In Bryan Spicer’s 1995 children’s film “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie,” the titular Rangers face their most dangerous foe yet, a sarcastic wizard named Ivan Ooze (Paul Freeman). To match the villain’s level of magic, the Rangers are sent to the distant planet of Phaedos to obtain what is called the Great Power, an energy field that will enhance their combat skills and give them access to a new fleet of animal-shaped war machines. Phaedos proves dangerous, as he is lousy with the Tengu warriors who the Rangers can’t seem to defeat in close combat. Luckily, the Rangers are saved by Dulcea, the Red Sonja-like warrior. Dulcea takes the Rangers to a ninja training center and teaches them how to access their inner spirit animals. This gives them the momentum they need to fight Ivan Ooze.
Dulcea does not join the Rangers for the climax, being magically linked to Phaedos. It’s a shame. It seems like she would have been a big help.
Duclea was played by Australian actress and model Gabrielle Fitzpatrick. “Power Rangers” was only her second feature film, although she had several Australian television credits throughout the 1990s. “Power Rangers,” at least for kids of a certain age, is one of her most notable roles. Since then, she has appeared on hit shows like “24,” “Frasier,” and “Lost.”
Plus, she almost missed the role. According to a “MMPRTM” retrospective on the Conventional Relations website, Fitzpatrick had a medical emergency that caused him to leave the set just as filming was about to begin. For a few days, the “MMPRTM” team filmed with their second choice, actress Mariska Hargitay. That was before she found her breakout role on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Furthermore, she was not sufficiently prepared.
Mariska Hargitay was temporarily part of the Power Rangers
Hargitay was always the producers’ second choice to play Dulcea, but when she was called in at the last minute, lack of preparation held her back. She hadn’t had the same combat training as Fitzpatrick and her fights were lackluster. The “Power Rangers” cast all remember working with Hargitay for nearly two months and seeing how little time she had to prepare. Karan Ashley, who played Aisha (the Yellow Ranger), noted:
“[S]something happened by chance where [Fitzpatrick] had a medical emergency and required surgery. It was literally a week before filming and it was right up until the end. So we started shooting the film and Mariska ended up getting the role. She worked with us for about a month or two, and I just remember she didn’t have a rehearsal. She had no combat training. They just threw her in the deep end. I remember seeing her do a scene and people were a little frustrated because her action wasn’t believable.”
Additionally, it appears that Hargitay, a dedicated performer, may have been taking on the role of Dulcea a bit. Also seriously. Screenwriter Arne Olsen admired Hargitay’s talents, but it seems she didn’t understand the mission. It was supposed to be a live-action cartoon, and Hargitay was too human. As he said:
“Mariska just has this intensity about her, and I think, for this role, we wanted a little more of a cartoon, with She-Ra. When they shot the first few days with her, it was obvious that the spark wasn’t there. It had nothing to do with her acting skills, it was just that her aura was more serious.”
Which is right.
The producers also felt that Hargitay was too beautiful to play Dulcea.
If one looks online, one can find early production photos of Hargitay in the Dulcea costume. The film’s stunt coordinator, Jeff Pruitt, remembers having conversations about Hargitay’s performance, including some concerns that she didn’t look good. Many people thought Hargitay was too beautiful for the role. Of course, Gabrielle Fitzpatrick was a professional model, so I can only think about what he might have meant.
Karan Ashley even remembers the time Hargitay was fired, which would have been difficult under any circumstances. Even though she wasn’t cut out for the role, none of Hargitay’s co-stars wanted to see another actor get fired. Unfortunately, this is what they witnessed. As Ashley recalled:
“I remember we had a break for Christmas. It was about a week off and we had to go home. When we came back, we started hearing rumors that Mariska wasn’t coming back. They had reviewed all the footage and the powers that be had decided she wasn’t the right one for this role. And I just remember it being so devastating for her because they just called her and said, ‘Oh, you’re not coming back.’ Terribly managed and we all felt horrible.”
Hargitay, of course, would be fine. She would land the role of Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: SVU” about four years later, and the role would earn her awards and provide her with lucrative work that would last for more than 20 years. The “Power Rangers” cast, on the other hand, is forever associated with a beloved children’s franchise that also endures. Everything ended up going well. “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” ended up grossing a cool $66 million at the box office.
