Before we get to the zords, let’s talk money. Most of the original Rangers were paid minimum wage—and yes, that’s a real, painful fact. Walter Jones (the Black Ranger) once admitted he earned about $600 a week to do his own stunts and wear a helmet that smelled like someone else’s sweat.
Austin St. John (the Red Ranger) famously worked a side job at a restaurant during the show’s peak. Imagine being a global phenomenon in a dinosaur suit, then clocking in to sling burgers after villain fights. Talk about a humbling morph!
The Helmet Heroes Inside
Here’s the kicker: for most of the action scenes, the actors you saw were not the actors you knew. The stunt doubles did all the cool flips, kicks, and explosions. The main cast spent hours inside helmets that had zero ventilation, just nodding at each other like sweaty turtles.
When they took the helmets off, half the time they were replaced by stock footage from Japanese Super Sentai. That’s right—Jason’s high-five might actually be a Japanese stuntman named Hiroshi waving at his mom.
