Brad Hawkins Interview

This interview was done via e-mail during the period of early January of 2009. I will not divulge in large details how I came in contact with Mr. Brad Hawkins but I will say that he contacted me because one of my site and I asked for an interview, confirming one of those fan rumors, check it out.

HG: What are you up to these days? How is your music career doing?
BH: Moved back to Dallas over two years ago. [I] needed a break from Hollywood... too many hoops to jump through and [I] wanted a more "stable" career to focus on. Surprisingly, there is more steady work for voice actors in Dallas. So I do a lot of voiceover work for Funimation shows [such as] Darker than Black/One Piece/Gunslinger Girl/Dragonaut/D. Grayman/etc. I don't do music anymore unless it is a paying gig. I got to sing on Guitar Hero World Tour and Guitar Hero Metallica so that was real cool. I'm still a huge fan of music... so it's fun to be involved with those kinds of projects, [but I] just got tired of the politics of the business, both music and acting.

HG: You have played some bad guys in the past ("Prison Break" and "Fastlane"), have you ever felt typecasted in a particular role?

BH: After 2 years of playing the "good guy" on VRT, I wanted to play some bad guy roles. Once I started, it seemed like every time I booked a job, it was me playing a bad guy. Those roles intrigue me more. I like the darker side of characters and it's cool to be the scary little crazy guy every once in a while!

HG: What are some of the odd jobs you have had other than acting and singing?
BH: I've done everything from deliver pizzas to working in batting cages, [I] even did a 2 year stint being a DJ at a strip club!!! hahahaha..."that's right gentlemen....get your dollars ready!!"

HG: Here are the questions that VR Trooper fans may scroll straight to at first. LOL. How did you become aware of the audition for Ryan Steele?

BH: It was one of my first auditions when I moved to Los Angeles. I was 17 and they brought me in for the new white ranger for Power Rangers. I knew martial arts and I was a non-union actor, so, basically I had no experience and Saban only uses non-union actors in its shows. So I got the job. Jason David Frank was going to leave PR and be the new lead [in what later became VR Troopers]. During the switchover they asked me if I would rather doing VRT and I jumped on it. I wanted my own show, cut my own path, and not be just the guy in the white spandex.

HG: How long was the audition process and what did the audition entail? I mean, they did they ask for a martial art demonstration?

BH: Yeah... it was pretty intense.... you had to do a few scenes.... and then you had to perform a martial arts routine. I could act (a little bit) and do martial arts ( a little bit). [While] Sarah Brown was more of an actress and a gymnast, and Michael Bacon was a bad-ass martial artist from the get go... he taught me some really cool moves.

HG: What did friends and family think of the show VR Troopers at the time?

BH: They were happy just cause they could point at the tv and say "we know him!!!"

HG: Do you ever get recognized these days? If not, do you have an amusing story of when you did?

BH: Back in the day, I wasn't safe at a mall or any family event. One kid would yell out something about VRT and kids would rush from everywhere. Nowadays, it's more like one guy or one girl stare at you for a while, trying to put a face with a name [and] then, if they actually figure it out, they won't say anything cause they're too embarrassed to admit they actually watched the show. I was shooting a movie in Bakersfield, CA and part of the movie was us playing in a band onstage. Once we finished the scene, I was headed back to my trailer and someone yelled out "WE ARE VR!!!" hahahahaha....that cracked me up!

HG: Are you surprised there are still fans out there after all these years?

BH: Every now and then I go online and google something related to VRT and there is still a solid fan base. There are blogs and chat rooms everywhere.... it blows me away. I just found and purchased the entire 92 episode DVD series the other day! I didn't even know one existed..... hahahaaha..... Heck, something to show the kids one day.

HG: At the time, did you ever wish there was a proper finale to VR Troopers?

BH: More than that, I always hoped for a few episodes where we teamed up with the Power Rangers for a few episodes. We were all such good friends and their set was right next door to ours. It would've been fun to switch up the storyline and do something like that. It was talked about but never happened.

HG: Do you still stay in contact with any of former cast members or crew of VR Troopers?

BH: Michael Bacon is nowhere to be found. But I stay in regular contact with Sarah Brown. She is such a powerful person. Both as a mother and an actress. She was always a strong actress and her resume shows that. She rocked daytime television Emmy after Emmy. We talk about every 4-6 months just to see what each other is up to.

HG: Many fans love that you are the initial voice of the Gold Ranger in Power Rangers Zeo. It probably wasn't much of an experience, was it much like doing voiceovers for Ryan in his VR Suit?

BH: Half of the show [VR Troopers] was ADR (voiceover) We would spend about 2-3 hours each in the voiceover booth doing the voices so it was grueling. We got really good at it.... who wouldn't after all that practice?! Guess that's why I'm having so much fun with the new Japanime shows I'm doing in Dallas now.

HG: At the time, where you aware of the pilot Cybertron and that Jason David Frank was involved? Fans recently found out Jamie Kennedy was in it too!

BH: Jason and I were good friends for a while. Like I mentioned, I was hired to replace him in PR as the new White Ranger and he was going to play Ryan Steele on VRT [Which was Adam Steele in Cybertron when JDF played it]. I was excited for both of us. Then the switch was made and he became the new ranger and I became Ryan Steele. I think it worked out the best for both of us.

HG: You are still pretty young. What do you wish to accomplish in the next ten years?

BH: I just had my birthday last week [January 13] and that "10 year plan" is more important than ever. I've been managing the #1 nightclub in Dallas for the last 2 years so I'm ready to branch out and own my own place. That's the first move but from there I want an upscale restaurant, boutique hotel, and a franchised that is at least statewide if not national. I love traveling. I could live in a different country every month if I was allowed. So after it's all said and done, I want to travel as much as I can. If I meet someone amazing along that path, I'm down to get married and have kids too. I know I would be a great father and that part of my life excites me.

Happy Birthday and Happy New Year! Thanks for agreeing to this interview and answering my questions.