AGAINST THE RUSH

You reach Jade Rabbit, a rooftop izakaya, through a backdoor transition that cuts through the noise of Midtown Manhattan with a sharp, speakeasy-style mystery. You step past a secret side door in the hallway, the kind of low-profile service entrance you’d pass a dozen times without noticing, and drop straight into a corridor wrapped in deep jade green. A painted rabbit tracks along the walls, guiding you through the dim route toward an elevator.

When the doors slide open thirty-three stories above West 48th Street, the compression of the entrance blows wide open. The space is grand, anchored by a heavy, glowing tomato-red bar that bleeds amber and crimson light across the floor. The architecture has an edge to it, temple-like joinery and tiled portals rawly contrasted by hand-painted pink lotus motifs and green leaves. Exits puncture every side of the room, spilling out onto wide, wrap-around balconies where the city hits you all at once. It’s a 360-degree concrete panorama: the jagged lines of Rockefeller Center right in front of you, with the distant, blunt silhouettes of the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center cutting through the skyline.

Sitting out here across from Adeline Rudolph and Tati Gabrielle, the ambient roar of Manhattan just drops away. There is a rare gravity to the way they occupy the space together. They operate on a shared frequency.  Watching them navigate a conversation is like watching an unedited, long-running dialogue; they finish each other’s sentences naturally, not to perform for the room, but because they genuinely know where the other’s thoughts are landing before the breath even leaves their mouth. When Tati pauses, Adeline steps right into the gap; when Adeline pulls up a memory from  their early days scraping by in Vancouver, Tati is already nodding, ready to catch the other half of the weight.

The bond between them feels heavy and unpolished. It’s in the deliberate, protective way they talk about one another, less like Hollywood peers running through a press cycle and more like family members who have managed to keep a tight, stubborn grip on each other while the industry moved too fast around them. When Tati talks about the grueling, repetitive days on set that almost broke her confidence, the raw frustration of hitting an emotional wall, there is no competitive distance from Adeline. There is only an active, grounded kindness. They are two actors who spent nearly a decade looking out for each other on patches of grass outside apartments and in hotel bars. As they look toward a future with less armor, fewer stunts, and more personal, visceral storytelling, it’s obvious they have no intention of doing any of it alone.

“ SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO HIT THAT WALL BEFORE YOU FIND THE PERFORMANCE. ”

—  ADELINE RUDOLPH

David Gargiulo __ You two have now played sisters twice, first on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, now Mortal Kombat II. Are you just sisters on screen or does the friendship extend beyond your characters?

Adeline Rudolph __ Tati and I met at the chemistry read for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Tati had already been cast, and Abbey Cowen and I came in to read together. That was the first time we met. Then we worked together for two years in Vancouver, and honestly, the whole cast became a family. We were kids back then, just running all over the city. [laughs]

Tati Gabrielle __ The three of us, me, Adi, and Abbey, would carpool to work every morning because most of our scenes were together. Those car rides really solidified our bond. We wanted to stay sisters off-screen too, as much as we could. That’s really where it all began. And over the past eight years, it’s been about staying connected whenever we can, texting to check in, FaceTiming, things like that. We’re both always moving and working, but anytime we get the chance to see each other, we make it happen.

AR __ Yes! Back in Vancouver, we were all living at The Sutton hotel. It felt like The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. [laughs] We’d always end up gathering at the hotel bar and just sit there for hours. Vancouver’s such a film-heavy city, so there were always other actors and friends around too. 

DG __ Tati, I heard you accidentally spoiled Adeline's casting before her agents did. Adeline, what was your reaction when she called?  

TG __ I just couldn't hold it in! [laughs] It was too exciting. You don’t often get to work with the same people twice, and after I was cast, I kept wondering, “Who’s going to play Kitana?” There needed to be real chemistry, a sisterly bond. I can be really shy and socially awkward sometimes. People don’t believe me when I say that, but it’s true. So when I found out it was Adi, someone who already is my sister and someone I already have that bond with, I just lost it. I got off the phone with my manager and immediately called her, even though she was in another country. 

AR __ Yes! I was in Germany at the time. I woke up the next morning and I saw two missed calls from Tati. Usually we just text or maybe do one call, but two calls? I knew something was up. Then I saw a message that said, “Congrats on Mortal Kombat.” And I wanted to be excited, but my team hadn’t called me yet. I was completely confused because I hadn’t heard anything about the project since my last session with [director] Simon [McQuoid]. So before texting Tati back, I called my agent and said, “Mortal Kombat didn’t go my way, right? Because Tati just congratulated me, but it’s not mine, is it?” And he goes, “Damn it, Tati.” [laughs] Then, “Yes, you booked it.” I was shocked. And within the week they told me, “You need to be on a plane to Australia.” 

DG __ Tati already holds a black belt in karate. Did that create any competition on set? 

“ I CAN BE REALLY SHY AND SOCIALLY AWKWARD SOMETIMES.”

—  TATI GABRIELLE

TG __ No, not at all. Adi and I have never been competitive with each other. Ever!

AR __ Except maybe board games. 

TG __ Oh yes. Friendly competition. 

AR __ Very friendly. 

TG __ When it comes to board games or card games, we get extremely competitive. 

AR __ Honestly, it’s best if we’re on the same team. [laughs]

TG __ Exactly. But in a work environment? Never. If anything, we’re incredibly supportive of each other. We’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders. 

AR __ Especially on this project. I didn’t come from a martial arts background, so having Tati there, someone I could call and ask, “Can we practice?,” meant a lot. And honestly, it’s not a given that another actor will do that for you. She was always down to train with me for hours on this little patch of grass outside our apartments, running everything over and over until I felt more comfortable. I don’t think I ever fully felt comfortable doing the fights, but she helped me get close.

TG __ She did so well, though. I kept telling her how proud I was. The martial artist in me was watching her grow and thinking, “This is beautiful.” She worked incredibly hard. We’re always our own biggest critics, but I kept telling her, “You look amazing doing this. You’re so good.” Even now, every time I watch the trailer and see moments from her fight scenes, especially the Johnny Cage fight, I get chills. I’m like, “Oh my God, she did that!” I’m so proud of her.

DG __ You’ve talked a lot about supporting each other. Was there ever a day on set when that support actually became necessary, when things got difficult? 

TG __ Oof. There’s a scene that is a really pivotal moment between Jade and Kitana. I won’t say which one to avoid spoilers. I was giving a lot emotionally, letting everything rise to the surface, and Simon kept saying, “No, push it down. Keep it tight. I can see everything in your eyes. I don’t need it in your face.” And we did it over and over. Each time the note was, “Smaller. Smaller. Keep it in.” For me and Adi it was such an emotional scene between the characters, so it was incredibly hard not to let tears come up. I remember getting frustrated because I genuinely didn’t know how to make it any smaller. I was like, “I don’t know what else to do.” That day almost broke me. I remember thinking, “I might actually lose it.” I was incredibly grateful to have Adi there, because I genuinely felt like I was going to lose it.

DG __ In that moment, did it feel like you and Simon were speaking two different emotional languages?

TG __ Yeah, a little. I knew he wasn’t wrong, but as an actor you’re standing there thinking, “I’m giving everything I have. Why isn’t it landing yet?” That’s a scary place to be because you start questioning your instincts.

AR __ Those are the days people don’t really see when they watch the finished film. Tati was phenomenal. There’s no one else who could have done what she did with Jade. When you’re acting opposite someone, even if the camera isn’t on you, you see every choice they make. Every version she tried was beautiful. The note wasn’t about something being wrong, it was Simon asking for another shade, another version. Every actor reaches that moment of wondering, “Am I doing this right?” Sometimes you have to hit that wall before you find the performance. 

TG __ I think Simon really wanted all of the women in the film to be seen in their fullest strength. Vulnerability mattered, but he didn’t want emotion to be the only expression of power. He wanted restraint, strength that lives underneath. 

“ HONESTLY, IT’S BEST IF WE’RE ON THE SAME TEAM.”

—  ADELINE RUDOLPH

AR __ It’s one thing to feel something, and another to see how it translates on screen. The director is watching from the audience’s perspective. Those notes came from a place of wanting to do Jade justice, not from criticism. It was about exploring another version of the performance. 

DG __ Were either of you fans of Mortal Kombat before being cast? 

AR __ I wouldn’t say I was a diehard fan. But I was familiar with the franchise. Kitana is one of those characters whose name you just know, even if you’re not deeply involved in gaming. But once I had my initial session with Simon and started doing a deep dive into the lore, I immediately realized how intricate and layered the story is. It’s complex, emotional, and surprisingly rich. That’s what really pulled me in and made me want to play her. So while I didn’t come in as a lifelong fan, I definitely became one very quickly and now I’m a fan for life.

TG __ I grew up with Mortal Kombat. I wouldn’t say I stayed a diehard fan throughout the years, but I remember the early ’90s versions vividly. I even had Mortal Kombat on PlayStation 1. My sister, who is thirteen years older than me, was a huge fan, so that’s how I was introduced to it. Around the same time, I had just started martial arts, and this was the first time I could see movements and think, “Oh, that could be me.” Jade especially stood out to me because she was the first character I saw who looked like me. I remember thinking, “I can play as myself, or who I want to become.” So getting the opportunity to actually play Jade felt incredibly full-circle. It was a really sweet moment to bring to life a character I admired as a kid. And yeah, definitely a diehard fan now.

DG __ There’s always been this perception that the game is more for guys because of the violence.

TG __ Which I think is crazy, honestly. From the very beginning, Mortal Kombat has had incredibly strong female characters. It was one of the first games to really showcase badass women. Sure, people sometimes point out that female characters were hypersexualized in appearance, but that never defined how they behaved. They were powerful, capable, and stood their ground. So the idea that it’s only for men has never made sense to me. There are plenty of women who go just as hard.

AR __ And you really see that with the fans. At screenings, the number of women who showed up, especially in cosplay, was amazing. Maybe historically the audience skewed more male, but the storytelling and characters are inspiring across the board. It absolutely resonates with women too. 

DG __ When it comes to the fatalities, was there ever a moment where you thought, “Oh my God, are we really going to do this?”

AR __ Honestly, for me it wasn’t so much, “Are we really doing this?” It was more like, “Oh wow, they’re actually doing this. That’s going to look sick!” Whatever was on the page, I trusted they were going to make it incredible. I was just excited to see how everything would translate to the big screen, especially the iconic fatalities woven into the film.

TG __ Yeah, exactly. On the page things can only read a certain way. There’s only so much you can describe. So the excitement was really about how they were going to bring it to life. I remember when we saw one of the first screenings during reshoots. That was the moment everyone was most excited for, finally seeing the fights we hadn’t witnessed in person. And every single time it was like ten times cooler than we imagined. There were about fifteen or twenty of us sitting in the room just cheering each other on. It wasn’t disbelief, it was more like, “Oh snap, how is this going to look?” And honestly, knowing fans would finally see these fatalities realized in live action, that was the most exciting part.

DG __ For Kitana, Adi, was there a scene you’re especially proud of? 

AR __ I think emotionally, the final sequence is my favorite. That’s the moment where Kitana both breaks and rebuilds herself. She goes into that battle knowing she may not survive, or even believing she won’t, but she has to fight anyway because she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t try. There’s a ferocity in how she fights. Getting to release those guttural screams and channel that devastation and strength at the same time was incredibly powerful as an actor. It felt heartbreaking, but also beautiful.

DG __ You've both played witches, fighters, and now Outworld warriors. Do you ever worry that “strong female character” becomes its own kind of limitation?

TG __ I think sometimes strength gets misunderstood. People think strength means tough, fearless, or physically capable. But for me, strength is vulnerability. It’s allowing a character to fall apart, to doubt themselves, to be messy. I actually look forward to the roles where I’m allowed to be softer or more broken, because that’s closer to real life.

AR __ I agree. Strength without contradiction isn’t interesting. The characters I’m drawn to are the ones who are strong and confused, powerful but unsure of themselves. Otherwise, it becomes an archetype instead of a person. As actors, we’re always trying to push past labels people place on us.

DG __ So what scares you more now as actors than when you first met on Sabrina? 

“LESS ARMOR.”

—  TATI GABRIELLE & ADELINE RUDOLPH

TG __ Honestly? Staying comfortable. Early in your career everything feels risky because you’re just grateful to be there. Now the challenge is making sure you’re still choosing things that scare you creatively instead of repeating what works.

AR __ Yeah. Back then, we were just excited to work. Now you start thinking about longevity, about growth. The fear isn’t failure anymore, it’s stagnation.

DG __ You mentioned wanting something closer to who you are as people. What does that actually look like? 

AR __ A really heavy drama. 

TG __ We’ve actually been talking about some things lately. We won’t disclose too much yet, but we’ve definitely been discussing doing a grounded drama together. Something very real. 

AR __ Something rooted in real life. Maybe something more personal to us as human beings. 

DG __ After everything you’ve already shared on screen together, it sounds like the next step isn’t playing sisters or warriors, but it’s revealing something closer to yourselves.

TG __ Exactly. Less armor.

AR __ Less armor.

Photography Celeste Sloman (Copious Management), Stylist Anna Katsanis (Walter Schupfer Management), Interviewer David Gargiulo, Hair (Tati) Jenni Iva Wimmerstedt, Makeup (Tati) Akiko Owada (The Wall Group), Hair (Adeline) Marcia Lee (Forward Artists), Makeup (Adeline) Kevin Cheah (Opus Beauty), Assistant Stylist Macy Harmon, Talents Adeline Rudolph (imPRint), Tati Gabrielle (2PM Sharp), Location Jade Rabbit (20Two Studio).