Current Events > Austin St John and Walter Jones explain why they left Power Rangers

(+) Yeah! (+)

Sorry if old, but I just saw this. It is interesting to hear them talk about it together.

https://youtu.be/JDguG7YbZBE?feature=shared

Also, I suddenly feel very unobservant. It wasn't until watching this video that I ever noticed Walter Jones was missing a finger. But apparently it was like that since he was 4. So literally it took me 30 years to notice this detail.

DisgracefulSins posted...

Also, I suddenly feel very unobservant. It wasn't until watching this video that I ever noticed Walter Jones was missing a finger. But apparently it was like that since he was 4. So literally it took me 30 years to notice this detail.

Weird how many things he's had in common with Bob Ross.

well firstly when they morph, he will have all khis fingers back since its not footage of him but of the counterpart show Power Rangers is Based of.

and they probably did some camera trickery so we barely ever see his missing finger when hes unmorphed.

with that being said, I also never noticed it either, not even in Zacks Birthday Episode whihc is heavily focused around him

I watched it over dinner and here's the tldw (in no specific order)
-they believe they should be getting paid more for the movie since the franchise was bigger than when it started and they're no longer amateurs
-the contract was for 3 movies instead of 1
-budget for the second season was reduced even though the first season made almost a billion
-food on the set was changed from cakes & coffee to celery sticks
-original yellow ranger wasn't chosen because she wanted more pay
-even the crew weren't paid much
-green/white, pink & blue ranger backed out of negotiations for better pay
-Austin dropped out of high school to act in Power Rangers

I loved that show so much as a kid. Green is my favorite color because of Tommy Oliver. I lost interest after they started replacing everyone as I assume most people did. Sucks how corporate greed ruins everything.

reminder austin st john defended hitler saying he was a warrior with great quotes

SomeLikeItHoth posted...

I loved that show so much as a kid. Green is my favorite color because of Tommy Oliver. I lost interest after they started replacing everyone as I assume most people did. Sucks how corporate greed ruins everything.

the show got infinitly better after they went to the teams only being in 1 season

as then we got things like character development and actual stories with actual stakes

Saban was definitely greedy. They were teens and for most, their first acting jobs, so they didn't have a ton of leverage. Employers exploiting their employees was common back then though, especially child labor. I wonder how much they made..

I think the only Power Rangers to come out of it with a decent career was Jason David Frank and Johnny Young Bosch.

David Yost was also bullied for being gay by people on set.

I don't think any of the other actors bullied him though.

AceMos posted...

reminder austin st john defended hitler saying he was a warrior with great quotes

What is even the point of reminding people of this?

Something he says decades later somehow takes away from how screwed they got by Saban and the industry? He is pointing out the flaws of the system, and he ultimately stuck by his costars and crew for better or worse.

Kid me was heart broken that they were suddenly gone. Adult me is actually very proud of them. That couldn't have been an easy decision to make back then, let alone today.

DisgracefulSins posted...

What is even the point of reminding people of this?

Something he says decades later somehow takes away from how screwed they got by Saban and the industry? He is pointing out the flaws of the system, and he ultimately stuck by his costars and crew for better or worse.

Kid me was heart broken that they were suddenly gone. Adult me is actually very proud of them. That couldn't have been an easy decision to make back then, let alone today.

because its why you should not be giving him views on youtube today

jsut cus he did something good in the past dont change the fact TODAY he is a altright jack ass

DisgracefulSins posted...

What is even the point of reminding people of this?

Doomposter likes to stir up controversy and also get attention.

rexcrk posted...

Doomposter likes to stir up controversy and also get attention.

or i like to inform people that the person this topic is praising literally praised hitler last year

AceMos posted...

or i like to inform people that the person this topic is praising literally praised hitler last year

You aren't only watching him. And he stuck by his minority co stars while the other white ones switched and sold out.

I would say suck it up and forget about politics for a minute. No one is talking about that in this video.

DisgracefulSins posted...

You aren't only watching him. And he stuck by his minority co stars while the other white ones switched and sold out.

I would say suck it up and forget about politics for a minute. No one is talking about that in this video.

look i get it he is a childhood hero of yours join the club he was one for me to

but the moment he stole from charity and then defend fucking hitler

yea i stop viewing him as a hero and viewed him for the man he really is

Arcanine2009 posted...

I think the only Power Rangers to come out of it with a decent career was Jason David Frank and Johnny Young Bosch.

Would argue that Amy Jo Johnson had a decent career, also wouldn't say Jason Frank had a decent career.

DisgracefulSins posted...

What is even the point of reminding people of this?

Something he says decades later somehow takes away from how screwed they got by Saban and the industry? He is pointing out the flaws of the system, and he ultimately stuck by his costars and crew for better or worse.

Kid me was heart broken that they were suddenly gone. Adult me is actually very proud of them. That couldn't have been an easy decision to make back then, let alone today.

Don't defend what he said, it's not a good look. By defending what he said makes it look like you agree with what he said.

No one is defending what he said. What I am saying is that it is off topic and has nothing to do with the subject of this video.

Some people are just one track minded. He shines light on something, and certain people can't get beyond "Don't watch it, he said some bad stuff not too long ago" when it has nothing to do with this, or that it somehow takes away from this.

No one is making you watch it. But don't derail the thread.

DisgracefulSins posted...

No one is making you watch it. But don't derail the thread.

This is gonna fall on deaf ears lol

I quickly outgrew power rangers once the second movie rolled around, but I was a huuuge fan of the original

JuanCarlos1 posted...

I quickly outgrew power rangers once the second movie rolled around, but I was a huuuge fan of the original

Second movie?

DisgracefulSins posted...

No one is defending what he said. What I am saying is that it is off topic and has nothing to do with the subject of this video.

Some people are just one track minded. He shines light on something, and certain people can't get beyond "Don't watch it, he said some bad stuff not too long ago" when it has nothing to do with this, or that it somehow takes away from this.

No one is making you watch it. But don't derail the thread.

Saying good stuff about hitler goes beyond some controversial political statement.

Granted, his defense was that it wasn't an overall endorsement and he was collecting quotes from a bunch of historical figures.

saspa posted...

Second movie?

Probably means the Turbo movie, after Zeo. It acted as the pilot for the Power Rangers Turbo season.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo:_A_Power_Rangers_Movie

MNThunder posted...

Would argue that Amy Jo Johnson had a decent career, also wouldn't say Jason Frank had a decent career.

This
She was at least in 2 other TV series that ran for several years. I don't know how success it has been financially, but she's still been making music all this time too. Also, even as a mid 50s grown ass woman she's still adorable. She's lead a pretty nice life

Justin2Krelian posted...

Saying good stuff about hitler goes beyond some controversial political statement.

Granted, his defense was that it wasn't an overall endorsement and he was collecting quotes from a bunch of historical figures.

there is also the fact he stole from charity

DisgracefulSins posted...

You aren't only watching him. And he stuck by his minority co stars while the other white ones switched and sold out.

I would say suck it up and forget about politics for a minute. No one is talking about that in this video.

he stuck by his minority co stars 30 years ago doesnt really change the fact that he praised Hitler recently, thats some real strong I cant be racist, I have a black friend! energy.

I was obsessed with that show when it came out. Had to have the white ranger watch from burger King and I thought it was the coolest. It sucks they got screwed over.

ASJ is still in legal shit. JDF and Amy wanted nothing to do with the reunion special. Thuy is sadly long gone.

In some respects, the tricks used in the special reopen the old wound of how long the original peace conference and power transfer BS lasted. Using suit actors and archive media to make everything look right. But Walter, David, and Cat really stepped up to make it all work.

Everyone was treated like hell back in the day. These young actors knew their self worth before anyone else did. It was time to heal and fix the now-fatal trajectory that Haim Saban and Hasbro have left Power Rangers in.

Starks posted...

ASJ is still in legal shit. JDF and Amy wanted nothing to do with the reunion special. Thuy is sadly long gone.

She's not the only one, JDF died a few years back.

JDF died after filming wrapped, but yes.

Honestly, knowing the BTS of Power Rangers for years, I always knew the actors were getting paid dirt, especially compared to how popular the franchise ended up becoming. And of course the homophobia David Yost had to deal with on set.

I also recall Amy Jo Johnson leaving the show after nearly dying in one of the stunts for the movie.

Austin also committed wire fraud and tried to screw over his fans. Hes a bad person

I watched this a few weeks ago. I have a new outlook on ASJ over the last few years since the legal and Hitler stuff, sucks to see your heroes do shit like that. But knowing who he is as a person and watching him tell the story versus the way Walter tells the story, you can tell ASJ is still high and mighty about all of it while Walter is more controlled and probably mostly over what happened.

They weren't wrong to leave. As much as I would love to see the world where they stayed (including them in the MMPR movie, which is a movie that I fucking love even with it's faults), they shouldn't have had to put up with those conditions. Saban greedy as fuck.

Was happy to see Walter in Once and Always

JuanCarlos1 posted...

I quickly outgrew power rangers once the second movie rolled around, but I was a huuuge fan of the original

Same

Most of the original audience grew out of it by the end of Zeo or noped out when they saw the blue Turbo ranger.

Starks posted...

Most of the original audience grew out of it by the end of Zeo or noped out when they saw the blue Turbo ranger.

This was me, I was a fan starting when I was 6 when MMPR first debuted, but I went a little further into Turbo. I think I watched until right around when they transferred to the new Rangers. Justin as Blue Turbo was something I thought was stupid, even though I was probably right around his age

DisgracefulSins posted...

Walter Jones was missing a finger.

Wait, what? I watched this weeks ago and still never noticed!

I remember one of the Ranger actors legit almost drowning in the Turbo movie. It might've been Amy Jo Johnson.

bloodyarts posted...

Wait, what? I watched this weeks ago and still never noticed!

there is a well known photo of a scene where its front and center and people (my self included) STILL fail to notice

I never got super into it, only watched a few episodes but I did enjoy it as a kid and it's sad / crazy to think some of the actors passed away and not even at old ages.

They easily fooled me back then. But after rewatching the series as an adult and having learned what happened behind the scenes, it's easy to tell that Austin, Walter and Thuy weren't actually present leading up to their characters' exits.

Out of the first five, the only one that got a proper exit was Kimberly. And that's because Amy Jo was present for her final scenes.

St0rmFury posted...

I watched it over dinner and here's the tldw (in no specific order)
-they believe they should be getting paid more for the movie since the franchise was bigger than when it started and they're no longer amateurs
-the contract was for 3 movies instead of 1
-budget for the second season was reduced even though the first season made almost a billion
-food on the set was changed from cakes & coffee to celery sticks
-original yellow ranger wasn't chosen because she wanted more pay
-even the crew weren't paid much
-green/white, pink & blue ranger backed out of negotiations for better pay
-Austin dropped out of high school to act in Power Rangers

Thanks for this! I was curious, but not enough to spend 20 munutes watching a video about it. Screw making videos for everything. I miss when everything was an article that you could read in a minute or two. But now everyone wants to make videos, 15+ minutes of yammering on and on. I don't want to sit through a video. Maybe this "a.i." will help with automatic transcripts of these videos. That would be something useful for it.

KCJ5062 posted...

They easily fooled me back then. But after rewatching the series as an adult and having learned what happened behind the scenes, it's easy to tell that Austin, Walter and Thuy weren't actually present leading up to their characters' exits.

Out of the first five, the only one that got a proper exit was Kimberly. And that's because Amy Jo was present for her final scenes.

Billy did as well. Sort of.

Billy was in such a weird place during Zeo. He stepped down from being a Ranger to just being support, until he just decided to leave with the Alien Rangers and just flat out left earth and wasn't seen again for decades. Makes you wonder why the actor stuck around so long.

Jason just kinda disappeared again after Zeo and the Turbo movie.

ASJ may be a terrible person but it doesn't change the fact he was treated like shit (along with the rest of the actors) when the OG Power Rangers series was being filmed. Its no excuse for his current behavior but I wouldn't doubt it if his early acting career influenced his future mindset.

DisgracefulSins posted...

Billy did as well. Sort of.

Billy was in such a weird place during Zeo. He stepped down from being a Ranger to just being support, until he just decided to leave with the Alien Rangers and just flat out left earth

I wouldn't call them hastily writing an end to the character by sticking him on the Alien Ranger planet due to him walking off set because of bigotry from the crew "sort of" a proper exit. If we are ignoring behind the scenes details, The 3 OG that left for the peace conference got a better exit. If you're including behind the scenes stuff, Yost's exit was not good by any means and is right up there (and arguably worse) than why the other 3 left (he was right to leave obv)

DisgracefulSins posted...

Billy did as well. Sort of.

Billy was in such a weird place during Zeo. He stepped down from being a Ranger to just being support, until he just decided to leave with the Alien Rangers and just flat out left earth and wasn't seen again for decades. Makes you wonder why the actor stuck around so long.

Jason just kinda disappeared again after Zeo and the Turbo movie.

Billy literally got the Poochie treatment (besides the dying part). Which is interesting since those episodes aired only months apart.

What ever happened to that White Dragon film that Jason wanted to get out but died before it could come out? And...I stuck with it till Space mostly...that felt like the true finale anyway.

Necronmon posted...

What ever happened to that White Dragon film that Jason wanted to get out but died before it could come out? And...I stuck with it till Space mostly...that felt like the true finale anyway.

I watched on and off. We went times without cable.

But yes, I didn't keep up with it past In Space, either. After that they went with new teams every season and it felt disconnected like continuity didn't matter anymore.

That and the way they ended In Space with Zordon dying, basically sacrificing himself to purge all the evil from the alliance of evil and seeing redemption for Rita and Zedd and etc seemed like good closure.

It became increasingly difficult to bother keeping up after Tommy and Adam were gone, who were my favorites

The Turbo season was overall a huge mess, and I don't blame the cast for ditching. The little kid Blue Ranger, and the ridiculous new voice for Alpha. It seemed like they were trying to reach some young audience, but were completely out of touch with what people wanted.

https://youtu.be/UnUn0QbzRdQ?feature=shared

But Turbo did have a strong conclusion leading into In Space, so that kept me hooked for one final season before the remnants of all past teams were gone. After that there was nothing left to invest in.

Apparently Trini also walked with them too. Good for her. Too bad about what happened to her. She was my favorite,