Ryan Robbins is currently appearing the “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” playing the character Raiden. Fraser is also know for his role of Henry Foss in SyFy’s “Sanctuary”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Ryan about his roles in both projects and also what he has planned next.
Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you become involved with “Mortal Kombat: Legacy”?
Ryan Robbins: I just got a phone call about it. Actually it was originally for another character but they didn’t end of using that character in the show. So I thought I missed my chance, but then I got a call that they want me to play Raiden. I told them of course I was interested. I got to be a kid again and got to play one of the coolest characters in video games. I didn’t even meet the director till the first day, but Kevin (Tancharoen) was such a cool guy. He is definitely a visionary. I know that word gets thrown around a lot but it is true. He has this clear vision and talked about what our version was going to look like. To some degree you want to say true to the original but you want to make it a little more relatable and give the characters back stories and struggles to overcome. I think it turned out really great.
MG: So you where you familiar with video games series prior to working on it?
RR: I was familiar with the games, the films and the TV series. I have seen Kevin’s short film he did and it was really good. I really liked the edge it had. It is hard to adapt video games though. You always have visually elaborate costumes and everyone is always big and buff and sometimes these things are hard to identify with. I like his vision and he makes the characters feel like somewhat regular people for the most part and he gives them qualities to identify with.
MG: How was it working on a web series, compared to TV and movies?
RR: I have done a few now especially with “Sanctuary” starting off as a web series. Since they are kind of new, you have a bit of a broader parameter but the downfall is the budget is not there. These guys on “MK” have amazing production value, especially with the budget constraints they have. More people also have access to web series as well, for example episode one is well over 8 million views already. That is huge and it is bigger than some network shows.
MG: Tell us about working on SyFy’s “Sanctuary”?
RR: “Sanctuary” is an amazing show to work on. It is an incredible group of people to work with. We have no divas and no attitudes. It is almost like working on an independent film. We have all the best parts of that and even though it does not have a huge budget since it is independently financed, we love doing the show. We really are passionate about the show and its fans. It has been a great ride. We just started shooting season four now and like every other season, we hit the ground running. When we get some of the scripts, I look at them and wonder how are we going to do this? This is insane! But sure enough every time they make it work and it great.
MG: What do you like most about playing the character Henry Foss?
RR: I like that he is somewhat unpredictable. He has so many levels. At one end he seems like a funny smart ass but on the other end he is a very capable badass werewolf. He really has a lot of range in that character and it is really fun to play. He is really emotional and passionate. He also has secrets and it is always fun to play a character that has secrets.
MG: What can we expect from the last few episodes of season three and upcoming in season four?
RR: I do not think people are going to expect the ending they will get from season three. People are going to be pretty blown away by it and also then how season four begins. I think the last part of season three gets pretty epic and some of the stuff with the character Adam is just great, who is played by Ian Tracey. Ian is just such a great actor. It will definitely leave you jaw-dropped. I was really excited to see how the fans react to it.
MG: Tell us about what you have planned next?
RR: I recently just did three films. The first was called “Cold Blooded”, the next is called “Everything and Everyone” and then I did a short film I am really proud of called “Pleased to Meet You”. The short has a really great cast and it is fantastic. Lastly I am getting a final cut soon for a film I starred and produced with Allison Mack from “Smallville” and it called “Marilyn”. It has been a labor of love. We financed this feature film ourselves. It is in post production right now and we are hoping to get it out for the festival circuit soon. It is such a great film and it is inspired by a true story. I can’t wait for people to see it.
