Street Fighter: Raúl Juliá, the favorite villain who died without seeing the premiered tape

 Street Fighter: Raúl Juliá, the favorite villain who died without seeing the premiered tape

 

 

 

The movie divided fans, but 'Bison's' performance was one to remember. But the long hours of recording and the action scenes ended up taking their toll.

Street Fighter achieved great success in the world of video games, so Capcom opted to take its story to the movies. This is how in 1994 the last battle appeared in movie theaters.

 

 

The film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kylie Minogue, among others, maintained its popularity despite the years. But, at its premiere, the critics did not accompany it. Who got all the attention was the experienced actor Raúl Juliá, who gave life to M. Bison, the villain of the story. What happened to him and why did he not get to see the final cut of the tape?

 

 

Juliá, who by 1994 was already a consecrated interpreter, agreed to be part of "Street Fighter: The Last Battle" at the request of director Steven E. de Souza. To the surprise of many, he was unable to see his work since in October of that year he died of stomach cancer.

 

 

As the same director would later tell The Guardian, Raúl Juliá fell ill during the filming of the film. He even revealed that when he arrived in Thailand to film, the production asked him to gain weight because he was extremely thin.

“He was so professional. I remember that when they put him in his suit he was downcast. But, when they shouted 'action!', that imposing actor we knew reappeared. Juliá acted until his last breath, ”recalled Damian Chapa, the actor who brought Ken to life.

 

 

Because the production team had not been notified of Juliá's health condition, his work schedule was exhausting. He even performed several of his action scenes.

Steven E. de Souza mentioned that in order not to show that Juliá was sick, they had to use a lot of makeup on him. Also, he modified the scenes so that wide shots were used so that he would not be seen down on screen. "Every day I had to ask if he had taken his medicine," he stated.

 

 

Although the fans and specialized critics were not convinced by the film, it was a box office success against all odds. It cost $35 million in total and generated $100 million in profit.