Mortal Kombat star Ludi Lin is speaking out about spreading love for the Asian community in the wake of last month's mass shootings in Atlanta-area massage parlors that claimed the lives of six Asian women.
The "proud Chinese-Canadian" actor, whose recent action roles also include Power Rangers and Aquaman, spoke with E! News about what his experience has been like working on Mortal Kombat, which is based on the popular video game franchise. In the film, Ludi plays skilled fighter Liu Kang, who also appears in the games.
"It's almost surreal, being born in China, and growing up all the way over there, I could never have imagined as my childhood self, playing video games like s, living my dream," the actor, 33, tells E! News in an exclusive video.
One person that he was particularly excited to share the film with? His mother. "It's nice to show her the reality of the thing, and to show her it's not make believe any more," he said. "I may be watching her [watch the movie], more than I am watching it with her."
He also felt supported on set, thanks to the "respectful" team behind the project.
"As soon as I walked on set, it felt like going home," he shared. "I didn't feel like I was a token. Simon [McQuoid] was such an open and respectful director in terms of how he accepted the actor's opinion. It really came from a place where he knows that he didn't grow up in those various very diverse cultures that he knows these characters come from."
Ludi added that executive producer James Wan was equally supportive. "[James] is a great champion of Asian actors in general, and we've worked together before. There was just a sense of belonging, and a sense of joy and excitement on the set."
In addition to his work onscreen, Ludi is an activist for stopping Asian hate. He opened up about the rise of anti-Asian sentiment during the coronavirus pandemic and what he hopes will combat it.
"After the tragedy in Atlanta, I think a lot of people felt that fear. Right now, I think the best antidote to fear, is to spread love, and make love go viral, by telling stories, global stories and stories of commonality," he explained. "It's the story of people at the fringes, coming together and fighting another force.
"To be able to share a human story like that," he concluded, "that's what I'm good at, and that's what I want to use as a weapon to make love go viral."
Check out the video above.