Rising Star – Jessica McNamee – Blade Runner

Jessica McNamee is ready to knock us out in the new Mortal Kombat

- By Jordan Riefe. Photography by David Higgs

She’s a badass with a blade. So bad, it’s in her name–Sonya Blade, the sexy slasher from your youth, back when you first rocked Midway’s classic fight game, Mortal Kombat. As you might have heard, Blade is back, and she’s as beautiful and brutal as ever in the person of Jessica McNamee, who brings a beguiling mix of power and allure to the immortal character in the latest big screen adaptation, which was set to be released in April.

“My aim is to be challenged and somewhat scared as possible in each role I take. Half the challenge is conquering these characters that are a departure for me,” Jessica tells Maxim.

If you’ve seen the new movie then you know she she is quite the conqueror, even as she mentors young Cole Young (Lewis Tan), an MMA fighter destined to save the universe against the evil forces of Outworld. Joining them are fellow fighters Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (Max Huang) and mercenary Kano (Josh Lawson). As fierce as they are, it will be a cold day in hell before they find a way to stop Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), who can turn anything to ice with a touch of his finger, including his opponent. As for the movie’s R rating, “I’m not stripping down and walking naked through the desert or anything like that,” says Jessica. “It’s definitely for the gore and the blood, and the language.”