Fraser Aitcheson is currently appearing the “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” playing the character Baraka. Fraser has also worked on various other projects like “Smallville”, “TRON Legacy”, “Night of the Museum 2” & the upcoming “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”.
Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about playing Baraka in “Mortal Kombat: Legacy”?
Fraser Aitcheson: First off I got to say I was shocked and happy to play such an iconic character. He was my favorite character in the game. When I heard I was chosen to play him I was so happy and it was such an honor. I was really excited to do it.
MG: So you a fan of the video games series and the character prior to working on the web series?
FA: Growing up I was a huge fan of it. I would get home from work, I worked at a bar, and I would play “Mortal Kombat” till like 7am in the morning. It was kind of like a stress relief after dealing with the people at the bar.
MG: How was it working with the makeup for the character?
FA: It was long [laughs]. It was really long. I sat in the chair for probably two and half to three hours just to put it on. It was about an hour and a half or just to take it off. I always like wearing makeup, masks or anything where I have prosthetics. because you can totally lose yourself in the character. It is not like you are playing a generic bad guy. Anything you do when you have that mask on you become this different person. 
MG: Since you were a fan of the character what was it like for the first time seeing yourself in full makeup?
FA: I didn’t even recognize myself [laughing]. People were taking pictures of me all day and looking at me funny. I was like “Hey, it’s me in here”. I hear my voice and then I look in the mirror and I was like “hey that’s not me”. I still look at the pictures and you could tell me it is somebody else and I would believe you.
MG: So how was it actually like shooting the web series?
FA: It was really cool. Do not want to reveal too much. You watched the first episode right? Amazing! The second episode was censored because it was so intense. It is only going to get better.
MG: You’ve worked with SyFy Channel on various projects i.e “Riverworld”, “Tin Man” and “Stargate SG-1”, how did that relationship start?
FA: Unfortunately it is a conscience. I do not work for the network, per say. What usually happens is a coordinator will call me and say that they need me for a part etc. Quick background story: I was working at bar, bouncing, and one of the regulars was a talent agent. She came in one day and said “I could really use a guy like you for “Stargate”.” I said sure no problem but I had no idea how cool it would be. I got to play one of the Jaffa warriors. “Stargate” was my bread and butter for a number of years. I was out there constantly doing background work, stunts and acting. They always found a new way to kill me though [laughs]. The network ended up picking up “Tin Man” and “Riverworld” and I ended up working with them on those as well under the Syfy umbrella.
MG: How was it working with Terry Gilliam in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
FA: I didn’t really get a chance to sit and talk with him for an extended period. But of course being a Monty Python fan, I called my mom right away and told her the minute I found out. It was kind of shadowed by the fact that I had to dance in high heals, fish nets and a mini skirt [laughs]. I have a whole new respect for dancers and performers because that shit is hard [laughs]. They made these heals for us that where like six inches high and platforms to boot. Going from this to “Mortal Kombat” is funny because it is from cross dresser to straight killer.
MG: Tell us about working on the film “TRON Legacy”?
FA: It was cool. I was doing utility stunts. I got to testout some of the stunt rigs, they were going to use on one of the actors. They were testing everything out to make sure it is safe. Obviously, it was easier to put a stunt guy in who knows how to fall if complications should arise, then the actor. It was cool experience. I was a big fan of the original movie and to get to work on the second one was just really great.
MG: So does it enjoy playing all these great characters?
FA: Here is a good example, I got called in to do the TV show “Smallville” and they had me play this character called The Persuader. It was an awesome character from the future and this guy has this huge axe. I get to beat the crap out of Superman and almost cut him in half with my axe, it was just so nuts. I am a huge comic fan and still have all my old comics saved. so to answer you questions, now I am getting to play all these great characters. It is just unbelievable and unreal.
MG: What has been the most challenging film to work on for stunt work?
FA: So far I would having to say “Night of the Museum 2”. Only because I was doing a lot of stuff I normally don’t do. Typically I am the fight guy, but for this film I was doing a lot of wire work. So I was like flying around through the air and getting tossed around. It was really cool but it is usually reserved for the smaller guys.
MG: How was it working on the film “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”?
FA: Obviously I can’t tell you that much. It is a really cool scene, hopefully they [laughs] keep it in the film. It was an awesome group of people to work with. The fight choreographer’s name was Robert Alonzo, such an awesome guy and super talented. It was nice to work with someone that was very meticulous. He was like “You have to do it like this” and he paid such great attention to detail. It was nice and it showed he cared about the end product. Not just for me but for the actors I worked with as well. It is going to be really cool.
