Pop Culturalist Chats with Ludi Lin

All eyes will be on Ludi Lin this weekend as he suits up as the Black Ranger in the re-imagining of Saban’s Power Rangers. It’s his first big role, but the sky’s the limit when it comes to this talented young actor. We were lucky enough to chat with this rising star about the Power Rangers’ legacy, how the film celebrates diversity, and his favorite fan interaction.

PC: What was the audition process like?
Ludi: My audition process was very high-tech actually; it was pretty much all digital. I sent the tape in when I was in Singapore. I was working on another project and found out about Power Rangers, so, I taped my audition in the broom closet with my iPhone and sent it off. Once I got back to Beijing, the director and I got together on Skype and we did an audition, but most of the time I was just focused on what was in the background because he was in his office and I could see the Zords and new suits. It got me really stoked about the movie and then, when I found out that I got cast, I was surprised to learn that a lot of the cast auditioned in L.A., whereas I did mine through technology.

PC: What was it like putting on the suit for the first time?
Ludi: Most of the cast would tell you that it’s incredibly tight; it’s pretty uncomfortable, but that escaped me because they look so cool. A lot of people put in a lot of time for the suits; they’re really well designed and look amazing. I just wanted to go out and rescue a burning school bus or something! The first time we were all together in the suits was the scene where we’re looking over Angel Grove, and we’re about to go in to save it, and the light was hitting the suits just the right way and everything was sparkly and it just looked incredible. It felt like we actually were the Power Rangers!

PC: Did you feel any pressure during or after filming considering how large the Power Ranger fan base is and that young kids are going to start looking up to you as their hero?
Ludi: Yeah, it was pretty incredible because first, when I was growing up watching Power Rangers, I thought it was for my own enjoyment, but once I was cast, I started finding out about all these fans all over the world. For me, it’s not about pressure because it’s something that I love, myself, and since we’re re-imagining this whole story and diving into the characters’ backgrounds—especially Zack’s—the story is different than what was portrayed in the original movie. It was a real honor for me because I got the chance to delve deeper into the series.

PC: Great answer! You said you grew up watching the Power Rangers series. Why do you think that these characters have stood the test of time?
Ludi: To me, I think it’s largely about how much subject matter there is in Power Rangers, how easy it is for people to relate because there is so much diversity in it. I think people are interested when they can empathize with characters or relate to a certain aspect of a character. I know for myself, when I started watching the series, they gave me (because I was moving to North America then) insight about what high school life was like there, although not everyone transformed into big robots and fought monsters, but the day to day life. It gave me the grounding into the culture because, in China, we don’t get lockers. It’s just different; the entire culture is different.

PC: Are there a lot of similarities or differences from this re-imagined Power Rangers to the original movie or the series?
Ludi: I think the characters, their backgrounds, their situation, and their relationships are different. They’re more complex and they’re more relatable to the spirit of our age in current times—a lot of issues that people deal with these days…I think when Power Rangers came out, there weren’t any cell phones, were there?

PC: Nope

Ludi: Nowadays, people deal with things like cyber-bullying, things like gender issues…a lot of issues that kids deal with these days are coming to the forefront. Power Rangers will always be about a team of young teenagers coming together and working together despite their differences, fighting crime, and doing better things by empowering each other and supporting one another. Power Rangers actually started more than 40 years ago in Japan. As you can imagine, the special effects were a bit outdated, but they were probably pretty great for that time, and our special effects for the movie are updated for the current time. There’s CGI, lots of explosions, months of physical training, and a lot of full-action and big robots—all of those things remain the same. It’s an action-oriented movie, it’s action-packed, and it’s pretty funny. It’s just an entertaining ride. I think that kind of feel is the same.

Photo Credit: Kimberly French/Lionsgate

PC: There’s this really strong emphasis in the reboot that the characters are flawed, which is a little different from the original series where they felt more like role models. What were your initial thoughts when you read the direction the script was heading?
Ludi: I think the girls put it in a very good way when they said that we want to be role models, but we also want to be real models, rather than the perfect painting of a role model, because I think it’s hard to relate to that. I think that’s a small flaw in the whole superhero genre; it’s hard to relate to a billionaire high-tech mogul who builds his own suit. It’s hard to relate to someone who is a billionaire that has suffered a lot and is avenging something. It’s hard for people to relate to those characters day to day. Our flaws and imperfections are real, and despite those imperfections, we can still do great things, we can find great friends that support us, and get together and do something better to benefit the world. I think that’s the message of Power Rangers, and for me, I want to be relatable to people; I don’t want to be surrounded by mystery; I don’t want to be above anyone else. I just want to tell a good story, and I think the best way to tell a good story is to connect with people that can find some normality to me. I felt great about the script. When I read the script and I realized the characters weren’t the perfect role models the original series painted them out to be, I was actually excited about that; it gave me more room to work.

PC: So you’ve found this massive press tour. What’s been your favorite moment or do you have a favorite fan interaction that you’ve had?
Ludi: As you can imagine, in the press tour, we have to repeat a lot of things, so I really like things that throw me off. I think one that I’ll never forget is when we got to a military base and a parent came up to me and he asked me, “Hey, I’ve got a request. Can my kid kick you in the face?” Then, he explained that the kid was doing karate and he’s got a pretty good roundhouse kick. I went for it and the kid does that roundhouse kick—I really like it when little kids get excited about these things because it’s something that I grew up with as a kid and I see that forward in the next generation. I think that’s really cool. I like to pass on the legacy.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Ludi: I’ve got a lot of guilty pleasures, but I think my favorite show and favorite novel is Song of Ice and Fire of Game of Thrones. Sometimes I feel a little guilty watching that show for a lot of reasons, but yeah, that’s one. What’s another one? I don’t know… I don’t really feel guilty watching those shows. This is interesting – I watched Smallville, all ten seasons in almost a month; I was hospitalized for a while and I was looking for the longest running show and Smallville was on, so I was in the hospital watching Smallville. That made me feel kinda guilty cause I did nothing else than watch that show.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Ludi: Guilty pleasure movie…There’s Superbad. My favorite romantic movie is Her. That’s an awesome movie. I liked The Notebook. It’s a sappy movie; I actually liked that movie. I’m a softy.

PC: Do you have a favorite play or a musical?
Ludi: Favorite musical? I think The Sound of Music is a masterpiece. A lot of people are saying La La Land is overrated because a lot of people like it. I really liked La La Land. I think just cause a lot of people like it, it doesn’t mean it’s not as deserving.

PC: Do you have a band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Ludi: I don’t know what fans’ impression of me is. A lot of people are kinda saying I should be an action guy, but I really enjoy mellow music. I work out to Jack Johnson; I have “Banana Pancakes” on repeat while I’m working out and training.

PC: Do you have a hidden talent?
Ludi: I can make my spit into a bubble and blow it off my tongue.

Make sure to follow Ludi on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And check out Power Rangers—in theaters today!