Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the Power Rangers franchise, and became a 1990s pop culture phenomenon along with a large line of toys, action figures, and other merchandise. The show adapted stock footage from Japanese television series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (1992–1993), which was the 16th installment of Toei’s Super Sentai franchise.
The casting process for the show was extensive, with hundreds of actors auditioning. David Yost originally tried out for the role of Jason but was cast as Billy instead, and he had to adapt to playing the nerdy character, even though he was a skilled martial artist in real life. Thuy Trang was reportedly so nervous during her audition that she almost couldn’t finish it.
Several of the original cast members were accomplished martial artists. Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver) was a black belt in multiple disciplines and later went on to have a career in MMA. Austin St. John (Jason Lee Scott) was a black belt in Taekwondo, Judo, and Kenpo. Thuy Trang (Trini Kwan) had a black belt in Shaolin kung fu. Walter Emanuel Jones (Zack Taylor) was a black belt in Hopkido.
While some of the actors performed their own stunts, the in-suit fight scenes were almost always performed by professional stunt performers. Thuy Trang, for example, performed many of her own stunts and was injured on set a number of times. Amy Jo Johnson and David Yost, who were experienced gymnasts, often incorporated their acrobatic skills into their fight scenes.
A major point of behind the scenes tension was the low pay for the actors, especially in comparison to the show's massive success. This ultimately led to the departure of Austin St. John, Walter Emanuel Jones, and Thuy Trang in the second season.
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