The man behind the face of Zordon took time to answer our burning questions about his time on Power Rangers!
It was truly an honor to ask Mr. Fielding these questions I’ve always wanted to hear answered!
Check Out his responses to our strangely simple 12 questions!
How was the character of Zordon/Zoltar presented to you in the Pilot and in the actual aired Pilot?
It was presented pretty much the way you see the character in the show – he was an intergalactic sage or wise warrior being who had been trapped in a timewarp by his nemesis Rita. I was told that the character would appear as a giant head in a tube and that he would be the mentor to a new group of superheroes – a Professor X type who would guide and advise the teenagers on the best way to defeat the enemies that Rita would throw their way.
What was the Audition process like?
It was different from most, and very much different from what the other actors on the show had to go through. Normally you would go through a number of rounds of auditions and with up to 500 or more other actors vying to get the role. In my case, since they were looking to film very quickly, they were looking to cast much much quicker than normal. When I went in to audition, there were just two of us as I recall. In the end, I got chosen to play the part.
Did You Have To Do Anything Special Cosmetically To Film For Zordon? What was it like to have the makeup painted on you & shaving your head to be Zordon?
I did have to shave my head for the role. The day we filmed I went to the warehouse building in North Hollywood that had been selected and where they had the green screen they would film me against had been set up. I went into the make up area and they shaved me bald, applied a base foundation to my face and darkened my eyebrows. They glued my ears back so they would lie flater to my skull and then painted the upper have of my chest and shoulders with green latex paint, so when the film was processed the only thing that would show through was my head.
Did You Try To Emulate A Certain Character, from any Universe, When Doing The Zordon Voice or Mannerisms?
During the audition and reading the lines, my take on the character was based on a father quality, and given the description I was given, I also thought about how he was a sort of god-like being. I tried to imagine how Zeus might sound, speaking to mortals or to someone like Hercules – authoritative or larger than life, but in a mentoring way, not a controlling or talking down to you sort of way. He is after all a benevolent being.
How long did the filming of Zordon scenes take?
We filmed – best I can remember – about three or four hours. It may have been shorter than that, but my recollection is going down in the early morning and getting down about 6 or 7 that night.
What did you think of Bob Manahan taking over the voice of Zordon?
I wasn’t actually there for that part. By the time the series had started to air, I was unhappy living in LA and so had told the producers I would be leaving. I never got the chance to meet Mr. Manahan, but I think they did a good job trying to match the tone and quality of the voice that I had initially created for the character.
Were you approached at all for the first Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers movie?
Initially I had received a phone call about it, when they were still planning to film in LA. But when the decision was made to film in Australia, they hired Nicholas Bell to play the role. Mr. Manahan still voiced the character when he was in the tube I believe.
What did you think of Zordon’s sacrifice at the end of Power Rangers in Space?
I thought the writer’s handled his death with care and grace. It was nice to know that the character made the sacrifice he had asked of the Rangers, to give the best of themselves in the face of great odds. Knowing that he was willing to give up his life in defense of them was very gratifying .
Were there ever plans to bring Zordon out of the tube? Were there any ideas for the character that got scrapped?
If there were, I never heard about them. As far as I can recall, the character would always be in the tube and would only serve to guide and advise the Rangers. I think there is a lot of backstory about Zordon that was never really explored – but the show was about the Rangers ultimately so it makes sense that they would want to keep his character as a steadfast and constant ally.
If somehow, Zordon was revived, would you return to the show? How So?
Yes I would I had a great time filming the character and am honored and humbled that the character is so well thought of by fans. As far as how Zordon would return to the show? I guess that would be up to the writers and producers. As we are all beings of energy, and energy can never really be destroyed, I’m sure it could be possible to see the character return. In what form or what the story would be surrounding that return, I really don’t know – it would be up to the creative team working on the show to make those kind of decisions.
As fans, we’ve loved your images for the NOH8 Campaign. What caused you to take part in the cause?
I was actually approached by Adam Bouska’s team – who were going to be shooting folks at Power Morphicon – to take part. I was very honored to take part because I believe very strongly in equal rights for all. Bullying and discrimination are things we need to really try to eliminate from our lives.
Where can Ranger Fans find you in New Projects or on Social Media Today?
They can find me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Zordon2012),
Instagram (djfzordon) and Twitter @Zordon2012
and also my author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HRN1JMG