I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ricky Barksdale Jr., Black Ranger for the MMPR fan film, during the project’s recent Black Ranger Week, during which more information was revealed about the story and creative design.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at Morphin’ Legacy. Let’s start with the basics: who are you, and what do you do on the MMPR fan project?
Hello, my name is Ricky Barksdale and I will be playing Cole Chambers, the Black Ranger, in the upcoming MMPR fan film.
Tell us a little bit about your background. Where are you from? What was life like for RBJ as a kid? Did you ever watch Power Rangers as a young man?
I was born in the Boogie-down Bronx; I lived half my life there then I moved to Manhattan and the rest is history. Life for me was pretty interesting: I was always out and about, I hated staying inside. I was that kid on Saturday mornings waking up to watch cartoons, and the moment they were done I was out the door and ready to play.
What kind of martial arts do you study?
Kyokushin. I am a 4th kyu (green belt); I’ve been studying for 4 years now, and I did boxing for a few years when I was in the Army.
What was your MOS in the Army, how long were you in, and where did you go?
I served a total of 8 years (5 years active, 3 years reserve), and my job in the military was a 42A (Human Resources). Most people would be ashamed to admit it cause here you are in this big Army and you’re doing paper work, but my job was just as important as the next person because at any given time it would be a total of five 42As taking care of six to seven thousand soldiers! And it’s always a multitude of things, from finances , being able to have a Safecap on your investments, to awards, to being accountable for how many soldiers there are, who’s coming and going, etc, although some finances are easy to take care of, with sites that offer loans and 24 hours cash deposit for people who request it. My first duty station was Fort Irwin, California; it’s pretty much the middle of nowhere, but I do miss the friends I made while I was there, but I was so hell bent on wanting to leave that I only managed to stay in contact with a few. My last duty station was Okinawa, Japan, and by far provided the best moments of my military career: perfect duty station, great leadership, and even greater friends. I do miss Japan. It is a beautiful place to live, the people were friendly, I loved the culture and everything about it, and the first chance I get I will be visiting there again.
When did you begin acting? How did you begin doing acting work professionally?
I actually started off modeling, which was more because I want to show my kids that dad used to be handsome before he got old, and then later on I heard about doing background work. That is how most other actors/actresses started off, so from there it transitions into doing small projects and so on.
How did you find out about MMPR? What was the audition process like?
It was a few years ago when I first met Dom(inick Sivilli, director of MMPR). He was the DP (director of photography) for a different film I was working on, we were on a break from filming and we just started talking and he brought up how he wanted to do a more adult oriented Power Rangers for those who grew up watching the show; I thought it was a fantastic idea cause it was something I always wanted to see happen. Dom has a unique way of getting people to relax before an audition.
What is your background in film? Have we seen you in any other productions?
I’ve done a few shorts which are currently in post production right now, but most of my work has been in background work (Elementary, Law & Order SVU) just to name a few.
Can you tell us a little bit about your character? What is his background, and what will we find him doing at the beginning of the story?
Without giving away too much, I can tell you that the character loves to fight and he will not hesitate to jump into a brawl if there one around, it’s almost like breathing air to him (fighting) he’s that good at it and loves to show it off for people to see.
What will the character be put through in the duration of MMPR? What can we expect from his first appearance?
He will be required to realize that not everyone is the enemy; he’ll have to learn to control that urge to jump at the first sight of conflict, almost as if fighting is his way of communicating as an Alpha Male due to violence being the one thing he’s so good at. As for the appearance, you’ll have to wait and see.
What have you done to prepare for your role?
Just my usual training method; I’ve added more cardio into it, along with Bikram Yoga. I was there the last day of filming and watching Dina Cataldi (MMPR Blue Ranger), and just watching her do these scenes over and over and over was making me tired, so watching it gave me an idea of what to expect and what I will need to work on when I start filming.
Director Dominick Sivilli stated to me that the crew is making this project for free and taking no pay whatsoever for the massive amounts of work done on this series; is this true of the actors as well?
Yep, that is true, everyone from the script writer, to the graphic designer who hooked up these awesome posters (Bob Cassella), we are all doing it for free. That tells you how serious and dedicated we are about doing this for the fans.
In your own opinion, what makes MMPR such a worthy project of a non-profit cast and crew?
It’s something that hasn’t been done this way before, and that the majority of the cast and crew were or are Power Ranger fans. That’s why the energy of it is always going to be exciting.
The original MMPR Black Ranger was an African-American, which caused controversy almost immediately upon the inception of the show. What are your thoughts on the issue of race-association in the Power Rangers franchise? Do you believe it will hinder your own character’s portrayal?
Honestly I think it’s pretty cool, I never really saw any controversy about it. The whole race association that happened with the first season of PR was probably by chance, but I consider it an honor that I can portray a Ranger that a lot of us grew up watching. The only thing that will hinder the character portrayal is me if I don’t give it my all when we start filming.
In your own words, what does it mean to be portraying the Black Power Ranger in a revamped medium? What does a Power Ranger represent to you?
It means a lot to all of us because we have the opportunity to be a part of history in regards to the MMPR franchise. Although it won’t be on TV, MMPR has a big enough fan base that accepts it, and I have the chance to possibly inspire someone who watches it to do something for themselves that they never thought they could do.
What contribution do you hope to make to the Power Rangers legacy?
I just hope to motivate and inspire people the same way I was inspired.
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Thank you for having me, and a huge thank you to all the fans who are supporting this awesome film that’s about to take place; if it weren’t for you then this would not be happening. Don’t forget to check us out on facebook and twitter at Facebook.com/MMPRFilm and Twitter.com/MMPRFilm
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