Mortal Kombat II is set to premiere in theaters this week, and ahead of the film’s premiere, an old interview of Miz lamenting not being cast in the film as Johnny Cage has surfaced.
Speaking to ComicBook in a 2023 interview, Miz revealed he “really” wanted the role, and tried his hardest to get an audition for what he believed was a role he was made for.
“This is the first time I’ve actually got asked this question. So I’ll be honest, I really wanted to be Johnny Cage. When I saw the movie, the Mortal Kombat movie, I really liked it. I know there was a lot of… Some people critiqued it. I really enjoyed it, I loved it. I thought it was amazing. It just brought me back to my childhood.
“I’ve always loved the character Johnny Cage, and when it wasn’t in there, I was like, ‘Oh, wow man, I can’t believe they didn’t put Johnny Cage in.’ And then at the end, you’re like, ‘Oh man, he’s coming in part two, episode two.’ And then with my name, literally the next, when it came out, it was like a Friday, my name was trending with Johnny Cage. And I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ It wasn’t a bunch of people. It was my name. And I was like, This is crazy.”
For those unaware, the role of Johnny Cage went to Karl Urban for the upcoming movie. However, before the casting, several stars gained major momentum for the role, including WWE‘s The Miz, who’s in-ring persona seemed like a perfect fit for the boisterous and cocky Cage. Miz revealed he tried hard to get an audition, but it didn’t come to be.
“And so I remember calling my agent and going, ‘Dude, I want this. I don’t know what I have to do,” Miz said. “Call whoever you have to call. I want this bad.’ And then I’ll even say, I even put a campaign. I went out on every interview and every time someone asked me about this question, I would say, ‘I want to be Johnny Cage. I want to be Johnny Cage.’ I never got an audition, which is fine. I mean, maybe they just didn’t see me as the character. And then I heard Karl Urban got it, and I was like, ‘Wow.’ And people were like, ‘Are you mad? Are you angry?’ And it’s like, I never get mad or angry when someone else gets a part that I want. I am fully supportive of a person getting… I imagine they’re going to work as hard as I will work to make sure that that character is honed in, locked in, and is the character that the audience wants and loves.”
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