The Mortal Kombat games are filled with bizarre and fearsome fighters, but one thing that few of them possess is a sense of humor. The fighter called Kano is one of the few characters in the series who often jokes about the strange world of Mortal Kombat. This sense of humor has always endeared Kano to fans, even though the character is always presented as a villain.

Josh Lawson will portray Kano in the upcoming live-action Mortal Kombat movie. In an interview with ComicBook.com, the actor explained how Kano's funny bone and lack of morals make him such a fun character to play.

"I think a lot of people will say it's fun to play the bad guy. Right? Why is that? Why is it fun to be villainous? I think it's permission to say and do the things we can't in civil society. Kano does not have that filter. He is self-serving, he is greedy, he's opportunistic, and there's something fun about getting permission to do that. Yeah, we never do it in life, nor should we."

Kano has been a part of the Mortal Kombat games ever since the first installment in the series was released. The character is an Australian mercenary and member of the international crime cartel known as the Black Dragon, in which capacity he has frequent run-ins with Sonya Blade and Jax Briggs.

Unlike the other Earth realm warriors, who are always fighting to save the planet, Kano is largely interested in his own selfish motives and cheerfully switches his allegiance over to whoever is willing to pay the most. According to Lawson, playing Kano allows him to tap into the selfish side of humanity that you normally would have to clamp down on.

"I think we all have that capability. We all have the potential to be awful and hopefully we suffocate that for the most part. Being the villain, you don't have to, and it's fun to push the boundaries in that direction. So yeah, to answer your question, it's a lot of fun."

While Kano is a villain, he is not the main Big Bad of Mortal Kombat. It will be interesting to see what new shades Lawson brings to the character and whether the fatalities that Kano uses in the movie will be a step-up from his less-well-received moves set in the games.

Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, Mortal Kombat features an ensemble lead cast of Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Bridges, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Matilda Kimber as Emily Young and Laura Brent as Allison Young. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on April 23. ComicBook.com reported this news first.