Sub-Zero is a key part of many Mortal Kombat stories, but it’s not always the same Sub-Zero. Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms has a Sub-Zero named Kuai Liang whereas Scorpion’s Revenge‘s Sub-Zero was his older brother, Bi-Han.
Senior Gaming Editor Michael Leri spoke to Bayardo De Murguia, Kuai Liang’s voice actor, about portraying this different Sub-Zero, his interest in the series, and his interest in being a Mortal Kombat‘s first official Latino fighter. This interview has light spoilers.
Sub-Zero is such an iconic character and one that has taken many forms since his inception. And you’re just one of the Sub-Zeroes here, Kuai Liang. How did you approach playing Kuai Liang specifically because he’s a Sub-Zero more focused on revenge?
Bayardo De Murguia: It was such a blast to play him and be a part of this Mortal Kombat world because I’ve always been a fan and a gamer. After the events of what just happened, you’re kind of introduced to a young version of Sub-Zero so we wanted to make sure to show a raw and organic Sub. It’s like what you get from a young adult or teenager. That was one thing that was a big difference but it was such a blast to portray and I really wanted to do justice to all the Sub-Zeroes that have come before. It was so fun to play.
As it goes on, you see his journey because initially, he’s hellbent on revenge and then you see how that progresses.
Kuai Liang goes through a bit of a journey in this one from being out for revenge to actually helping Scorpion near the end. What did you think about that transformation?
Our movie is so epic, there’s so much going on in addition to the actual tournament itself. That was one of the awesome parts of my character’s journey and the relationship with Scorpion because he’s so hellbent on revenge and then all of a sudden, he realizes things are bigger than he thinks they are. There’s other stuff going on that affects everybody. And that’s what triggers change. It was a manner of realizing there are things that are bigger than just him.
You like boxing and were a dance teacher. A lot of the Mortal Kombat fights are sort of a mix between the two because of their physicality and choreography. Did that make you any more interested in being in a Mortal Kombat film? Or were you interested in the series growing up because of that?
I have always been a fan of fighting sports, especially bringing whatever I could into the voice booth to go through and create a sense of fluidity between the animations and the sounds. [I took] any chance that I could to make it as real as I could.
Sometimes creating all of the sounds and action sequences in the voice booth, it brings me back to being a little kid and playing with action figures and creating my own stunts and creating all the sounds. It’s half professional and half me enjoying myself with a sense of wonder.
RELATED: Matthew Yang King on Voicing Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms
Mortal Kombat was one of the first games that I remember the cheat code for blood and gore. [laughs] I grew up playing the games and was a big fan. What’s it on now? Mortal Kombat 11? For me as an actor, my favorite parts in games are the cutscenes. I think that is one of the reasons why I wanted to get more involved in the voice booth because I am just a huge fan. I love watching the cutscenes and seeing what happens and what is going on with the story.
Given how there is voiceover crossover with the films and games, is this like some sort of audition to be in the games? You did say that you were a big fan.
Hey, if the opportunity is there, I would love to. Maybe if they introduce a Latino fighter. [laughs] Bring in a Latino guy and I’ll do it.
But for this film, normally, you record by yourself in a booth. But in this case, I actually got to record with [Scorpion voice actor] Patrick [Seitz]. It was really cool to meet him and work with him and read our scenes together. That was so much fun, in addition to feeding off his energy as Scorpion. It was fun to experience that because it’s not something that’s that common when you record.
