Mortal Kombat was an outstanding video game developed by four guys with a dream and vision when it was released in 1992. Numerous sequels to the original exist, with the most recent being a mobile phone version in 2023. But there is nothing like the original, and a movie was made shortly after because of the buzz the game generated.
Everyone was eager to see how everything would translate into a movie and what the characters would want. Bridgette Wilson, an actress, was cast as Sonya Blade, the sole female combatant in the game. When Bridgette was offered the role, her fame was already rising, and her portrayal of the no-nonsense female protagonist from Texas contributed to Sonya becoming one of the most well-known Mortal Kombat characters ever. Check to check whether Bridgette is still on screen kicking everyone’s butt.
Background info
Bridgette Leann Wilson was born on September 25, 1973, in Gold Beach, Oregon, to Kathy and Dale Wilson. In the 1990s, Tracy Wilson, her sister, worked as an actress. She excelled on the volleyball and basketball teams in high school. It’s useful if you’re five feet nine inches tall.
This stunning woman has had a successful career as a singer, model, Miss Teen USA, and actress. After winning the Miss Teen USA title in 1990, she immediately enrolled in acting classes in Los Angeles. She was cast in her debut role as Lisa Fenimore for 20 episodes of the soap series Santa Barbara from 1992 to 1993. She also made an appearance in a 1992 and 1993 episode of Saved by the Bell and Murder, She Wrote, respectively. Not too shabby for an adolescent!
Billy Madison
In the incredibly entertaining action fantasy comedy Last Action Hero, Bridgette made her acting debut in 1993 as Whitney Slater/Meredith Caprice, the fictional daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger. When Wilson played Veronica Vaughn, Billy Madison’s love interest, opposite Adam Sandler in the wonderful comedy Billy Madison, Wilson’s stardom truly began to soar.
Mortal Kombat
In the fantasy action film Mortal Combat, based on the computer game, Bridgette was at her best as Sonya Blade. The 1995 film became a commercial hit and, from 1995 to 1998, held the record for highest-grossing video game adaptation. Wilson’s Sonya was a member of the Special Forces searching for Kano, the gangster who killed her comrade.
Given that Wilson wasn’t the first option for the part, it almost didn’t work out. Unbelievably, when Cameron Diaz had a wrist injury while practising her martial arts for the role of Sonya, she was already in Sonya’s shoes and had to leave the project. However, we believe everything turned out as it was meant to because Bridgette went on to do her own stunts and dominate the film.
So why didn’t Bridgette return for the sequel if the film and her performance were such box office successes? She was, in fact, quite occupied filming other projects. 1997 was a busy year for her because five movies were released. She missed I Know What You Did Last Summer because Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. The fact that all but two of the original cast members declined to join the sequel may have had something to do with how she responded to the script.
What did she do after Mortal Kombat?
After her kick-butt finishing days, Wilson had success acting in motion pictures. She portrayed Sandy in Sir Anthony Hopkins’ 1995 historical drama Nixon, Sahara in The Real Blonde, and Lara in The Suburbans, a 1999 dramedy. She has starred in such well-known movies as The Wedding Planner, House on Haunted Hill, and Love Stinks. She appeared to be poised to rule the 2000s, but her roles began to decline until she made her final appearance in the Sonny Liston biography Phantom Punch in 2008.
Why did she quit acting? What is Bridgette Wilson doing now?
Wilson stopped acting in 2008 after her final guest appearances on Carpoolers, Signature Series, and her last movie. Why would such a gifted beauty suddenly refuse to let us enjoy her on screen? She did this because she wanted to realise her lifetime dream of raising a family and being a homemaker.
A renowned tennis player named Pete Sampras helped Bridgette realise her family’s goal. Once they met and got married in 2000, the couple realised right away that they were meant to be. They have two sons: Ryan Nikolaos, who was born in July 2005, and Christian Charles, who was born in November 2002.
She frequently joins her family in watching tennis tournaments.
Why did she quit acting? What is Bridgette Wilson doing now?
But hold on, she gave the fans something to go crazy about when she provided the voice of her iconic Sonya for Mortal Kombat 11 in 2020. Her 1995 likeness was restored in the game, along with everything else.
As a side note, Bridgette experimented a little with music in the beginning of her career. She released two records: Gimme a Kiss in 1996 and I Only Wanna Be With You in 1994. The spoken word portion of Tommy Shane Steiner’s song “What We’re Gonna Do About It,” which hit at number 43 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2002, was also performed by her.
Although Bridgette won’t be returning to the big screen anytime soon, maybe she will when both of her kids are older. We’ll go watch Mortal Kombat for the 394th time while we wait for it to happen.
