For the role of M. Bison, Raul Julia researched various dictators and crime lords and their lives and personalities, and mimicked many of their traits to incorporate into the M.Bison character (notably Benito Mussolini's hand gestures, Joseph Stalin's mannerisms, Pablo Escobar and his elusiveness and Adolf Hitler's love of art). Julia also approached the role with a Shakespearean tone, looking at Bison in the same type of villain as Richard III.
According to cast and crew, Jean-Claude Van Damme was not easy to work with, due to a combination of professional ego and substance abuse. Being the biggest star on the film, Van Damme got a presidential hotel suite with a gym put into his room, but he would often refuse to come out of the hotel or his trailer until he felt ready. When he did come out, he would often bring alcohol to the set, or take hours to shoot his scenes. By contrast, everyone loved Kylie Minogue, praising her for her professionalism and generosity, such as hiring a club and buying drinks for the entire cast and crew to make the tough shoot a little easier. There was equal praise for Raul Julia, who was accompanied by his family due to being terminally ill with stomach cancer; despite his declining health and frail state, everyone reported that Julia was always focused, often played games with the cast and crew after shooting, and was a joy to work with.
Raul Julia accepted the role of M. Bison because his children were fans of the Street Fighter games, and he wanted to participate in a film that he thought they would enjoy with him.
Jean-Claude Van Damme revealed later that during filming, he had a drug problem (doing $10,000 worth of cocaine a week) and an affair with Kylie Minogue. Director Steven E. de Souza confirmed in 2018 that Van Damme's cocaine addiction caused constant disruptions during filming. The studio had hired a wrangler to keep an eye on Van Damme, but that person was a bad influence himself. The action star would often call in sick, leave the set, show up late or not at all, forcing de Souza to find other scenes to film in order to make up for lost time.