On December 15th, 2018 we at PopLurker caught wind of a very amazing rumor—we heard that actress and martial artist Jenna Rae Frank was possibly in line to star in a future season of Power Rangers! For the uninitiated, Jenna is not only a strong, smart, and intelligent young woman based on her own merit, but she’s actually the daughter of long-time Power Rangers mega-star Jason David Frank. In a nutshell, JDF is the Obi Wan Kenobi of the Power Rangers universe, and is loved and respected by fans around the world.
But Jenna has been working hard toward her goal to join her dad in the ranks. And after our PopLurker article dropped, we knew we had to get ahold of the girl herself for an exclusive interview. Check out this wonderful conversation with a super cool person who will one day make an incredible addition to any Power Rangers team!
Hey Jenna! Thank you so much for giving PopLurker this interview. I’m so excited for the chance to get to talk to you today. And I have to say it—thank you for helping me break the internet a few weeks back.
Yes! Of course! And thank you as well.
You’re so welcome. It was a lot of fun. So, tell me—after I published that article with the rumor that you’re prepping to get cast in one of the future Power Rangers seasons, ideally as the Red Ranger because we all want to see you lead, how did it affect your day? What happened for you on the day that PopLurker article dropped?
I think it was so cool! I’ve always wanted to be a Power Ranger. I grew up watching Power Rangers because of my dad. In fact, the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers movie was the only one I was allowed to watch as a kid. So, with that article, I know that Power Rangers fans loved it. And it’s something I really, really want! I would love to work with Hasbro on any project, to be honest. It doesn’t even have to be Power Rangers.
I was so excited by the response of the article. I kept thinking ‘Oh my god, this is so cool!’ And to be considered to lead as the Red Ranger was even better. I think I’m the perfect fit for it. I’m a black belt, I know karate, I know tumbling…as far as physical preparation for the role goes, I know everything. Well…okay…not everything, but I could hold my own as a Power Ranger! It would be really cool.
You’re so humble! Come on—I watched that stunt audition video that was shared in the article. Your ability to act and be physical at the same time at only fourteen years old is astounding. It’s clear you’ve done some intense training to teach your body how to do that. Something that amazing shouldn’t be discounted.
Thank you!
Would you mind sharing your daily workout routine with me?
Well, like I’d mentioned, I’ve been in karate forever. Seriously, since I was two years old. Twelve years of training is starting to catch up. And I’m lazy—I’d rather just sit on the couch and eat chips. But I can’t really do that. I work out every day. This is my life and now, working out is my outlet. And it’s a great outlet to have, because some people don’t have an outlet at all. If I’m feeling stressed or tense, I have to go work out. So, I work out every day. I train, and I work at my dad’s karate school. I’m always on the go, every single day with karate and tumbling. I also do cheer twice a week, competition cheer. It’s great.
Going back to the topic of the PopLurker article for a moment– how was your social media platform affected after the article dropped? You said the feedback was overall positive, which I saw in spite of some cranky fans as the minority. Any big changes in your follower count or visibility that day?
Well to be honest, I’ve always gotten some hate. So, I just learned to brush that off. But I got a lot of positive stuff and I know the fans loved it. And my social media was blowing up! I went from like
35K to 38K in a single day from it. I’m working really hard to get my blue verification check on social media so people know it’s officially me out there. Funny story—on IMDB there’s a ranking of actors and how popular they are. Before the article dropped, mine was at 50,000. And after, I dropped to the 18,000 rank. Considering I’m an actor who hasn’t been in any big movie or show yet, that was really good for me. I got to rub it in to my Dad. He’s number 7,000 and I got to tell him to watch out, because I’m coming up!
If it’s all right with you to talk a little bit about your dad’s work for a moment, I have a question to ask you. How old were you when you started to really understand his work in the Power Rangers series and franchise? When was that big ‘Oh…this is a big deal’ moment for you?
I think it was when I started travelling alongside my dad to different conventions and really saw all of his fans. I have a really big heart for people, and every time someone comes up to him crying, it makes me cry, and then we all cry! It was crazy, because out of nowhere we went to Colombia not too long ago and for the very first time, I actually saw fans of my own, which was really amazing. My dad has really been trying to help me with my acting and promoting me. And it’s just crazy that the two of us can travel and go to events together and there’s people who are excited to see us both. It’s a really cool feeling.
Let’s talk about your own hobbies and fandoms. What do you geek out for in pop culture?
Well…I watch a lot of Netflix. I watch Stranger Things and Pretty Little Liars. That’s the kind of stuff I’m into. And really, I never ever fan girl, but if I saw any of those actors at a convention, I’d probably freak out. I saw Noah Schnapp from Stranger Things at a convention and I was fan girling so bad.
It happens to the best of us. We’re all entitled to a few fan freak outs in our lifetime! What about hobbies? Do you collect anything or are you into anything really niche?
You know what? I like watching anime a lot. Dragon Ball Z is my favorite. I love all cartoons; I’m such a little kid. To this day, I’m in love with Spongebob Squarepants. It’s a little different, but I don’t care. I love it and I’m going to watch it till the day I die!
You came out to Los Angeles for that Dragon Ball Broly movie, didn’t you? How was it, did you like it?
Yeah! It was amazing! It was so cool…ahh, it was so cool! I got to walk on the red carpet and I got interviewed too. It was just so crazy.
You’re originally from LA. How long have you lived in Texas?
We moved out here when I was three. But because I travel the world with my dad, it just feels like this is where my house is. I feel like the whole world is my home, if that makes sense. I love California and I still feel like it’s my home there. Houston is okay, but I love Los Angeles.
With that, do you have a big travel schedule set up for 2019? Are you going with dad to all of those shows and conventions?
Yeah, I think I am. I do home school now and can travel around without worrying about being absent all the time. Last year I was still in public school and I had so many absents. My teachers would come up to me and be like, ‘You missed another day!’ But it’s okay. So yes, I’m travelling a lot with my dad and I’m going to try to hit every stop, but sometimes if I travel too much, I get sick. I also have thyroid problems, so I definitely need to take time to chill out.
Are you looking forward to Power Morphicon Express in April?! That’s one-half your dad’s convention!
Yes! It’s so exciting! I can’t wait.
Me too, and I will definitely see you there. Now, before we wrap up, is there anything coming in the pipeline that you want to share or promote or discuss?
First of all, I want to thank every single person who follows my social media for coming along with me on this journey. I’m so into positivity and I want everyone to know that they matter. For work, I have something in the pipeline coming this January that I did with my dad and Lionsgate. I can’t talk about it quite yet, but if you keep your eye on my social media, everyone will know the second I can say something.
Jenna, you’re so amazing and down to earth and fun to talk to. Thank you again for taking time out of your day to talk to me.
Thank you so much! I appreciate it so much, really. For real.