Actor and stuntman Max Huang (“Mortal Kombat” reboot) chatted about his latest endeavors in the contemporary entertainment scene.
Aside from being an actor and stuntman, he is also a martial artist, singer-songwriter, and filmmaker in his own right that creates his own content.
He was born in Nuremberg, Germany, and he is of Chinese and German descent. He has since created and honed his own distinct form of modern screen combat. “My mom is German, and my dad came to Germany when he was about 18 to study and that’s how he met my mom. I was born and raised in Germany,” he said.
‘Mortal Kombat’ reboot
Most recently, Huang can be seen as Kung Lao in the Warner Bros. and HBO Max reboot of “Mortal Kombat,” which was directed by Simon McQuoid. “The reboot was amazing,” he said. “To be honest, that was my first big project in my acting career because before that, I used to do stunts.”
“I tried early on to take the transition into acting but that was a hard task to fulfill. It took some years but eventually, I got the gig, and once that happened, I was super happy and excited. That feels like a dream talking about it,” he acknowledged.
In this adaptation, MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) seeks out Earth’s greatest champions in order to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. “Lewis Tan and I had an incredible time together,” he admitted. “Everyone from the cast to the crew was amazing.”
Huang started his career working with Jackie Chan and his stunt team, and he has gone on to work on and appear in over 20 productions in English, German and Chinese.
Working with Jackie Chan
On being a part of Jackie Chan’s stunt team, Huang said, “It is weird in a way standing beside the legend, it has always been my dream to work with him ever since I was a child. Finally, in 2010, my dream came true when I reached out to him at a red carpet premiere in Berlin.”
“Although I didn’t meet him directly, I handed my tape over to Jaden Smith at the ‘Karate Kid’ premiere and he somehow gave it to Jackie Chan, and somehow Jackie saw it and a month later, he called me in for my first job, which was mind-blowing. Now, I have been working with Jackie for 12 years,” he said.
‘No Way Out’ short film
In 2019, Huang made his filmmaking debut with the award-winning German original action short, “No Way Out,” which he directed and starred in. “That was a flashback for me, and I did that in 2017,” he said.
“At the time I didn’t have any acting material to show so I decided to create my own content, in order to create my own chances. I wrote, directed it, and edited it by myself with the help of friends and colleagues,” he added.
Huang shared that his favorite part of the filmmaking process if the actual filming and being on set. “I love capturing things, doing the actual work, and I enjoy doing post-production because I can find new things within the process,” he said.
“The writing for me is the most challenging part, to be honest,” he acknowledged.
In “No Way Out,” a former criminal (Max Huang) gets hired by the police to work undercover inside a drug cartel, but when he saves a little girl, he blows his cover.
Future plans
On his future plans, Huang said, “I want to do a full-length feature film in the future. I will continue to give my best, I think this is only the beginning. There is more to come.”
Advice for aspiring stunt performers
For young and aspiring stunt performers, he said, “When I had nothing to show, I edited and put together my own material and I would shoot it myself. Having a background in different sports is essential, especially as a base for the physical skills in the beginning. Focus on one skill and get really good at that.”
Huang continued, “It is important to be more diverse and learn as much as you can from other martial arts and sports so that you can combine it. Film is always moving and evolving, you need to be ready for any scenario. The action genre doesn’t stay the same all the time, it depends on the script and the style.”
“If you want to be a good martial artist and stunt performer, you need to adapt to the script and the whole situation on set. It is important to have a flexible and open mind, where you can learn as much as you can,” he added.
The digital age
He spoke about being an actor in the digital age. “There are more opportunities out there, especially right now. I can see a shift with Asian actors and actresses getting more and more chances such as Michelle Yeoh who is rocking it with ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once.’ Michelle is doing well and representing the Asian community,” he said.
“Things are going in the right direction, and I am just happy to be a part of it,” he added.
‘Snafu’
His next project is “Snafu” opposite Jackie Chan. “I am more than excited about it, I just don’t know when ‘Snafu’ is going to come out. It was fun doing it and working with Jackie Chan again. We all go along awesome, it was a great time,” he said.
Huang’s other acting and stunt credits include “Police Story: Lockdown,” “The Foreigner” and “Kingsman: The Secret Service.”
Max Huang: The martial artist
Outside of the acting realm, Huang has practiced the martial art Wushu (under Shanghai Wushu Team member Wang Peng Cheng) and he went on to win the gold medal at the German Wushu Nationals in 2009.
Max Huang: The musician
Huang is also a singer-songwriter, who released “Flawless Victory” a few years ago.
“The lyrics for ‘Flawless Victory’ came from my heart and it’s very honest. It resembles the time and space that I am in when I was writing that. For me, life is about living in the moment and this song expresses that, as well as don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve your dreams,” he said.
“I am happy I put this song out there,” he admitted.
If he were to have any superpower, he revealed that it would be “flight.” “Flying would be cool,” he said.
When asked what track and field event he would do, he noted that he would run the 400 meters sprint. “Back in the day, when I trained for martial arts competitions, I would run track, and I enjoyed running one lap (400 meters) in under one minute,” he said.
In the sport of swimming, he shared that he enjoys “freestyle.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he responded, “Preparation. “A lot of things are happening. I am preparing for the next project, which is just around the corner. It is always the same game. I have to stay ready for what is about to come,” he explained.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Huang said, “For some people, it might mean happiness, that’s not necessarily the fact. Success is an achievement once you make a lot of sacrifices. In order to reach a higher goal, you need to make sacrifices and that is putting in the work and putting in the hours. Eventually, if you checkmark all of these points, you will find success, even though it doesn’t come easy. Success is also something positive.”
For his fans and supporters, Huang expressed his appreciation. “Thank you for all of the support so far. When I was in Jakarta a couple of days ago, there was a martial arts school that hosted an event, and when I got there, they had printed huge posters and there were 100 kids with their moms wanting to take pictures, and I was totally shocked and amazed by it.”
To learn more about actor and stuntman Max Huang, check out his IMDb page and follow him on Instagram.
