SPEAKER_01: 0:00

You're listening to the Staffa Corner Podcast, a Staffatarian look at entertainment and life with your host, Greg Staffa. My guest this episode is Jason Font. He is uh originally gonna be a Major League Baseball player who traded it all in for acting. He stars in the upcoming short that's making the film circuit right now, an old friend. Jason, thank you for joining us today.

SPEAKER_00: 0:44

Hey, thanks for having me, guys.

SPEAKER_01: 0:45

I never thought when I started doing this that I would be interviewing a Power Ranger. And you are the second Power Ranger I've had on this show. And so it makes it all that more interesting. I don't think I ever thought growing up I'd be interviewing Power Rangers, and so uh we might discuss that briefly. I love it. Who was the first, if I can ask? The first is is uh Brandon J. McLaurin, who was on the Power Rangers SPD.

SPEAKER_00: 1:13

That's right.

SPEAKER_01: 1:14

I covered his series Graceland for many years and got to know him, and so he came on and and shared some stories. Love it. But tell us a little bit about your upbringing.

SPEAKER_00: 1:24

Well, I was uh raised just outside of Chicago, and yes, um I did play college and professional baseball. But you know, the one thing I will say is I I love that it says in there that I hung up baseball to be a to be an actor. The truth is that I got released from playing baseball. I love that that's on there. I don't know who did that, but they it makes me look better than I was. I was a very good college player, but struggled at the pro level. And I always knew once they finally kicked me off the field, I was gonna just pack up my stuff and go to Hollywood, and that's what happened.

SPEAKER_01: 1:55

What was that like? Making the, I mean, I'm sure as a kid you grew up dreaming of being a major league player. You obviously had some talent. Was there was that a hard kind of choice to kind of separate things and go into something like acting?

SPEAKER_00: 2:11

Well, the truth is that I was a yeah, I was a very, very good athlete. You know, I played at, you know, a very high level of college. And then uh once I got to Pro Bowl, I was a little overmatched, you know, but you you you you try and you know, slug it out as much as you can. I wanted to be an actor. I knew I wanted to think about acting my sophomore year in high school. That's where it first started for me. So that was always that became my my odd backup plan. My mom always laughs. She goes, you always, you know, you definitely swing for the swing for the moon. I mean, you you wanted to be a pro baseball player and actor, two really high, you know, low percentage success careers. So the second it was done, it was very hard because for my whole entire life, that was my identity. Um, and the second I was released, you know, it was it was just like nobody cared where I was or what I was doing. There was no more classes to go to, no more sports to go to. So uh it was difficult, but this became my new um, I want to say obsession. And uh I literally took it all, I had an old pickup truck with 250,000 miles. I had about$1,500 to my name. I I I packed up my stuff and headed out west. That's that's just how it happened.

SPEAKER_01: 3:18

One of the things that I found in talking to actors and actresses, and I don't mean to put words in your mouth, but a lot of them had an underlying childhood where they they felt like they didn't fit in, or they felt like an outsider. And acting was a creative outlet to kind of be outside their person. Was that something that you felt, or was it just something that you enjoyed doing?

SPEAKER_00: 3:40

I just enjoyed doing. I I had a very good upbringing. I was, you know, I was a three-sport athlete. I was very well liked. I had a great um, you know, my parents got divorced when I was young, and sometimes there's an acceptance of your father that might have come into play if you dig down deep. But but my dad was was always there for me. And so no, I I don't know. I I watched Risky Business when I was a sophomore in high school, and I thought that looked like fun. That looked like it'd be a good time. So I think at that point there was there was something that that just kind of pushed me out west. I had a free place to stay with my best friend who um went to USC. I had three months of free living. Uh, so he's like, dude, you got to get a job. So you got three months, and so I started waiting tables and going to acting class because I knew I knew nothing about the craft. And my my rationale was always you couldn't just come on a baseball field and compete with someone like me or a football field. So, you know, get in there and learn, respect this art. So I started studying at the best acting classes in town and, you know, two, three years later started doing soap operas, uh, and then eventually just kind of found my way.

SPEAKER_01: 4:45

I deeply admire what you did. You you had one path, you chose the next path. I guess I personally would be mentally a little bit sensitive. I I didn't make it out to where I thought I was going to be. I was on a different path. Uh, the acting industry is essentially job search every several weeks, every few months, every few years. I mean, you're you're lucky if you get a guest star at a spot. You're lucky if you get, you know, a series that you're on for a year, you're very lucky if you get on a series for a couple of years. So acting is constant rejection coming off of something where you you had a path that you were hoping for in baseball to something where you're constantly having to prove yourself. Was that uh a challenge that you accepted and thrived on? Was that frustrating at first? What was kind of the mental attitude that you had to find to keep doing it? Because after a while, you you know it's hard not to feel, at least I wouldn't feel kind of like, is it me or is it, you know, them?

SPEAKER_00: 5:48

Well, Greg, you got some great questions. You know your stuff for sure. It it you know, it I think it was one of those things because I didn't stop to think about it. I I I literally, you know, it it's there there was a gap. I mean, after I was done playing Pro Ball, my parents said, hey, you know, you're you got one more year of college left. So before you do this acting thing, I love what they call it the acting thing, because I, you know, they said, just please just finish up that last year of college. So I went back, got my degree, my business degree, and then I just did it. I think it was kind of just, I don't know. I think if I had, if I had started working or started a life back in the Midwest, it might have been hard to pull the plug. But because I had no attachments and nothing holding me back, I just dove in. I don't know. There was something about uh, I don't know, something about my drive that's like, hey, this is the next thing. And maybe I wanted to achieve, I don't know. I don't know. Something about I just put my head down and went. So yes, that was there, but I knew that rejection was part of the game. So it's never really bothered me. I've never been afraid to audition. I've never been afraid to make phone calls and go into rooms. Maybe sports taught me that. Maybe baseball taught me that. So even though that is the case, that that is how it works in that world, it's never really impacted me like that. I've always been, and still 25 years later, you're still looking for your next job, you know, still auditioning, still trying to make it work. I'm lucky with with Power Rangers because I've got these Comic Cons, you know, that I have this huge um, there's, you know, huge financial uh gains from being in the Comic Con world. So I'm lucky with Power Rangers that it can keep me going in between jobs.

SPEAKER_01: 7:23

And we'll get to that in a minute here. Sure. You said you started off doing soap operas. Tell us a little bit about what it was like getting those initial roles after trying so long to make it. What was that like?

SPEAKER_00: 7:34

Well, I started waiting tables in in Malibu, a place called Gladstones. I got a job at a real high-end seafood restaurant right in the ocean. So it kind of gave me access to a lot of, you know, actors and, you know, good acting classes, good photographers to kind of learn. And I the the one thing I was smart enough on is I knew because I didn't know what to do, to not to kind of sit back and just study and learn and try to observe. Um and everybody said, and this gets to your question, never be an extra. Never be an extra. Once an extra, always an extra. But I kept thinking, well, you know, if I want to be a baseball player, why not get into a dugout and watch the players? Watch how they train, watch how they work, watch how they interact and handle themselves under pressure. So I thought, you know what? Everyone says don't do this. Well, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna be an extra so I can learn. You know, I don't know what the etiquette is. So I gotta, I got to be an extra on Sunset Beach. You know, it's not hard to be an extra, you know, there's always places to do it. Wanted to watch the professionals. Because I was an extra, there's a there's a longer story behind it, but but because I was an extra, that got me my first speaking lines in Sunset Beach, which was pretty cool because I was there. I I, you know, you're just in the room, right? You're making friends. So that led to uh getting some other auditions for Passions in Port Charles, and those were my first real roles. Sunset Beach was my first speaking lines, and then Passions in Port Charles, I was down to the final few for a three-year recurring role, didn't get it, but then they gave me these other roles. And yeah, I thought soap operas was going to be my journey. But then Power Rangers came along and kind of took me into the superhero world.

SPEAKER_01: 9:11

And nothing wrong with being an extra. I was an extra out of film, and it was the greatest probably month of my life. Now we're jumping into Power Rangers. It's easy for a lot of people to mock and pick on Power Rangers. It's campy, it's whatnot. But there's a lot of people that have successfully come out of being a Power Ranger. Amy Joe Johnson, you know, Brandon, Jay McLaurin, yourself have made careers out of it. But there's also a great fan-based cult following of people that really admire, look up to, embrace the Power Rangers. What was that like seeing the fandom and that kind of level of enjoyment in something that is easy for a lot of people to dismiss, but a lot of people really take it to heart.

SPEAKER_00: 9:59

Yeah, you know, I it's it's interesting because, you know, you you get a job on a show, and you got to remember Power Rangers, as everybody knows, if they've seen like that movie, you know, that that documentary, Hollywood Demons. Everybody knows the story that was, you know, it's a very low-paying job, you know, obviously way more than waiting tables. But I think I made about 130 grand is my in the season of Power Ranger that I was on. But it was my only option. It was my only way to get out of the world of waiting tables. It was my only option to get out of the restaurant world, which I enjoyed doing. I embraced even that job. So I we didn't think of it at the time of this superhero show that would last for 30 years and have this huge fandom. Like I it wasn't even an option. As a matter of fact, I did the show, learned a ton, learned how to be on set, learned all about hitting your marks and and and you know, finding the lens and finding the light. You know, learned all this stuff on etiquette. You could never learn in acting class. When the show ended, I thought, that's it. You know, the show's over. I'm gonna move on. About about a decade after, uh 12 years after, they c they called me and say, we want you to come to this thing called a Comic Con. And I thought, well, what is a Comic-Con? They said, well, it's a it's a kind of a celebration of um Power Rangers. And I thought, well, nobody's gonna want to meet me. I mean, I I was on a show 10 years ago, and and and uh I'm gonna be like the guy in college coming back to the high school prom, you know? Everyone's gonna say, What's this guy doing here? No, trust me. Your season has this real huge fan base popularity, and and and we want you to come back. So I came back to this Comic-Con and I was shocked, had no idea of the fandom and the love and support. And I thought, this is crazy. I meet Jason David Frank, and he was this guy that was this huge legend in this world and traveling the world, and him and I became very good friends. And and then suddenly, just like that, it was boom, I was in 27 countries in the past eight years. Just got back from Singapore a day and a half ago, you know, everywhere from Saudi Arabia to Peru. I mean, I've been all over the world, you know. So it's amazing to answer your question, the fandom that's out there, the stories you hear, the impact you've had on people's lives. I don't know if there's any other show in the world that has this kind of connection with their fandom. So I love it. I embrace it. Uh, it's been a huge ride for me. If they asked me to come back to the show tomorrow, I would be there.

SPEAKER_01: 12:25

And if you have kids now, what is your reaction to learning that their dad is a Power Ranger?

SPEAKER_00: 12:32

Uh, at first, I don't think they got it. Of course, they didn't get it, and they loved all the girl Power Rangers. You know, they thought the girls were the cool ones. And so they they kind of shied away from it. But then their teachers started wanting autographs. And then their friends are like, your dad's the Red Ranger, as they got into like junior high. So then they started to embrace it. And now they think it's pretty cool. Now they're, you know, one's in college, one just graduated from high school, she'll go to college here in the spring. And and uh anytime their friends find out about it, they're like, What? Your dad's the Red Ranger, so um, they enjoy it. They they don't let me do it because I always like to tell them their dad's a big deal to kind of kid them. But uh, but they enjoy it now. And then my my new kids are too little. They're still, you know, 21 months and five months old. So uh they're not there yet, but they'll they'll get there.

SPEAKER_01: 13:19

Let's talk about an old friend. Talked to Nook, and he told me the first thing I need to ask you is what is your inspiration behind the character?

SPEAKER_00: 13:30

What is my inspiration behind the character? He wanted you to ask me that.

SPEAKER_01: 13:34

That's what he said I should ask. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 13:36

You know, when I read the script, the script uh was running parallel to something that just happened in my life with the loss of my father. So the the script, it's one of those things when I see, I've always thought when I see actors say the script spoke to me. And I always go, yeah, okay. I mean, everybody, we as actors, we think we can play every role and we always want to work, you know. That's part of our journeys. We think we can do anything and we need to make money to live. But this role was running parallel to my personal life in so many ways. And when I read the script, um it was amazing. Uh, I did not see the ending of this coming, which is why this movie's become so successful. And there were just so many parallels. So the inspiration was very personal. Um, not hard to find the emotion attached to it because I just gone through the loss of my father. And it spoke to me. It spoke to me. So I was in.

SPEAKER_01: 14:28

As an actor, when you're we're looking for roles, I mean, you've done things now, Power Rangers blew up. When you're looking for roles between feature film or television, this was a short. I think a lot of actors tend to dismiss short films as kind of like a, well, you know, I got better things to do on my Saturday than to film a short.

SPEAKER_00: 14:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 14:50

Was it the ties to, you know, your father and personal story? What was it that even made you give something like that a shot versus kind of dismissing it?

SPEAKER_00: 14:59

You know what? And I'll tell you what, Greg, I I I have always dismissed shorts. And that's that's what's what's kind of disheartening in my own mind is that you always look at that as being some kind of a thing you do as a beginning actor. There's definitely no money in it. But the script was that good. I mean, it won a contest up there in Seattle uh for the screenplay contest, and and it the script was so good. And then um I have a relationship with Ben Andrews, who's one of the producers. I he's a very dear friend of mine. When I read it, he's like, hey man, we want you to play the role, Calvin. And I was like, okay, this is great. You know, he's asking me to come up as a favor. You know, you're not gonna, you're not gonna make much money off this. You're gonna spend two, three days up there. You know, as a new director, he's a young guy. I don't know much about this guy. I mean, how professional is this guy? But I did I just dove him with both feet. And thank God I did, because it opened my eyes to what these shorts are. They're up-and-coming directors and producers, and you meet great people. And Nuke was, I mean, this guy's been filming since he was probably eight years old. I mean, he's he's he's so talented. And I don't say that lightly. Uh, so I was very lucky that I walked into an extremely professional, very creative group. And um, and uh yeah, so I look at shorts much differently now.

SPEAKER_01: 16:11

One of the things that I'm realizing and talking to you, and I don't mean to inflate your ego or say anything that isn't true, but I'm finding a lot of your career choices are not based on other people's logic. It's based on your own opinions. It would be easy to, like you said, to dismiss a short. It'd be easy to dismiss something like Power Rangers, where you're you know, wearing some weird superhero costume and going around fighting, you know, weird monsters and stuff like that. I can see a lot of publicists or people saying, don't do that. Look for real serious roles or look for feature films and not a short. But your choices seem to be a lot based on your own intuition. Is that what drives you, or what are you looking for when you're taking on a role?

SPEAKER_00: 17:02

You know, Greg, I'm very loyal. I've got that Midwestern side to me. So you'll see some of the progress I do. You know, the the first director that gave me my first break was David Dakota. And he got me, you know, he did at least to do a lot of like B-level horror movies. And my first role was in like night, my first real role was in 1997, doing a movie in Romania called Witch House, where I, very beginning of the movie, like in Scream, Drew Barry, Drew Barrymore. I got killed in the very beginning, right? And and David gave me that first shot. So he's come back to me with a lot of, you know, the movie channel movies, kind of these small budget, you know, talking pony, all these, these kind of like kind of campy family films. And it's like David gave me my first break. So I will always go back. I look at it as paid acting class. So when I get a chance to work, um I'm kind of done trying to like I'm gonna be selective in my roles. Like I love to work. I love to be on set. That's what I'm here to do. So if my schedule can allow it and I'm not doing comic-cons, which is a lot more money than a lot of these projects, so I can afford to do that. I'll go on set and work and I meet you, I meet new actors, I meet you new family. So I I think loyalty has been a big part of the choices I make. Um if there are people I've worked with, friends, I'm in. You know, the script is is fun and it's it's nothing gratuitous. I like to work, and so, you know, I'm I'm gonna be there on time.

SPEAKER_01: 18:23

You mentioned that Power Rangers had like a cult following to it, that you realized it took almost 12 years to realize it. And I would assume like things like the internet had a lot of that to do with that.

SPEAKER_00: 18:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 18:36

I I talked to Nook about this, and you've been in Hollywood for a while now, but Matt Gaiman did an interview where he talked about how he could do a film like, you know, we bought a zoo, and that would go over it would do okay, but not, you know, commercial success. But then when it go on to DVD or VHS and make up a lot of the money, which then would allow him to do something like the Bourne films.

SPEAKER_00: 18:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 19:00

Nowadays, where are you seeing or are you concerned about that DVDs aren't there anymore, VHS aren't there anymore, that that revenue stream has dried up. Has it become harder to do these smaller stories? And is there a concern what the future might hold for Hollywood?

SPEAKER_00: 19:20

Yeah, I think there definitely is. I think it's it's changed. I mean, I I think movie stars are a dying breed now. You know, I always say Tom Cruise and and Brad Pitt are kind of the last of it. These, you know, the YouTube sensations, the TikTokers, they've become the kids that my teenage daughters know. So I don't know what direction it goes, to be honest with you. I'm I'm such a small, I'm such a small player in the grand scheme of it. But all I know is what I can control. And for me, that's that's where you know, heading up to Seattle and meeting a bunch of of up and coming directors comes into play and staying loyal to the directors I've worked with before is just to work, just to work, meet new people and do the best job that I can. That's that's all I can control. But I do think. I think that there's some concerns with Hollywood. I think for a lot of reasons, people have kind of, you know, going to the movie theaters. I think things have gotten, you know, kind of politically divisive where people, you know, some actors are outspoken and people don't like that. So I think all that stuff isn't is in play with that. And so we'll see what happens. I think things are cyclical. I think things will bounce back. So in the meantime, I'll just keep holding on from my vantage point and try to enjoy the ride the best I can, you know.

SPEAKER_01: 20:28

As someone that's been in Hollywood for several years now, if you were to put being put in charge of a studio for a day, what's one of the big changes that you would make that kind of restores some of that balance?

SPEAKER_00: 20:39

Original material. They've gotten away from original content. Movies like uh the the the example I always use is like Goodwill Hunting, right? It's it's a movie where you know they did get one star in Robin Williams. Everybody else is pretty unknown. It was an amazing script, amazing story. Uh movies like that would be hard to get made right now. They like to recycle superhero stuff or recycle um or just get names and stuff with bad scripts. But you gotta, you gotta keep reading this original material. There's a lot of writers with a lot of great ideas, a lot of great content. And they've, I think they've been afraid to make those little, I'm not sure what I would call it, but the the those kind of small budget films that can often be wonderful stories. And that's what I would do is give those movies a chance, read those scripts, you know, uh let those newcomers come in so people don't have uh, you know, in the again, Goodwill Hunting is the one. You have Robin Williams there, he's your kind of star, and everybody else you don't know, and it's an amazing story, and people love it. So I would I would do more of that kind of content.

SPEAKER_01: 21:40

How much of it is Hollywood the bureaucracy? And to kind of put you on the spot a little bit, but you yourself said that you had a thing for for shorts. How much of it is giving things like directors or shorts? Because you can go to film festivals and see all kinds of award-winning directors winning awards like Nook has won, but not getting a chance to do something a little bit bigger.

SPEAKER_00: 22:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 22:06

How much of it comes down to actors taking maybe more risks in some of the choices that they do? And how much of it is Hollywood bureaucracy that's creating kind of that gap there?

SPEAKER_00: 22:16

Yeah, I don't know. I I mean, I think a lot of it, I mean, you know, back in the day, it's it was hard to get, you know, A-list actors to do anything, but just movies. And of course, eventually you see them doing print jobs. And and I remember seeing Robert Downey in a gap ad back in the early 2000s, they started to do all this other stuff. So I'm not really sure. But what I think is cool, and I think this is something that I would do, even if I, if my name was, you know, I have a I've done well, right? But if my name was bigger, I think I would still do this here because this is, I think as an actor, it's fun. And if you can, if you can do something that I guess might be considered below you at the time, because you're not making much money on it to work with you. I think that's a good thing to do for someone that's had experience in Hollywood. And I think that's something more bigger names should do, right? Do those smaller projects, meet these younger actors. I think that's a good thing for everybody. So hard to tell, you know, where it goes with that or how how how that happens. But I think that that would help a lot in terms of where Hollywood's going is to have these larger name actors work with these new directors and it gives them a chance, right? Gives them a chance.

SPEAKER_01: 23:25

Is streaming beneficial to Hollywood or is it diluting products out there? Are you seeing more opportunities as an actor, or are you seeing things kind of being diminished along the lines there?

SPEAKER_00: 23:38

I think it's diluting it a bit because there's so many projects, and there's definitely more opportunity, but there's there's a lot of stuff, and I think because of it, it's harder for things to get noticed. I mean, you can you can film movies on your phone now, so there's just so much content out there. So I yeah, I don't know. I mean, the streaming side, I think it is what it is. Hard to tell where it goes from here, you know, but I do know that it's it's very easy to make content. There's a lot of stuff out there, so there's definitely more opportunity for people to just jump in and work on their craft, you know.

SPEAKER_01: 24:09

And now that you are a successful actor, looking back at the transition you made from, you know, being a ball player, what were some of the key, what are some key words that you would use to describe that you need as a young actor to become an actor, to make that that change?

SPEAKER_00: 24:28

Yeah, you got to embrace failure. You got to keep taking swings, you gotta have thick skin and keep learning. The thing I have all these young actors all the time, especially at Comic Cons that wanna, and I gave them the same advice that Jason Alexander once gave me from Seinfeld. I waited tables on him once when I was at Gladstone. He's like, just keep working. Don't worry about if it's a uh a mattress commercial or uh, you know, whatever you can do to get on set, you can be paid and work your learning, you're sharpening your tool, you're getting better at your craft. So I always tell people that whole line, there's no such thing as a small part or small actors, is so true. Get on set, work on your craft, don't worry about the size of the job, the bigger projects will come. So that's what I always tell people. Uh, just just cheat, just keep getting in the arena. Keep getting in the arena, keep working and have fun with it.

SPEAKER_01: 25:18

And I can't remember who said it. I wish I could give credit to whoever it was. But I remember listening to an actor talking about how it's not necessarily rejection when you don't get a part. You need to go see that film and see why you weren't chosen because you might feel like you're perfect for this role, and then you go see the film and you see what the director has envisioned, and you go, okay, like Robert Downey Jr., he could be Iron Man, the guy from you know whatever film he was doing prior to that, people didn't see it. Or Michael Keaton as Batman. People thought, you know, he does comedies and he's silly. How could he be combatment? But then you see why the director chose these people, and it's less a reflection on you feeling, but it's more a reflection of what they were looking for and understanding why you didn't get that role. It's not personal, but like you said, you have to have a tough skin. I can't imagine having a job search every few months or every few weeks to keep on putting food on the table and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00: 26:21

Yeah, it's every day. And I think I learned very early that, you know, if you know, once you understand how to audition and you get callbacks, the rest of it's really out of your hands. They'll start looking at how your height is versus the female lead. You know, there's so many variables that come into play. Are you too skinny? Are you too muscular? And and a lot of it, as long as you get the callback, you know you're doing a good job. The rest of it, there's so many things that are at play. And I learned early that that that's if you're getting the call, if you're getting the callbacks, you're doing your job. And so really all you could do. So yeah, I learned very early on that that that's that's not to be taken personal. And for some reason, it's it's helped me a lot.

SPEAKER_01: 26:58

And especially back to an old friend, you we mentioned a little bit about it, but tell us a little bit about the story, uh, without giving away the ending or anything like that. Yeah. Tell us a little bit about what uh people can expect if they go to a film festival and see it playing.

SPEAKER_00: 27:14

Yeah. It you know, it it's the story, and I'm sure Nuke went into this, but it's it's the story of this imaginary who who gets created, doesn't know where he is or what's going on, but learns that he was created to be an imaginary friend to a child. Doesn't know who the child is, doesn't know why he's here. I'm dressed in this 1950s attire, 1940s attire, and I'm to be an imaginary friend of a child. And your only job, your only reason for existence is to be their friend. Whatever they want you to do, you do. Uh so then when I realize this, I'm with all these other creatures and half cat, half astronaut. They're all these other, you know, almost like the island of Dr. Moreau, all these combinations of kids' imaginations. So once I learn where I'm going, I get whisked through this portal to my kid, and I go into the hospital room of the 93-year-old man who's on his deathbed. And I don't know why I'm here. I don't know why this is my quote unquote child. And then it's the journey of this Kelvin character to find out why he's here, what's what's his relationship with this person, and to make the best of it because I'm here. So that that's that's where the character finds himself. And without giving away the ending, it's it's he's there and he's just trying to make the best he can of the situation. And it becomes a journey about what happens to people as they get older, uh, the people in their lives, the caretakers, the family, how they deal with with people that get older and go get sick and uh and move on to the to you know to the next to the afterlife. Uh and this guy Calvin's role in that journey with this elderly man.

SPEAKER_01: 28:46

Oh that's nice. Yeah. Now, now that you're a father, you have some young children, some children that have grown up a little bit, does that influence the roles that you take and the characters that you're playing?

SPEAKER_00: 28:58

I mean, outside of an old friend and in new projects? Absolutely, yeah. I mean, I would have to be very careful with uh not that it was ever, you know, do anything that had gratuitous sexual content or anything like that, but I would say for sure, knowing my kids see it, I'm aware of certain roles, but it's not even that, you know, you know, and I I guess there are a few roles where, you know, there might be some certain scenes. Uh, but but yeah, I would stay away from certain things because I know they're gonna see it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 29:28

Does being a Power Ranger also come with certain responsibilities as far as how you decide to keep yourself in public? I mean, I'm sure as a parent, you're, you know, you're not too wild out there, but is there kind of an added underlying burden that's placed? I mean, I would hate to see, you know, a Power Ranger getting arrested for lewd behavior or stuff like that. Do you feel like there's kind of an added eye on you?

SPEAKER_00: 29:56

100%. And and with the Comic Cons and that in the world and Power Rangers that've kept a relationship with the with the with the franchise, they watch all that. Um, and that's been a big factor as to why Power Rangers has invited me back, you know, five different times now over the last 25 years. They watch how you are on social media to make sure you're still a great role model. They watch the way you take care of your body, and all that, you know, so all that stuff. So I do feel a certain uh responsibility the way that I, that I, the way that I look, the way that I act, to continue to do that for purposes of the show. And the same thing with the roles. I think um, you know, I kind of lean towards taking strong character roles, uh, you know, more leading roles. And maybe that's kind of the superhero mindset of where I think that I am. But but uh but definitely there's a I wouldn't say a pressure, but a responsibility to continue to act a certain way because of that show. And there's so many kids that watch you that are a role model that um it's something you don't want to show them a different side, you know.

SPEAKER_01: 30:58

What is it about Power Rangers? I mean, there's the campiness, there's the silliness, the costumes, the the bad guys are what is it at its core that resonates so much with people when it could easily be dismissed as some other silly children's show?

SPEAKER_00: 31:15

Yeah. You know, that that secret sauce is kind of a mystery. I think what happens is that, you know, they get kids young, and the colors of the outfits are the first thing that gets the kids. You got these outfits, these bright, vibrant colors. So the colors, boom, pull pull you in. The multi-ethnicity, multi-gender of the show. I mean, from the beginning, you know, you've got heroes that are black, that are Asian, that are white, that are Hispanic. So everybody feels that they have someone that that if you're, you know, a young Hispanic, you know, child, you see in your hero someone that looks like you. So I think that really helped identify with a lot of young kids that they can be heroes as well. So I think that formula is what kind of pulls kids in at a young age. And the fact that it's been consistent for 30 years, I think kids get older and they will look back on those times when they were, you know, four, five, six, seven years old and reflect on sometimes good times where they have great memories of watching the show, or even bad times at the show. I mean, I have a million stories I could tell you of the of things that kids went through that power ranger stuff get them through, right? Abuse, divorce, sickness. And it was a magical time when they were five, six, seven years old, and they held on to it and they continued to follow it and watch it, and and these are your heroes. And and so something about the show became a massive success, but I think it was the colors and the people that they hired for the roles, and and uh it really pulled kids in. Ever think of writing a book or anything about your experience on the you know I I I I I always thought that Jason David Frank should have wrote a book before he passed away. I used to tell him that because he had such success in this. So it's something that's crossed my mind. I guess I always think that I'm such a small player in that, in that in the grand scheme, who would want to read it. But maybe as time goes by that I I would feel differently about that. And it would be there's definitely an adventure there going from the baseball field to the to the superhero role, that uh how I got my SAG car, the journeys I've had, the stories I've had. You know, 25 years in Hollywood of just being on the cusp of major success, but still holding on. There's definitely a lot of great stories there that maybe someday I would do something like that.

SPEAKER_01: 33:27

And outside of Power Rangers or even inside of Power Rangers, any interest in writing, directing, anything like that?

SPEAKER_00: 33:35

No. Ironically, no. I'm definitely not a writer. And I think that for me, directing is something I've never really leaned into. I always like to be the guy in front of the camera. I think that's something I I've enjoyed, and I think I'm good at it. So I've never thought about directing or writing. No. Never crossed my mind, to be honest.

SPEAKER_01: 33:54

And let's say Steven Spielberg approached you, said, hey, I'm a big Power Rangers fan, love your acting, I'd love to give you Steven Spielberg money. Let's do a project that's passionate to you. What story would you want to tell?

SPEAKER_00: 34:09

Boy, I'll tell you what, my favorite movie ever was The Natural is Robert Redford. So I think sports stories have a soft spot in my heart. So I think some sort of a sports movie. And I love the thought of a guy that's past his prime that gets that second chance. And the natural would be to me the perfect screenplay. Um, something in that vein of the guy that gets that second chance in the sports world. But a sports movie for sure.

SPEAKER_01: 34:36

Natural is a classic. Oh. Uh wrapping things up, and again, I appreciate you coming on.

SPEAKER_00: 34:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 34:44

What advice would you give to a struggling actor? And I'm sure you've been asked this and you asked Jason Alexander this, but what advice now, taking all the things that you've learned?

SPEAKER_00: 34:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 34:54

Now you're at that diner table and the the waiter is coming up to you, and instead of being the waiter, now you're the actor, what advice would you give?

SPEAKER_00: 35:03

You know, it it's it happens a lot now for me. When I get on set with younger actors, when I meet people in public, uh, conventions that want to be actors, I tell them this the same thing. I kind of echo what Jason told me, because I think it works well, is don't be afraid to work on and just get on set. If you're an extra, if it's a small role, if it's a mattress commercial, just get on set and get in the best acting classes you can afford because you're gonna start to meet people in your circle, you're gonna rise up with your peers. So that's always my thing. Just get on the field. Don't be afraid of the small roles, just keep working, be on time, be a good person, and uh and things are gonna work out. And I always tell them, well, the other thing I always tell them, Greg, is you know, in today in life, the young kids, I mean, everything is immediate. If you want food, boom, it's at your door. If you want to go, you know, if you want food, if you want deodorant, Amazon, it's like it takes seconds. If you want to date somebody, boom, you know, the dating apps. It's also easy, but this career is not. They see TikTok, they see what they think is overnight sensations. They all think they can be stars. They go, this is you're an actor. Be prepared to be broke and be prepared for the long game. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. So just hang in there, stick around, and um, and that's the advice I always give them.

SPEAKER_01: 36:21

And wrapping things up, and again, I appreciate you coming on. Yeah. An old friend is available on the film festival circuit, so you can check that out if one's coming to you. Uh, do you have any other projects coming up that fans can look forward to seeing you in?

SPEAKER_00: 36:34

Yeah, so Legend of the White Dragon is the movie I did with the late Jason David Frank. That was his last project before he passed away. Uh, that's gone through about three years of post-production, but that's finally done. That's going through the distribution phase now. So look for Legend of the White Dragon. That'll be coming out shortly. I I just got uh the role of playing Batman uh in the very, very popular Bat in the Sun series. They get 30 million views in their superpower beatdown. So next month I'll be doning the Michael Keaton Batman suit against Shredder. That's gonna be very exciting to be in the Batman suit. Yeah, and then the last one is uh I'm producing a cartoon called the Brush Brigade. And that's an animated cartoon for kids about the Tooth Fairy's daughter. So very excited. We've got a few Power Rangers that are coming in to voice those characters, some of the characters. We've got some of the writers from Power Rangers. So uh the Brush Brigade is coming soon. The pilot episode will be done here in the next couple weeks. It's been about three years now, two years now. Uh, but we got the pilot episode coming soon, and then we're gonna get that thing out there and see if we can't make our own uh Paw Patrol. Nice.

SPEAKER_01: 37:44

And my final question, yeah, final question I asked all my guests. Uh, so often when we're dealing with actors and actresses, we say, you know, Jason Font, Power Ranger, uh, Jason Font, you know, Major League to acting. We we use the things that you are known for, the roles that you've played. But when you get up in the morning, the kids are still asleep in bed, you go into the bathroom, splash a little water on your face, and look in the mirror for the first time. Who is it that you see in the mirror?

SPEAKER_00: 38:13

Who is it that I see in the mirror? What a great question, Greg. You have some great questions. Man, I feel like I just see this Midwestern boy who's still trying to live a dream. You know, I'm I'm happy with where I am. I'm I'm enjoying the journey. But I just see this this dad who's just trying to make his way. And I think I'm still trying to find who I am, to be honest with you. But I look at myself as a doting father. And um God, who do I see in the mirror? I think I think that would be it. Just a guy from the Midwest who's trying to find his way out here and and enjoying the journey.

SPEAKER_01: 38:46

Well, Jason, thank you so much for coming on. Appreciate your time, and I look forward to seeing what the future has for you.

SPEAKER_00: 38:52

Thank you, Greg. I appreciate it, buddy. Best of luck to you as well.