Is it Heckyl or is it Snide?! It’s Heckyl, the two faced charmer turned Keeper of the Dark Energem played by Ryan Carter! We got a chance to ask him some of our burning questions about his time as the lead man in “dino” Charge! Take a look at his answers below!
Had you ever heard of or watched Power Rangers before auditioning?
A: I hadn’t seen Power Rangers for years. It was actually banned in New Zealand for a while because some PC parents thought it was too violent, but it’s back now. I only vaguely remembered the older episodes so I was pretty surprised to discover it was still a massive show.
What was the audition process for Dino Charge like?
A: I think they had a bit of trouble casting as they went through a couple months of auditions before I first read for the role. I was living in Sydney at the time so I auditioned with a tape. Then, I came to New Zealand for a call back, which lasted a couple hours and later that day I got the role!
Do you remember what it was like to hear you got the part?
A: I was really stoked to get the role. It was my first decent TV job out of acting school so I couldn’t wait to get into it.
What was your first day on the set of “Sledge’s Spaceship” like?
A: Yoshi, who played the Blue Ranger, made me feel really welcome and took me on a tour of all the sets when I had my first day, before any shooting. I loved it, it was like being in a giant you come to life. I especially loved Sledge’ s throne which I got to take over.
Who would you say was your closest friend on the set?
A: Davi who played the Gold Ranger, we are still really close today, I plan to head out to the states to visit him soon. The whole cast was lovely and really friendly though.
Do you have any funny behind the scenes stories?
A: On one of my first days I fully fell over on set, I think that made the blooper reel. Also, on my VERY first day I full on ripped the butt of my pants when I went into a deep lunge mid-scene. We were already into over time so the costume department had to staple up the tear. If you look really closely at one of the moments when I’m running off in the distance you can see me kind of holding up my pants still.
If you can remember, What was your favorite Dino Charge or Dino Super Charge episode to film?
A: The episode with flashbacks to when my home planet is destroyed and I get my memory back.
All of those scenes were incredibly fun. Especially running around screaming in the desert!
How did you go about playing “Heckyl”? Were there pieces of your own personality in him?
A: At the start of filming I listened a lot to Chip (Lynn) and what his vision was for the character, then as the season progressed and the character became my own I started to let him become more colorful. The fun thing about a Ranger villain is that there are no boundaries, they can be as crazy and out there as you like!.
Do you wish that there had been a “Heckyl” action figure made? Do you own a “Snide” figure?
A: YES! I would have loved a Heckyl toy! Luckily @lavenderranger was kind enough to send me a Snide action figure so that’s a good compromise.
What was one of your most favorite “Heckyl” lines or catchphrases?
A: The line “I hope my shades are still in style“. That has a cool story attached to it though. We were filming the introductory scene of Heckyl, so it was a pretty important moment and halfway through the day we realized that my goggles were missing from the costume. We didn’t have time to re-shoot so Chip quickly added the line “I hope my shades are still in style” and I just whipped the goggles out of my back pocket.
If you were to return to Power Rangers once more, what would “Heckyl” be doing today?
A: Well his story ended with him being a Keeper of the Dark Energem and travelling back in time to his family. So he would probably be enjoying that, helping out in saving the universe every once in a while I hope.
How do you feel about “Heckyl’s” ending?
A: I liked it, I think it’s always a positive thing to see someone bad get over themselves and decide to help the good guys…..it would’ve been kick ass to of turned into a Power Ranger though!
What lasting mark do you think “Heckyl” left on the viewers of Power Rangers, good or bad?
A: I have no idea! I can only hope people enjoyed the character and liked what he did for the story. Hopefully he offered fans a villain who was a little less one-dimensional than previous bad guys.
Do you have any special stories or interactions with fans you’d like to share?
A: I think the fans from Power Rangers are all really kind-hearted, fun people. Also, lots of talented artists making fan art! Every person I’ve talked to about Power Rangers or who has contacted me have always been really positive and complementary about the show.
Are you currently working on any projects you want your fans to know about?
A: Right now I’m on a break over summer after working on a big theater show in NZ, but after new years I’ll be working on a web series, so I’ll post something in my Instagram on that for anyone who is interested
Follow Ryan Carter’s Official Social Media Below:
[Instagram]