Lewis Tan on Career Milestones, Struggles of Being Asian, and More

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PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

You probably recognize him as Cole Young in the 2021 remake of Mortal Kombat, Emma Roberts’ hot boyfriend in About Fate, the drunken fighter in the Marvel series Iron Fist, and Shatterstar in Deadpool 2. Lewis Tan is also known for his acting chops and killer moves in the sci-fi martial arts series Into the Badlands, Wu Assassins, and Fistful of Vengeance. The 36-year-old actor and martial artist is also set to appear in the second season of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone.

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While his career appears to be in full swing, Tan admits, however, that it took a while for him to get recognized as an actor. He likes to call his journey “a 10-year overnight success.”

Tan’s first meaty role was in Sacrifice, a dramatic thriller shown in 2015. Although the film got good reviews, the actor believes it was only when he fought the lead character in Marvel’s Iron Fist that viewers took notice.

Shirt and trousers by King & Tuckfield; jewelry by David Yurman. PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

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“That show brought a lot of attention to my character in particular because I was doing a drunken style of martial arts that people hadn’t seen in a long time,” Tan said in an online interview with Esquire Philippines. The scene, where Lewis inadvertently pays homage to Jackie Chan’s role in the 1978 martial arts classic Drunken Master, went viral.

Tan has utmost respect for the Hong Kong superstar. “If you look at the old Jackie Chan films, they really blow my mind because you’re like, ‘I can’t believe he actually did all this. He’s doing these amazing ‘inhuman’ stunts. He’s almost like a superhero without being a superhero and to watch him perform like that is really phenomenal because I know what goes into it. I know how hard it is.”

PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

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A year after his stint in Iron Fist, Tan was cast as Gaius Chau in Into the Badlands, his first lead role in a TV series. He is particularly proud of the brand of martial arts used in the show.

“When I say martial arts, I mean the way that they shot it in Asia, the stunt teams and action teams were all from Hong Kong. They were all traditional martial arts, Kung Fu-trained, and they had the power on set to shoot and edit everything the way that they wanted to. So, when you watch that TV series, that’s still some of the best martial arts on television to this day.”

The actor goes as far as to say that Into the Badlands should have won an Emmy for its fight scenes. “You can pick any episode and just randomly point to a fight scene and it’s better than anything that won all those years. I stand by that, completely,” he said with conviction.

T-shirt by Rag & Bone.

PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

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Growing up in movie sets

Tan’s inherent love for martial arts and cinema doesn’t come as a surprise. His father, Philip Tan, was himself a martial artist who moved to the US with his family to work as a fight choreographer for films like Tim Burton’s Batman. The younger Tan found himself in movie sets as a toddler, but his earliest memories were from the time he was a wide-eyed five, six, or seven-year-old.

“I remember sitting in the chairs, the director’s chairs, next to the director in this little tent and we’re watching in this little monitor and the director’s telling everyone what to do and my father’s coming in and he’s designing the action,” he recalls. “I remember just watching it, thinking, ‘This is insane. How are they doing this and how does this work?’”

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Curiosity got the better of him. “I knew at a young age I wanted to be telling stories and be part of the movie business because it’s so creative and it’s so interesting. The stories you get to tell and the places you get to see. The people you get to embody. It’s a unique business, you know?”

Shirt by Billy Reid. Jeans by Paige. Shoes by Christian Louboutin. PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

Tan knew, however, that hanging out in movie sets and rubbing elbows with Hollywood stars and directors would not be enough. He worked his way up, joining theater groups in school and taking acting classes for a good 10 years to hone his craft. He did a lot of supporting roles in a handful of movies, too.

His efforts have paid off, and he feels only grateful for the opportunities that have come his way, from the smaller wins to the biggest milestones.

“Mortal Kombat is obviously a huge milestone,” he says. “To lead a huge, big-budget studio franchise like that. Wu Assassins is also important to me because I got to perform with this amazing all-Asian cast for the first time. It’s the first original, all-Asian Netflix scripted show. That’s something very unique. They wrote in-depth characters that have levels and history and pain—all these different levels to the characters which I’ve been waiting to play. It was really beautiful to get to do that.”

Jacket and trousers by Saint Laurent. PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

The struggles and triumphs of fellow Asians

Tan also recognizes the plight of Asian actors trying to make it in Hollywood. “As an Asian actor, it’s hard to get the attention that a lot of other projects easily get. You have to have the right people behind you supporting it, and the right crowd that appreciates what it is.”

He then talks about a film that has been making waves as of late. “And now if you look at Everything Everywhere, All at Once, it’s getting so much attention nowadays with the Oscars. It’s amazing to see. It’s such a beautiful project. I’m so happy for people like Michelle Yeoh and Ke (Huy Quan) that they’re getting the attention they deserve.

“If you look at Ke, he was in a Steven Spielberg hit movie when he was a kid and he had such a hard time finding work for the last 30 years,” Tan adds. “And now he’s finally getting recognition, 30 years later.” Lewis was alluding to the fact that Ke Huy Quan was part of the cast of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

“It’s a struggle for actors of color,” he says. “I think it’s a struggle for us and we’re continuing to progress the conversation but I still feel like it needs more attention and accolades, not just my projects, but all of them.”

PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

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Tan has high hopes for Yeoh, who recently won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in Everything, Everywhere All at Once and who’s vying for the same trophy at this year’s Oscars for the same role.

“I think Michelle will win. And I think she deserves to win,” he says. “If you look at her career, she was hanging off the bus with Jackie Chan back in the day. She was going toe-to-toe with James Bond. I mean, she is a living legend! Just because of the timing of the industry with Crazy Rich Asians and more opportunities opening up for Asian actors, it opened up the door for her again to have like a resurgence in her career.”

PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

Tan is fully aware that it’s not only Asians in the entertainment industry who are struggling. Bigger problems, resulting in violence, exist because of Asian hate.

“It’s horrific,” he says. “I think racism in every way is horrific. I think it stems from ignorance and fear of the unknown, the unknown of another race that you’re not familiar with.”

However, Tan believes that through his work as an actor, he can do his part to break the cycle of violence.

“For me, movies are a great way to (challenge) people’s ignorance and change people’s perspectives. When you watch a film, you don’t have to live in that country or live in that person’s life for a long time. You’re there for a short period of time. And you get to see a story that can change your perspective about another person, another culture. I think movies are extremely powerful, art form wise.”

Shirt by Alfred Dunhill; jeans by Paige; jewelry by David Yurman; shoes by Thursday Boots.

PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

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A unique role in Shadow and Bone

Tan is looking forward to the release of Season 2 of Shadow and Bone in March. In the show, he plays Tolya Kir-Bataar, one of a pair of twins and a “heartrender,” or a special being who can read and control other people’s heartbeats. While it was not physically as exhausting as his roles in non-stop action projects like Mortal Kombat and Fistful of Vengeance, the role presented its own set of challenges.

For one, the scenes were shot in Budapest, where the weather was freezing cold. Lewis’ character wasn’t particularly into layering clothing and the actor wanted to stay faithful to the characterization depicted in the book the series is based on.

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PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

Another challenge was trying to work in sync with his on-cam twin.

“I’m playing a character who’s a twin so my performance is also kind of reliant on my partner who’s playing my twin, Anna Leong Brophy,” he explains. “She’s a genius so that’s very helpful. But also, the way that we fight is in a fighting style that is like two people fighting as one, almost.

“It was really cool and unique for me to explore this kind of choreography where I’m using her to fight and she’s using me and we’re working off of each other.”

PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

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A visit to the Philippines, soon

Tan is grateful for the following he has garnered worldwide, particularly for the Filipino fans who have supported his other shows and movies through the years.

An ardent traveler who likes to explore new places and cultures and who likes to “reset” after months of hard work through travel, he hopes to visit the Philippines soonest.

“I’ve only been for a very short period of time, stopping through,” he says. “I haven’t gotten the chance to sit there and explore the country. But it’s on my list of places to go. Hopefully I can do it this year.”

PHOTO: LARSEN SOTELO

Apart from the beaches and other must-see tourist destinations in the country, Tan would probably enjoy the food when he finally comes to visit. He’s explored Filipino cuisine, apparently.

“Growing up, I had a lot of Filipino friends,” he begins.

He pauses and looks away from the camera, as if in a moment of hesitation, before saying. “I was also in a relationship with a Filipino girl for a while and her family would cook the most (chuckles) amazing chicken adobo and pancit, and lumpia.”

His face light up and he exclaims, “Oh my God, I miss the lumpia so bad! Seriously, amazing food, I can eat that food every day!”

Lewis Tan: 'Movies Are a Great Way to Challenge Peoples' Ignorance'

Growing up in movie sets

The struggles and triumphs of fellow Asians

A unique role in Shadow and Bone

A visit to the Philippines, soon

Photographs by Larsen Sotelo
Styled by Kyle Kagamida

Lewis Tan: 'Movies Are a Great Way to Challenge Peoples' Ignorance'

Growing up in movie sets

The struggles and triumphs of fellow Asians

A unique role in Shadow and Bone

A visit to the Philippines, soon

Photographs by Larsen SoteloStyled by Kyle Kagamida

Photographs by Larsen Sotelo
Styled by Kyle Kagamida