'It's time for me to show different sides of myself': Lewis Tan

The ace martial artist and action movie star tells us about his creative process, his father's influence on him, and his tryst with an Indian film

- DEBASHREE DUTTA

“I just finished shooting for seven months in Budapest. Now I’m taking a bit of a holiday," Lewis Tan, martial artist, movie and action star says as we meet on Zoom. Last year, his all-encompassing presence as Cole Young in Mortal Kombat left a lasting impression. That, and because I'm a sucker for action heroes, I have been pretty eager to speak with him.

Action heroes, in my opinion, are dynamic risk-takers with great bodies and great minds. Tan is no exception. His well-articulated answers made that clear, along with his disposition and demeanor, right from the outset of our interaction. "So, where are you now? Are you working or on vacation?" I inquire. "I’m in the mountains on an island in Spain called Majorca, up in an area called Valldemossa," he shared, offering a personal anecdote about the location. "You know, Chopin, the pianist – this is where he composed a lot of his nocturns, and it’s a very beautiful countryside area surrounded by orange groves and wineries."

A powerhouse on-screen, Tan is an explosion waiting to happen. He performs his fight sequences, action scenes and stunts in a way that looks like picture-perfect frames. I am curious about his creative approach that helps choreograph the brilliant visuals. "It started with my father a long time ago," he recalls. "My father is a martial artist, a gymnast, a stunt coordinator and a fight choreographer who worked with Tim Burton on Batman and Steven Spielberg on Indiana Jones." Tan Sr. also worked in films like Inception and Pirates of the Caribbean. To cut a long story short,Tan grew up around someone who taught him not only martial arts but also executing action scenes for the camera, passing down a legacy from one generation to another.