he gets approached by Sonya and Lord Raiden to defend Earthrealm against attack from Shao Kahn — ostensibly, it’s at this point where he is asked to save the world.”

With a touch of the 1999 sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest to Cage’s character arc, the actor must prove he can be a hero in real life and recover his self-respect in the process.

Watching Urban play an amalgam of Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme is unreasonably enjoyable, especially during a flashback to Cage’s hit film, which is depicted, hilariously, as a movie-within-a-movie.

One wonders if the ignominy Cage suffers on the fan convention circuit immediately before being tasked with saving Earth is a fate Urban fears in real life, as a Star Trek alumnus.

“I don’t fear it at all, actually,” he laughs.

“I’ve done many fan conventions, and I genuinely enjoy the experience. It’s just a wonderful opportunity to connect with the fan base.

“And, certainly, I was able to lean into my experience for Johnny Cage, and particularly for the point that we find him in this movie, where nobody’s paying him, nobody wants his autograph, and you just feel for the guy — nobody wants that fate.”

McQuoid, who returned to helm the sequel, also shot in Australia, is grateful to have an actor of Urban’s calibre in such a pivotal role.

“I felt Karl was going to be able to self-regulate and self-calibrate where the comedy lies, because he really thinks about every little movement and emotion,” the director tells PLAY.

“He thinks about everything, (like Johnny Cage is) coming from rock bottom, and so . . . when we start applying all the kind of hilarious, ridiculous stuff, it’s actually grounded when people look at the background of the character.

“Karl did that really, really well, so it was just about trying to calibrate the humanity in him with also that he’s in this preposterous world, fantasy world.”

It’s a fantasy world with fighting. Lots of highly technical fighting.

“I’d have to say that that element of the production was the most challenging aspect,” Urban admits.

“I’ve done quite a bit of action and fight sequences in various shapes and forms throughout my career, but there’s something inherently much more complex and difficult about doing a specific martial art and nailing the form and the style and the flow and then sort of executing that while remembering 20 fight moves in a row.”

The franchise is called Mortal Kombat, so it’s a given the fight sequences must be elite, with the penalty for failure coming in the form of brutal trolling online from millions of gamers.

Even without such a threat hanging over his head, McQuoid was laser-focused on building on the achievements of the first film in this regard.

It helps he had a cast who were up for the challenge. But which of these action heroes was the best fighter?

“I don’t think anyone would mind me saying this, but Joe Taslim (as Bi-Han/Noob Saibot) is extraordinary,” McQuoid reveals.

“Everyone reveres Joe. He’s a beautiful guy. I mean, he’s just a sweetheart and a real softy, but he represented Indonesia in judo, so he’s legit.

“Max Huang (Kung Lao) is quite extraordinary as well, he’s spent years in the Jackie Chan fighting school, so he really knows his stuff.

“I think Lewis Tan (Cole Young) is really good — they’re all at a very high level.”

Well, maybe not all.

“I don’t think (Aussie comedian Josh Lawson) would mind me saying this, but Josh was always the first to say, ‘Bring in the stunt guys. Great. Yeah, good. I’ll go and sit over here’,” McQuoid jokes.

“Where his value lies is his extraordinary comedic ability and also to have that gravitas on screen as well, so each of the cast have their massive skill set.”

Lawson reprising the role of Kano is one of the best things about the sequel, and the chemistry with Urban’s Cage will make audiences dream of a spin-off featuring the duo.

“If we’re blessed to make more of these, then I’d be down to do anything,” Urban enthuses.

“I’d be down to do something like that. I love working with Josh. Supremely talented Aussie actor, super funny, super quick — one of the highlights of the shoot was watching him come in and improvise a line.”

When the conversation turns to one of Urban’s most important roles, the 53-year-old waits expectantly to hear a question about The Boys or, perhaps, Eomer in two Lord Of The Rings movies.

Nope, we need to talk about him playing Julius Caesar in Xena: Warrior Princess.

“That was a very important production for New Zealand,” Urban laughs.

“It was an important production for my career. It was the first sort of time that I had stepped onto a set that had an elevated level of production.

“It was also being shot on film, and when Peter Jackson was looking to crew Lord Of The Rings, he came up and met with the crews of Xena and Hercules and basically cherrypicked the best of them . . . and they all went on to win Oscars.

“For me, as a young actor, to work with Lucy Lawless and to watch how she helmed that series, there wasn’t a day that went by when I was shooting The Boys that I didn’t have her in my mind at some juncture, whether it was her positivity, her leadership or the way that she would encourage the crew and keep the mood buoyant but focused.”

McQuoid’s decision to give us a mini Johnny Cage movie inside Mortal Kombat II is so canny, it’s forcing Urban to field questions about making one for real.

“I would love the opportunity to do that. You’re not the first person to ask that,” he admits.

“I have to say that it’s proved to be very, very popular, and I can’t wait for the audiences to actually see the whole thing that we shot. We had a lot of fun making it and just really leaning into it.

“It’s a homage to some of those great 90s movies that are so preposterous and ridiculous and so overly stylised, yet, at the same time, completely thrilling and entertaining. So, yeah, we had a lot of fun with that.”

Failing a Johnny Cage standalone movie, this sequel sets the scene for further films in the franchise, as long as punters do their part at the box office.

If that should transpire, Urban is keen.

“Without a doubt, no question, hands-down,” he says.

“If we’re blessed enough to get to be able to do this adventure again, I would hands-down do it, and I’d hope we get to shoot in Australia again.

“Just the calibre of talent on the Australian crew, and it was just such a fantastic location (on the Gold Coast). I want to shoot all my stuff there.

“Should be a prerequisite, like, if you’re not shooting in Australia, don’t send me the script.”

Mortal Kombat II is in cinemas from May 7.