Courtesy of Christina Masterson
Christina Masterson is living a dream most young actresses couldn’t possibly contemplate. Not only has the relative newcomer landed a job on a TV show, but she’s taking on a totally iconic role. She’s the Pink Power Ranger on the reimagining of the classic kids series. In a recent exclusive interview she talked about landing the part and Power Rangers Megaforce and what she had to do to prepare for the role.
Although she was born in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world, Christina admits that fell into the business. As she explained, “Nine years ago
a family friend thought it would be a good idea to bring me by her friends modeling agency… one thing lead to another and I soon feel in love with acting.”
A successful career as a model and in commercials followed. Then she got her first big acting break in the Jane Fonda-Jennifer Lopez movie Monster-in-Law. As she recounted, “It was a last minute added scene… I got a call and before I knew I was on set.” And even though she didn’t share the screen with the two legends, she did work with Will Arnett. She described the experience, saying, “I barely remember it though because I was so excited and everything happened so fast it was like a whirlwind.”
Parts on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Secret Life of the American Teen followed before she nabbed the choice role on Power Rangers Megaforce. Initially she auditioned for the role of the Yellow Ranger in a series of readings that occurred over the course of three months. But ultimately the producers decided pink was more her color.
Although she had watched the original show growing up, Christina admitted that she had “no idea how huge this franchise is.” Personally speaking she acknowledged that it will always be one of her favorites. And she understands that there’s some added pressure playing a part that’s beloved by many. She conceded, “They are some pretty big shoes to fill for sure!”
The fact that she can find a connection to her character, Emma Goodall, certainly helps ease some of the stress. As Christina noted, “Emma is a nature girl and I totally am, too. I love being outdoors and exploring new places. I garden and I'm starting my first flower press book. She also has a passion for photography. I'm not a photographer but I love taking film photos to help document different adventures I go on.”
Of course, they have their differences. Emma is a BMX bike expert. And as, Christina confessed, “I could barely ride a bike when I got the role… I had a scary bike accident when I was a kid and I haven't ridden since. I found out about Emma's BMX skills a couple of weeks before I left to shoot in New Zealand. So, I had to get over my fear.”
To help her do that, she focused a lot of time and energy on the necessary skills. “I practiced everyday before I left, riding along the boardwalk on a beach cruiser. Then when I got to New Zealand I started practicing on a BMX bike. Now I'm pretty good, I got to conquer a fear and fall in love with biking again.”
She also had to get in shape to pull off some of the show’s more physical work. “We trained and conditioned for two weeks before filming started so that we would be capable of doing some of the stunts.” But all the hard work comes with a big perk, which Christina described as “being able to play a superhero and save the world everyday.”
There’s another advantage that goes beyond her onscreen persona. As a new role model, Christina is hoping that young viewers who see her character tune in to some of the core values of Power Rangers, which she noted “have always been friendship, teamwork and helping others. And you might feel like just an ordinary kid but we are all capable of extraordinary things.”
And she’s managed to form close bonds to her co-stars. As she remarked, “They have become my New Zealand family. We work all day together and also live in the same house! Which has brought us close together really fast.
That bond can make filming more enjoyable but a little more difficult. As Christina, pointed out, “We all work really hard together to do our best but we also have a lot of fun too. So we have the serious moments but also have the fun joking-pranking moments.”
And she still has managed to find time to work on other projects. She talked her other recent work, “Monster is a short film I did about a girl and a guy that have just meet and an unexpected event that happens when she takes him back to her place. It's a creepy ‘lil short that had it's premiere in NY for the NBC Short Cuts Film Festival.”
To top it off she’s interested in music and jewelry design on the side. And she’s developed a really unique talent — an expert ability to find four leaf clovers. She discussed the key to success in her hobby as “lots of crawling and searching through clover patches during my breaks. Everyone kept asking me if I lost something but I was just trying to find a ‘lil luck.” If she keeps up the hard work, she isn’t going to be needing any extra luck.
To find out more about Power Rangers Megaforce visit www.nick.com. And follow Christina Masterson on Twitter.
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