Lifestyle | Entertainment
By Zabrina Lo
Mar 10, 2024
Cover Lewis Tan speaks to us about his role as a Marvel superhero in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong / Zed Leets)
Lewis Tan speaks to us about his role as a Marvel superhero in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong / Zed Leets)
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The British Chinese martial artist and actor shares that he never dreamt he would one day get to play mutant superhero Shatterstar in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
If you enjoyed Marvel’s superhero franchise Deadpool, you probably are looking forward to the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, the third movie in the franchise that’s slated for release this July. And there’s more reason for anticipation if you’re a fan of martial arts, because Marvel’s mutant fighter Shatterstar will make a comeback in this one, following his brief appearance in Deadpool 2 (2018).
British Chinesemartial artsactor Lewis Tan takes on the mantle of Shatterstar yet again. One of the hottest talents in the action film industry today, he’s risen steadily to stardom with the Mortal Kombatfranchise (2021 and 2024), Fistful of Vengeance(2022), and Netflix show Shadow and Bone (2021-2023).
Following the footsteps of his stunt choreographer father Phillip Tan, he has forged his own career with a specialisation in a prolific range of martial arts: muay thai, kickboxing, karate, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, nunchuck, katana sword,kempo(a branch of kung fu from Shaolin Temple), wing chun andboxing.
Tan sat down with Tatlerto share how it was like playing the iconic Marvel character, his interaction with Ryan Reynolds and more.
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Above Lewis Tan (second from right) on the film set of “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Photo: courtesy of Marvel Studios)
Lewis Tan (second from right) on the film set of “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Photo: courtesy of Marvel Studios)
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Were you interested in Shatterstar or other Marvel heroes when you were young?
I owned a toy Shatterstar when I was 12 or 13. He looked amazing. He had these two badass double-bladed swords. He had blonde hair. [As a mixed race person] I never thought that I would ever play a [character] with blonde hair. When David Leitch, the director of the Deadpool sequel, called me and said “What do you know about Shatterstar?”, it was quite a shock.
Tell us about the fight choreography in this new movie.
It was designed by the stunt team and the choreography team. They showed me what they had come up with, and it was really cool. I just tweaked some little things here or there. What I try to do [in every movie] is I add the character’s personality into the choreography, because that creates another depth or layer to the character: how he moves and fights [with regard to] his personality.
What personality do you want to highlight in your character?
Shatterstar has a kind of cockiness to him. He thinks he’s better than Wade Wilson (Deadpool).
How is the fighting style in Deadpool different from your previous martial arts productions?
Deadpool relies heavily on comedy, the mood is very different from Mortal Kombat, where you’re constantly in [serious, uninterrupted] fights and martial arts in diverse styles. Shatterstar’s ninja moves are more about swords. Normally, I use one sword or Japanese katana in other movies, but Shatterstar uses two humongous swords—they’re super heavy and really hard to use.
What training did you have to undergo for this role?
I didn’t have time to do any training for this character, but I’ve done at least five or six years of training [in katana]. So I just had to learn the choreography. Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready—that’s my motto.
How do you get into the mindsets of different characters when you’re working on multiple projects simultaneously?
The key is really compartmentalising your time and being present in the moment. Martial arts is helpful in making me aware of my surroundings in a split second, because when I’m training, there’s no faster way to be present than when I’m sparring with somebody or getting kicked in the face.
How do you unwind?
Meditation.
What was it like working with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman?
I’m a huge fan of them both. Once in a while, you get the perfect chemistry between two completely opposite characters, and that was the case of Wolverine and Deadpool.
And then Ryan Reynolds, who is credited as a writer on this movie, had a little notepad and he was writing lines for other characters between takes. He’s very technically gifted, and he’s also an incredibly nice, down-to-earth person to work with.
Above Lewis Tan on the set of “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Photo: courtesy of Lewis Tan)
Lewis Tan on the set of “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Photo: courtesy of Lewis Tan)
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What was your greatest challenge while working on this film?
Putting in the huge orange contact lenses. They were so annoying, and I have sensitive eyes. It’s so funny, because most of the time Ryan was in his Deadpool outfit and I was wearing those contacts. One time, we ran into each other off-set, and we were both dressed normally. We had this awkward moment of meeting each other [properly] for the first time.
What upcoming films would you like to explore?
The reason why I like Deadpool is because he throws a wrench in the wheel of Marvel. He offers a whole new perspective [of superheroes]. That’s why fans really like him. He can say things that none of the other superheroes can say. [This inspires me to] find the right scripts, right characters, right tones or right directors to work with. For instance, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008) doesn’t feel like a superhero movie. It feels like an Oscar contender. There’s also this unique character called Red Hood in the DC universe who is a darker character. There are a lot of cool characters whose stories can be told in a different way than what we’re used to with Marvel and DC. It would be nice to find something like that to explore.
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Topics
Marvel Deadpool Lewis Tan Shatterstar Wolverine
