Children of the ’90s will rejoice when they hear the original ‘Mighty
Morphin’ Power Rangers’ is coming to DVD this August. If you remember,
all the karate moves combined with flashing lights and high-energy music
made kids watching at home run around their living rooms tripping off
adrenaline and pure excitement.
There have been many seasons and spinoffs of the very first season,
but none of those installments can compare with what the original cast
brought to the table. But what, pray tell, did ever happen to those five
“teenagers with attitude” and the rest of the ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power
Rangers’ cast?
Austin St. John — Red Ranger, Jason
Then: Jason, played by actor Austin St. John, was
the original leader of the Power Rangers on top of being the first hunky
heartthrob. All the girls watching at home wanted to date this
completely chiseled teenage dream, while all the boys broke their moms’
furniture trying to perform his karate moves at home.
Now: In 2007, John showed up at a “Where Are They
Now?” panel at the — get ready for it — Power Morphicon with details on
what he was up to after departing the show in the middle of season 2.
When alleged pay disputes made it too difficult for the Red Ranger to
stay on, John continued with his martial arts practices, revealing that
he toured the world as a Thai kickboxer. Nowadays he can be found in
Washington DC working as a paramedic. And by the way, all those rumors
about him participating in adult gay films are completely false.
Jason David Frank — Green/White Ranger, Tommy
Then: Jason David Frank
burst onto the show as the dreamy but oh-so-evil Green Ranger named
Tommy. Thankfully, though, the team turned him over to the good side and
he became both the White Ranger and the new group leader. Offscreen,
Frank was big into the martial arts scene and simultaneously ran his own
studio.
Now: Still unable to shake his passion for
butt-kicking karate skills, Frank, now 38, fights in the MMA and has
created his own style of fighting called Toso Kune Do. It apparently can
teach you “an entire arsenal of dynamic kicks, elusive hand techniques
and powerful restraining holds.” Parents, this is what’s in store for
your children with continuous exposure to ‘Power Rangers.’ Well, it may
not be entirely because of that. Might be the tattoos.
Amy Jo Johnson — Pink Ranger, Kimberly
Then: Amy Jo Johnson played Pink Ranger Kimberly,
the slightly ditzy, Valley Girl-type teammate on the ‘Mighty Morphin’
Power Rangers.’ Her signature move was getting kidnapped by the Putty
Patrol and locked in a giant demon jar so that the Red or Green Ranger
could come to the rescue. Aside from the TV series, you might also
remember Johnson as that gymnast in the Lifetime original movie ‘Perfect
Body.’
Now: It looks like Johnson is no longer the damsel
in distress. Most recently, she was in the series ‘Flashpoint’ where she
played a member of a specialized team that rescued hostages, defused
bombs and other risky business of that nature. But acting is only the
tip of the iceberg. She wrote on
her MySpace page,
“I flow with creative passion and jump from project to project,” and
she’s been doing just that. She’s dabbled in both crazy paintings and
music, which you can sample
at her website.
David Yost — Blue Ranger, Billy
Then: Back in the day, David Yost was the
quintessential geek who could also kick your butt and run you over with a
triceratops megazord. His character as Billy, the Blue Ranger, stayed
for about four seasons, although he slowly moved from a member of the
karate-fighting team to the tech guy at the Command Center.
Now: A few years after leaving the show, Yost came
out as gay and revealed that it was actually because of bigotry that he
left the show so suddenly. “A week before I left the TV show I made a
commitment to myself saying, ‘If I get called f***** one more time, I’m
walking because I can’t handle it anymore,” he told
The Advocate.
Since then, he’s turned most of his attention over to the production
side of TV, working on shows like ‘Temptation Island’ and ‘Alien
Hunter.’
Thuy Trang — Yellow Ranger, Trini
Then: A 2-year-old Thuy Trang and her family fled
Vietnam and came to America in response to the fall of Saigon. When she
was older, she signed with a talent scout who landed her a bunch of
commercial appearances, but it wasn’t until Trang was 18 that she became
the Yellow Ranger on TV. Some believe she (along with the Black Ranger)
were victims of racism, being that Vietnamese Trang played the Yellow
Ranger and African-American Walter Jones played the Black Ranger.
Now: Tragically in 2001 when Trang was only 27, she
was the victim of a car accident that claimed her life. The driver of
the vehicle she was a passenger in lost control of the wheel, sending
both of them over the side of the road. Before this devastating event,
Trang’s most notable role besides that from ‘Power Rangers’ was in the
movie ‘The Crow: City of Angels.’
Walter Jones — Black Ranger, Zack
Then: Walter Emanuel Jones
played the original Black Ranger in ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.’ He
was known as the dancer of the group, which makes sense since he’s also
a master of the dance. Just like Austin St. John, however, Jone’s
departure from the series was rumored to be a result of pay disputes.
Now: Upon leaving the ‘Power Rangers’ team, Jones
began a slew of guest appearances on as many shows from the ’90s you can
think of — ‘Family Matters,’ ‘Step by Step,’ ‘Sabrina, the Teenage
Witch,’ ‘Talisman,’ ‘Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,’ and way too many
others. He’s most recently popped up on the show ‘Prime Suspect,’ where
he played — surprise, surprise — a “prime suspect” in the case involving
“A Gorgeous Mosaic.”
Barbara Goodson — Rita Repulsa (VOICE)
Then: You’ll know
Barbara Goodson
as the voice of the evil Rita Repulsa, the very first villain the Power
Rangers went up against. (Japanese actress Machiko Soga portrayed Rita
onscreen and passed away in 2006.) Her distinct, high-pitched voice made
her the ideal bad guy for the show and would become her greatest asset
in auditioning for jobs down the road.
Now: When Goodson left ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power
Rangers,’ she had no intention of slowing down her acting career. You
might recognize her voice from past commercials for Pepperidge Farm,
T-Mobile, McDonalds or Nation Wide Insurance. She’s also done an
incredible amount of voice work with animated shows like ‘Digimon’ and
Nickelodeon’s ‘Avatar: The Last Air Bender,’ and the World of Warcraft
game to name a few.
Alpha 5 — Richard Steven Horvitz
Then: Richard Horvitz,
who voiced the original Alpha 5 robot in ‘Power Rangers,’ got his start
in showbiz as a child actor. At 10, he starred onstage in the musical
‘Oliver!’ and in numerous TV commercials. Then at 27, he became the
lovable animatronic Command Center assistant who helped guide the band
of superhero teens.
Now: Today, Horvitz has a resume that’s too long for
most people to read through. Think of a popular kid’s cartoon show from
back in the day and he’s probably voiced one of the characters. Some of
his most recognized roles include Invader Zim, Billy from Cartoon
Network’s ‘The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy’ and the beaver in
Nickelodeon’s ‘The Angry Beavers.’
Follow him on Twitter.
Source: http://thefw.com
