Joe Taslim may be Indonesia's most successful actor, but his turn in the Mortal Kombat remake proves that Hollywood is the next frontier.
The 39-year-old - who is also a martial artist in his own right - was the first actor to be cast in the adaption of the cult fighting game franchise as villain, Sub-Zero. This is a big step for Taslim, who has long held aspirations to transfer his talent over to the States.
"It's been a crazy rollercoaster for me. Being where I am now is rare for Indonesian actors," he tells VT.
Taslim's breakout role outside his native Indonesia came after he scored the role of Jaka, a sergeant in a special police squad, in Gareth Evans' award-winning, The Raid (2011). It's this casting that he attributes to "opening all the doors" and "putting me where I am now."
"I was born in South Sumatra in Indonesia, [which is] a province on a small island," Taslim, a former member of the Indonesian national judo team, says. "When I was a kid I used to [engage] with a lot of American pop culture, music, videos, movies and TV shows, and every time I saw an Asian person there I was like 'oh, there are people who look like me - not just as an audience member, but as a performer."
Citing his own personal influences, he continues: "I'm lucky because when I was a kid my dad used to take me to watch a lot of Bruce Lee movies or Jackie Chan - and I remember when I watched the television show 21 Jump Street with Dustin Nguyen when I was a kid. Again, I was like 'Wow'. I felt that [deeply] at a young age, and it triggered me to think it was possible for me too, because I loved acting".
It's this "can-do" attitude and optimism that Taslim has carried with him, despite all of his success. He speaks about seeing Sung Kang in Fast Five, and turning to his wife, and asking "He's so cool - if he can do it, maybe I can do too?" Two years later and he was starring alongside Kang in Fast and Furious 6.
"I remember telling him that crazy story, and thanked him. Now we're now good friends - we're like brothers. If you always think positive, work hard, destiny just puts you with people you connect with. I'm lucky."
It's no surprise then that representation is important to Taslim. "I'm happy and proud, but at the same time I have to be responsible when it comes to representing the South East Asian [community]," he states. "It's more than acting, and kick-ass stuff. As an actor and martial artist, I need to let the young generation there know that it's possible to achieve your goals.
"Representation matters. We have the talent, creativity like everyone else. So in my position now I want to pay it forward by giving the same energy I received when I was a kid - to the people in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, everyone in South East Asia. That's the purpose in me doing this job."
You can rent the movie premiere of Mortal Kombat at home from 6th May.(Feature image credit: Alamy)