Cine-Critique
Cine-Critique
DAMON HERRIMAN Mortal Kombat 2 (Quan Chi) star talks stage & screen
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Terrific Australian actor Damon Herriman has done so much with more to come, enjoy our conversation on becoming Quan Chi in blockbuster Mortal Kombat 2 and touring the country in ART (the play). We also discuss a brief role in PRAISE (1998) sporting a mohawk.
MORTAL KOMBAT 2 also starring Jessica McNamee, Karl Urban, Ana Thu Ngyuen, Josh Lawson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, directed by Simon McQuoid. Warner Bros, a New Line Pictures film.
https://youtube.com/@movieanalystshaneadambassett?si=nZyw5fHIS4t_KgXj
Ah, yes, well, that is a little bit of uh well, piece of music from Mortal Kombat, the legacy that is Mortal Kombat from games to movies to animated features to just a fan base that is beyond uh anything really when you think about it. It is massive. And your movie in Mortal Kombat 2, depending on when you're listening, it is currently in the cinemas and doing fantastic dogs office. The movie was made in Australia that has a lot of Australian actors in it. You may have heard my conversation or seen my conversation I had with Hal Urban Well, he's not also music anyway, but also that uh with Josh Lawson and uh Jessica McIntyre, the three of them, and I had a had a chat about Mortal Kombat 2. And I also spoke to Anna to Newman, and she's lovely as well. But uh right now, you're gonna hear a conversation I had with Damon Harriman, who is also in uh the movie Mortal Kombat 2, talked a little bit about it, and we joke because we're both not gamers, uh, and he didn't want me to mention too much about the lore, and I don't know anything about the lore, so I wasn't gonna ask him anyway, but we have a bit of a joke about it. He's currently on stage at the moment, too, again, depending on when you're listening to this. He's on stage with uh Richard Roxborough, and of course uh a great actor called Toby Schmitz, and uh the three of them are in a play called Art at a Play editoring in the country and we talk about art at a play as well. And a few other little things. I mean, like we don't even mention art. The Australian movie Praise, which is something that goes under the radar because it's one of those movies that not many people would have heard about and it's an Australian classic from the 90s. Anyway, we cover a lot of subjects, and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Damon Harriman. Lovely blog, and if you haven't heard any of my previous conversations or interviews with Damon, uh you can check them out on my YouTube channel or the podcast that you're listening to now. Well, in between dancing around intertechno syndrome, that mortal combat theme, well, you can also find me at movie underscore analyst across your social media platforms, the YouTube channel movie analyst Shane Adam Bassett, and you can hear me on radio and occasionally on TV. You'll see my face talking entertainment. But right now, it's me talking with the one and only Damon Harriman.
SPEAKER_02You wanna know what makes a hero? It's not destiny. It's not something you're born with. It's searching for greatness. Johnny Cage, you have been chosen for what a combat. Then realizing you've had it in you this entire time. Whoa! I really don't feel comfortable hitting a girl.
SPEAKER_00Don't worry.
SPEAKER_02We won't. Send me back. I wanna go back.
SPEAKER_00The rules of the tournament are simple. Our states would not be settled by the size of our army. They would be decided by combat.
SPEAKER_02I'm not so happy. Johnny will definitely die.
SPEAKER_01Hey Damon, great to see you as always, mate. Thank you for taking some time out to chat with me. Always a pleasure, Shane. No worries. You're in a play at the moment that's touring Australia. I missed the Sydney leg. It's called Art the Play. Could you tell me a little bit about it if people are listening or watching and keen to see?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's a really, really funny, smart play. Uh about three friends, three three guys who've been friends for 20 years. It starts with this kind of very funny conceit of my character having uh spent 160 grand on a painting that is essentially just appears to be a white square with nothing on it. Right. And uh Richard Roxborough's character is absolutely appalled and sort of sees this as the as the nail in the coffin of this 20-year friendship. That I we've we've kind of it's it's it's a signifier of just how far we our friendship has gone apart. And then Toby Schmitz plays our friend Ivan, who is kind of the one trying to keep the piece and and and sort of sit more of a fence sitter. And it's just a great look at at friendship, I mean male friendship, but friendship in general, and and uh at how friendships can change over 20 years and and whether we're we're really meant to still be friends with people that we we met 20 years ago, we might have connected over something, but now we've become completely different people. But the main thing I'd say about it is it's just really funny. People are um you know, Richard and Toby and I have never experienced this level of laughter in a play before, and that's a credit to the to the writing um written by a French woman, Yasmina Reza, who's just a genius.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Uh that's really good to hear, Damon, that the crowd responds the way it is, and all three of you are saying it's the you know the biggest laughs you've ever heard.
SPEAKER_03That's a loudest, the most regular. It's it's um we knew it was funny going into it, but yeah, it wasn't until our first audience, it's weird. You go from a room with sort of three people in it, you know, the director and the stage manager, and suddenly there's a thousand people, and uh we were almost kind of blown off our feet by the reaction. It was uh it's it's been pretty great to uh to sort of see that many people getting that much joy out of something.
SPEAKER_01What is it that works between you, Toby and Richard? Like is it just your on-fire chemistry and friendship in the on stage?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think the fact that we all knew each other before um helped them and those guys have worked together in plays. I've done um uh a little bit of telly with Richard, uh, but Toby and I go back probably 25 years, Richard and I about 15. So look, I think when you're playing long-term friends, it certainly doesn't hurt to uh to actually be friends in real life. Um and also I think we just I don't know, I think we just we all just love the material and get the material and and uh uh the the characters are all really well delineated. Like it's it's one of those plays where afterwards you speak to people and they're like, I was trying to work out, you know, is my husband this one or this one, or you know, um everyone seems to either be one or know one of these three characters.
SPEAKER_01I'm really sorry I missed it in Sydney. I I hope I get a chance to to catch up with it. And is it being maybe filmed into a movie at some point? Is it is it worthy of that or something?
SPEAKER_03Well, it's funny you mentioned that. It just it just came out uh yesterday in the uh in the in online. I was just reading that uh Rafe finds Colin Farrell and who's the third guy? He's in Narcos, I think. Um is it Wagner is it Wagner Wagner, someone?
SPEAKER_01Um, yeah, Wagner. He was nominated for a uh Academy Award. Right. For the secret agent.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yes, yes, that guy. Yeah, okay, so it's those three guys, um, which is gonna be really cool, I reckon. And it's the same, the same writer, Christopher Hampton, who did the translation of this in 1994 as a play, is writing the screenplay.
SPEAKER_01Well, there you go. I didn't know that, but uh that's that's music to my ears. Anything movie related or sadly we won't be in it though, Shane.
SPEAKER_03That's that's the only downside.
SPEAKER_01Who's playing your character?
SPEAKER_03Well, we don't know actually. We're all trying, we're all sort of taking bets on it. I I I think either Rafe Finds or um uh the the what is it how do you say it again?
SPEAKER_01Mr. Wagner what pronunciations for most foreign names, I screw up and I always have to.
SPEAKER_03One of those two, I think, but I look that's just a guess. The thing is that these roles you could kind of interchange. I mean, uh the three of us have have talked about how fun it would be to change every night, you know. Each of us just move around and play a different uh character each each time. Um, how much fun that would be. Uh so yeah, remains to be seen. None of the articles have said yet who's playing who.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's great news. I'm really glad I've got the exclusive. Well, sort of an exclusive. Sorted. Look, it just came out. Yeah, yeah. Now Mortal Kombat 2 was finished. I know there was some reshoots, but it was finished some time ago, and a lot of not delay, but uh, you know, anticipation for this release, and it's huge. It's tracking really big. The fans seem to like it because there's been a few fan screenings. Now I know you're big on the games and and all the m you know the lore about it, the history of the Mortal Kombat series, just like me.
SPEAKER_03Just I know look, let's say we both know as much about that as each other, Shane. So I'll hand it over to you to start. Off you go.
SPEAKER_01No, of course I'm kidding, because I've been saying to all your colleagues uh that I've spoken to already on this film, uh, that I'm no gamer, but I'm a movie traditionalist, and I love films, and this movie actually I enjoyed a lot more than I expected. So that is a bonus.
SPEAKER_03It's it's it's an absolute ride. Like I'm not a gamer. I mean, I played Atari when I was a kid, but I'm certainly not, I've never played Mortal Kombat. Um, and I didn't go into, you know, when I saw I I haven't seen the final cut, but I saw a pretty close one. Um, and I thought, oh, you know, this'll be this will be a bit of fun. And I was absolutely like I went along with the ride. It absolutely hooks you in. Yeah, it does the the you know, you it doesn't matter whether you know the game or not. That's one thing I I realized very quickly, but also it's really funny, and I think that that helps too. You know, it's got a it's got a the whole movie has a sense of humour to it that I think carries you along uh for the bits for the people that aren't as keen on the fighting stuff, which is pretty spectacular, by the way. Um there's there's a whole other level of humour that keeps you really engaged.
SPEAKER_01The fighting is choreographed brutality and can be a bit gross at times, but it's exactly what the fans wanted, and uh, and I think they're very happy about that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Uh your well, you your role has been extended. I was telling your uh your director Simon and and almost thanking him because you had like a voice only in in the first Mortal Kombat, but you've been extended and and uh developed a little bit more for this.
SPEAKER_03Well, was it I actually did a voice for a completely different character in the first one? It wasn't even the same character. No, um it was Gee. I can't even remember the character. In the first one, but in this case, in this film I play Quan Chi, who's a necromancer, um quite a he's certainly a villain, uh one of the villains of the of the film, has this um incredibly evil, uh conniving, has has the ability to sort of you know raise people from the dead, involved complete um sort of waste to top of head prosthetics, uh, which I've I mean I've had prosthetics before, never quite to that degree. That was certainly an experience, um, but created a great look. I mean, I don't know, could you tell it was me? I mean, it sort of still looks like me, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_01It still looks like you, but as soon as you open your mouth, your voice, like anyone who knows you will know it's you. Right. But they seem to have the details on and making it look like you, even though it's not, if that makes sense. Right, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I think because that it's essentially like a a ball cap that's very close fitting all all over my whole face. And then my face is slightly sh, you know, it's the shape of it is more extreme, but you can sort of still see it is me, I think. Um I won't be adding it to my you know dating profile or anything, Shane, but it's uh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well, it's a much bigger presence dayman, and then and and it will have an impact on on people because it it's a it's another character that people know and love from the games and and are uh you know, they're fully aware of.
SPEAKER_03Yes, which is exciting and a bit scary because you know that you know video game fans are they're they're hardcore and you they don't want you to get it wrong. Um and so there is, you know, I'm sort of waiting with bated breath to see whether they approve because I mean I know they approve the film, that's that's that's become very clear from the the previous screenings already. But um, yeah, be interested to see whether there are any there will be, of course, there'll be there'll be something wrong somewhere with the characterization because you know people get obsessive about this stuff. It's like no Quanchi's meant to sound like this, he's meant to be this tall, or he's meant to move like whatever, you know. But um look, it was a lot of it was a lot of fun, and it's fun to be in something like that. I don't really think I've been in something in that sort of um in that fantasy world before.
SPEAKER_01Well, in the advanced screening I saw, a lot of it got laughs, but your uh interaction with Josh Lawson's character uh got the biggest laughs. He seems to insult you quite a lot in it. Um I think most of it was ad-libbing particularly.
SPEAKER_03It was Josh is very good at that. And found it very easy to become to come up with insults to me, weirdly. Um uh didn't seem to have a problem with that at all. Uh kept adding more. Um, yeah, no, I mean Josh is is a you know absolutely brilliant at comedy, and uh yeah, I I can't even remember how many of the lines in the film are ones that he just came up with on the day, but a good a good chunk of them are. Uh, it was a lot of fun devising um some of that stuff with him.
SPEAKER_01Well, I know that you worked together in The Little Death. Uh I'm not sure of anything else, but you're in The Little Death with him, and he directed that from memory. He did.
SPEAKER_03And well, the Little Death, and then we did he he wrote a short film called The Eleven O'Clock, which got an Oscar nomination a few years later.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_03Um, yeah, um our mate Darren Seal directed it. Um son of uh John Seal, the brilliant cinematographer. Okay. Um uh yeah, so that's so twice at least I've worked with Josh. We've probably done some other bits and pieces here and there as well.
SPEAKER_01Uh people remember this, your moments together in this for sure, I reckon. Oh, great. It's good to hear. Uh walking on the set. I mean, I know you've been on a lot of huge sets in your career over many years, but how was it? I I know a lot of it was just all built and there was multiple sets involved for Mortal Kombat.
SPEAKER_03It's pretty impressive. I mean, you'd walk big sound stages on the Gold Coast, and you would uh yeah, you know, you'd walk into these worlds and just be like, my God, it's not it wasn't one of those things where you go, oh, it's just a lot of green everywhere, and they're gonna sort of put it all in digitally later. A little bit of that, but it's mostly, you know, mostly what you see was what we were what what we were walking around on, and it's yeah, it's pretty it's pretty impressive. You you really do um you do feel like you've gone into another world, you know, with the combination of how everyone looks and and how the sets are. It's pretty pretty spectacular.
SPEAKER_01So in true video game tradition, we've got to call it another realm, not world. Sorry, realm. What was I thinking?
SPEAKER_03Um that was a trick, that was a trick from me there, Shane, to see if you'd pick it up being the video game expert that you are.
SPEAKER_01Uh my limitations stop about that, about that. Uh we've spoken about the makeup briefly, but what about the costume? Uh, you know, it looked very beautiful, detailed. Was it heavy? Was it you know made to for comfort or or not?
SPEAKER_03Uh not made for comfort, I would say. I mean, it wasn't uncomfortable, it was quite heavy. Yeah. Um you sort of felt quite strong at it. The coolest part of it was that the the first piece that I would put on was essentially a skin shirt. So it wasn't it wasn't meant to appear as clothes, it was Quan Chi's skin, out of a layer of skin above his waist, but which was made to fit me exactly, but muscly. So it I I I kind of would look at it and go, damn, I could just sort of put my clothes back on with this thing underneath it. I'd look like I'd been working out for six months. Um it was pretty, it was it was a pretty cool, pretty cool feeling to sort of see, oh, if I could be if I wasn't so lazy, Shane, I could maybe try and look like this guy, but no. Um so it was that, and then there was, yeah, all these quite a few, lots of layers, you know, quantity, very delayering. Um, and yeah, by the end of it, you would sort of feel quite strong, weirdly. You sort of, not only just because of the muscles and whatnot, it just just everything was so kind of tight, big high boots, and um, yeah, you kind of would walk around feeling kind of strong and a little bit scary.
SPEAKER_01You you kind of have that scary look in it, but again, you know it's you, and you have a really sort of uh momentous sort of few moments in the film which are uh a part of the storyline. So I think you'll be remembered, Damon. Oh well, that's good to good to know.
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, look, it we did my my only last thought on the costume and makeup was we were shooting when it was boiling hot in Queensland. Oh, right. And oh my goodness, yes, having a full-body prosthetic, well not full body, less than but waist-up prosthetic, um, uh where you know there's slowly forming slicks of your own sweat between your skin and the fake skin in a Queensland summer. It was fine most of the time because we're in the in the studio, but you'd walk out the the studio door into what felt like a blast furnace. That that part, yeah, that part I'm I I was happy for the air conditioning, let's just say.
SPEAKER_01You don't come across to me as it being a diva on set, so you wouldn't have been ordering, you know, ice cold waters or or anything to kill you off.
SPEAKER_03No, I was my my inner my inner diva was was definitely screaming inside my head, though, definitely. Yeah, yeah. There was not not the most comfortable I've ever been in a role, but um uh you know, when you then when you then see it, you're like, ah, it's all worth it, you know. It looks so cool.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure. Uh international, diverse co-stars, full of really great, you know, not just good actors, but different kind of people in it. Uh and anyone stand out, any other than Josh, you know, a scene partner?
SPEAKER_03But have you, you know, well look, you know, um uh Adeline who who uh um I I uh had met I think previously through Mutual Friends, we ended up working together again um in a in a series uh in uh Toronto uh uh about a year ago um called Neely, N-E-A-G-L-E-Y, which is a character from the Amazon series um Reacher, who has gone off into a spin-off series um called Neely. And um Addie was in it was in that as well. So um she's just an absolute delight of a human being and so great. Uh and so getting to getting to work with her was pretty awesome, especially getting to do it again last year.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Oh, that's good to hear. And I mean, speaking of series, I was hoping there'd be another season of The Bondsman. It's a bit of a shame that didn't continue.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's funny, these things, you know, you just never know. Um it had a it certainly had a following, and then and uh uh but I I I don't even know how especially when it's not, you know, when it's on a streamer, it's hard to know how they make these decisions because it's not it's not based on um to such a degree on commercial decisions in the same way that something on free-to-wear would be. Um but yeah, uh for whatever reason they they didn't they didn't go again, uh which was a shame. But um, yeah, that was a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_01I've got an interview coming up uh with Sasha Hawler about praise. Oh wow. Yeah, and you you're part of praise. Now it's not quite 30 years, but it was 1998.
SPEAKER_03Wow, goodness me. Yes, I mean I'm definitely blinking your miss miss him kind of part of I I I I run and grab a grab a taxi before someone can get into it or something, and and I think I say one line.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_03Um I remember uh that might even be the first kind of the thing. The reason I was like super excited to do that was um because I got to have a I actually got a skin head like I got a um a skin hair with a with a um uh what is what's the thing down the middle called that hair mohawk mohawk I had a mohawk uh done for it especially uh because the good the hair guy was like you know what do you want what are you willing to do it's only a you know tiny scene I'm like no go go for go crazy oh I I because this was the period this was this was the 90s when I couldn't get a look in it to play any bad guy or anyone rough or anyone scary I was always playing nice guys and nerds and I was like I don't care that this is only going to be 12 seconds just uh yeah make me look make me look like as a you know skin up with a mohawk let's do it yeah well I remember seeing it uh uh uh in cinemas when it was released I think up at uh Oxford Street back where the Verona and that used to be yeah and I have it on VHS so I've got to re-watch it before I talk to Sasha but I'll I'll look out for this Mohawk guy running towards a taxi.
SPEAKER_01Yes you can't miss your train. As you know one of my favourite movies of yours is House of Wax and I mean you're pretty creepy in that yes well that came a little later that was probably the next sort of chance I had to do something creepy um but uh after after that praise character but um yeah goodness that's coming on is that twenty twenty over twenty years now since House of Wax over twenty that's 22 years I think now from memory wow yeah I know 2005 so 21 right right right you know me I all these movies are in my head I can just throw out numbers and names and people crazy and I I've posed this question to everyone I've spoken to from Mortal Kombat 2 so far and a lot of contemporary movies and and shows have been turned into musicals.
SPEAKER_03Do you think Mortal Kombat the musical sounds good we're talking stage musical here or screen music either I don't know would you be up for it they wouldn't be getting me um I can tell you not if they care about their audience's ears um I mean I suppose we dubbed but it's happened before um yeah look you know um let's as long as it's the you know the kind of Chicago version and not the cat's version of if it's this if it's a screen uh if it's a if it's a movie um yeah look any anything is possible I feel like a stage version would be kind of cool because to see that those that kind of level of fighting the martial arts and so forth and the sort of trickery you'd need to do to get that to happen on a stage would be pretty cool.
SPEAKER_01Yeah I think so if they can convert uh move just contemporary general movies into a musical like Clueless and and the Breakfast Club was even a a musical at some point uh Heathers so you never know right anything is possible fighting is choreo you know choreography it's true it's true yeah well let's see what happens we've put it out there now how do you think the state of the Australian film industry is going at the moment uh are you are you happy are you what you're all constantly working but do you think you know with cinemas and streaming how how do you think that's all in your opinion happening at the moment that's pretty good it's still a little sad um you know that we don't go to the movies as much as we did you know um it just uh was reading about this film is it The Beast is it that was called yeah that's correct yeah people loved um and and you know but hasn't hasn't made a lot of money it's it's it's really hard getting people to the movies you know and and I think for Australian movies it's it's got an even bigger leap.
SPEAKER_03I'm in a a film um called The Fox uh which is a new Australian film that I think just got announced at the Sydney Film Festival. Pretty sure that's getting a cinema release later in the year but yeah hopefully people go it's it's you know it's the sort of film that people would have absolutely been swarming to uh 25 years ago and um and and now you just don't know you just don't know what uh unless it's Barbie or uh or certain horror movies you know it's so hard to know what gets people along to the movies these days.
SPEAKER_01Yeah well the Fox is screening at the Sydney Film Festival and speaking of Sasha Haller uh she's got a movie called Bodyblow that's screening so there'll be a few Aussie movies I'll be catching up with um there as I normally do.
SPEAKER_03You were there last year for Together yes yes that was a lot of fun um yeah I so I I I think I'm gonna be overseas this year when it when it when it's on but um I have seen the fox at the Adelaide Film Festival and uh it's fantastic. It's that's right yeah Dario Russo writer director he's amazing um before we wrap up a little I know you probably can't talk much about it but I want to know about Subversion it's a big movie that you were filming uh up in Queensland also uh any anything you can tell me a little bit about that film and that production um oh look I think it's gonna be really exciting it's a it's a an Amazon film I'm pretty sure it's it's it's made for Amazon to stream um uh and uh Chris Hemsworth uh is is the the lead of that um and it's it's got uh it's a submarine action thriller um uh I play a uh a a guy that works for the Coast Guard he's a bit of a you know grizzled kind of um just constantly pissed off American guy like you at all mate no not in life but I mean I seem to keep getting these roles somebody's angry about something um but uh yeah that was that was a a a lot of fun a really lot of fun and it's a it's a top page turner of a script like it's one of those ones where every time you think you know what's happening uh you don't and and and and uh and uh you know um something else something else is is is is is happening um uh yeah it it I think it's gonna be really cool I don't know you don't know when it's coming out you probably know more than I do uh end of the year pretty much the the the last quarter right okay yeah yeah um no that was changed though yes yeah um I I I think I think that's gonna be really uh really good like it's it's um uh Lily James was in it as well I got worked with her um mostly um she was great value excellent actor and um yeah lots of Aussies pop up in there because it's it's set in America but it's all shot in Queensland.
SPEAKER_01Not to be confused with the Greyhound sequel that Tom Hanks has been filming in Australia right yeah why would it get confused oh Greyhound was uh is is his submarine movie that he oh that's a submarine movie oh yeah yeah of course I totally forgot for some reason my head went to bus travel then I just that's funny you say that because when I first started reviewing it on triple M and my other outlets and that people would say oh you know greyhounds submarines I was straight away thinking of bus travel yeah the buses right right right right right yeah yeah all right well to wrap it up uh art the plays going gangbuses by the sound of it which is great we're playing at the comedy theatre in Melbourne at the moment uh until the 17th of May and and then we are in Adelaide for uh five days uh uh from the 20th to the 25th and then and then all done no hecklers no uh no problems you know happens no hecklers so far but uh there is still time if you want to come along and heckle us at that and and Mortal Kombat 2 is actually opening in Australia anyway up against the sheep detectives so yeah Hugh Jackman's new film so Aussie's you know going head to head yeah right very different audience I feel but we'll see we'll see see what happens very much so there you have it the great actor the great guy and just always cool to talk to Damon Harriman all right well that's it from now for me from me now anyway you've probably sick of my voice and that's all good. I appreciate your time and your ears listening to this podcast Cine critique. Until next time as I said you can find me at movie underscore analyst across your social media platforms bye for now see you at the movies.