Interview With Mike Ginn

Mike Ginn, also known as Gem (Ranger Series Gold) on Power Rangers R.P.M was kind enough to answer a few questions for Banana Shake. So, without further ado...

BS: What were you like growing up?

Mike: Silly and shy. I remember being a shy kid but around people I was comfortable around I was also very silly. In fact, there’s only one thing I have ever remembered from a school report card and it was from a year on my elementary school report card where my teacher wrote about me, “Mike is often silly”. Growing up, I liked drawing cartoons, LOVED the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, collected spiders, watched a lot of TV, liked video games, loved going into toy shops, was forced to do Karate by my parents and hated it lol.

BS: What was your path to becoming an actor? Is it something you've always wanted to do as a profession?

Mike: Ever since I was small, yes, being an actor was something I’ve always wanted to do. My first memory of a profession I wanted to do was probably when I was 4 when I wanted to be an “artist” cause I liked drawing. Was probably a few years later when I got introduced to acting from doing a skit in elementary school and a girl coming up to me afterwards and telling me I was good, which was possibly the inception of my dream ever since. I actually wasn’t involved in doing any acting after that besides living the dream in my head until I after high school and wanted to pursue it seriously. I went to drama school for 3 years and after graduating, been acting and pursuing my dream ever since!

BS: When you're not working what kind of hobbies do you enjoy?

Mike: I enjoy video games, hanging with friends, watching cartoons and movies, working out, Twitter, and recently having relocated to LA I love exploring places here.

BS: You've said in the past you visited forums to see fan reactions while filming, so you probably know the fandom was pretty evenly split on their opinion of Gem and Gemma. Where you expecting such a big reaction when you and Li Ming Hu joined the cast?

Mike: To be honest, I had no idea what to expect. But I did like that Gem and Gemma were something to talk about, I enjoyed lurking on forums and reading all the controversy they were stirring, some people really loved them, and some people hated them haha, but I’m glad they were something for the fans to talk about and get into.

BS: Halfway through RPM the series lost a few writers and gained a new Executive Producer. Had Eddie Guzellian stayed on as EP, would your character have changed in any way?

Mike: I don’t know, I’ll have to ask Eddie that some time. I don’t know what Eddie had planned for Gold and Silver. I personally would’ve loved to have seen what happened to them after the end of the Dr K flashback in the wasteland till they met up with the other rangers!

BS: What was your favorite moment while working on the show, on or off screen?

Mike: My favorite moments while working on the show was just going into work every morning, putting on the gold ranger suit, I loved the fights, and a favorite moment I had was when I was home one of the days after the shoot and on the balcony of my apartment and I remember thinking how appreciative and lucky I was getting to do what I was doing then.

BS: Is there anything about your time on RPM you regret or wish you had done differently? Any aspect of Gem's character you wish had been explored but never made it to the show?

Mike: Nothing I regret, but if I had to go back, I might’ve played more “excitement” and “fun” sounds into ADRing those fight scenes. When I created Gem’s character, I planned for when he was in the midst of fighting to be slightly more focused and so my fight sounds sounded pretty standard. If I had to go back to change something I’d put more Gem&Gemma-isms into the fight ADR sounds to give my fights more color, I think that might’ve been a slightly better choice.

BS: Your resume mentions you know karate and kickboxing. Did you get to do any of your own stunts during filming?

Mike: Stunts, no, the stunt actors do that, and I really am amazed what some of them do on that show, I remember seeing that playground fight with Ziggy/Scott/Baby in stroller and seeing a grinder leap backwards landing on the side of the slide on his back and thinking how do these super human people do this take after take after take! I notice the difficulty of stunts in films I see ever since working on RPM and have a lot more appreciation of what they do.

Did I get to do my own stunts... noooo, call in the stunt guy everytime! lol

BS: Eventually we should start seeing RPM in reruns on Nick. Your portrayal as a Ranger will live on forever in syndication for future generations. Do you find that at all overwhelming?

Mike: No way I wouldn’t be overwhelmed in the least, that sounds awesome!! I like seeing myself on TV haha

BS: Japan is doing an anniversary season this year for Sentai. Hypothetically speaking, if Saban Brands adapted that season for Power Rangers and you got the call to come back for a cameo/guest spot, would you do it?

Mike: Yep

BS: Is there any part in television or film you haven't played yet that you'd love to do? Any dream roles?

Mike: The big kid in me would love to do roles in film adaption of favorite cartoon and tv shows I liked as a kid, but I don’t have a dream role. I just hope to continue working in film and tv in roles that stretch me emotionally and that are outside of who I am as a person, so I can grow as I discover new parts of myself that I need to portray these characters.

BS: What have you been up to since RPM? Any upcoming projects you can tell us about to look forward to?

Mike: Since RPM, I’ve done a few more projects in New Zealand, most recently a feature film called ‘My Wedding and Other Secrets’ which opened at number 3 at the box office last month. But the biggest thing was my relocation to Los Angeles a few months ago, where I now live and continue my acting career.

Thanks for reading everyone, if ya wanna chat look me up at http://www.twitter.com/mikeginn