It’s an instant party as four famous former Shortland Street stars join Woman’s Day for a chat at a Power Rangers fan convention in Los Angeles.
“Hi, I’m Anna – I used to watch you on Shorty!” says actress Anna Hutchison, who played troubled teen Delphi Greenlaw on the long-running TVNZ 2 soap, as she meets Katrina Devine, aka Ferndale’s Minnie Crozier, at the Power Morphicon in Pasadena.
“It’s funny because you were like the new me,” laughs Katrina.
“And I was just another drug dealer,” chips in Katrina “Kat” Browne, who portrayed bad girl Jenna Small on Shorty.
Then Sally Martin – who played beloved nurse Nicole Miller up until last year – arrives to cheers from the rest of the group, and as they giggle and pose for our photos, it’s like they’ve been besties for decades.
It’s no surprise these ladies share an instant connection given their shared journeys navigating life in the spotlight on the small screen.
Growing up in the spotlight
Katrina was just 13 when she started on the soap and, over the next eight years, grew up in front of the nation.
“It’s difficult going through puberty on TV in front of everyone,” explains Katrina, 46, adding that being in a relationship with co-star Blair Strang, who played ambulance driver Rangi Heremaia, made things even more intense.
“I hadn’t dated anyone before I started going out with Blair. It’s not like school, where you date classmates. Our relationship was fully in the limelight and people thought they knew us because of our characters.”
That’s something Kat, 50, can relate to – she was mistaken for a real-life drug dealer in Auckland!
“I thought he was joking, but he was serious and got really aggressive,” she recalls.
Although all four stars agree the good that came from starring on Shorty outweighed the bad, such experiences took a toll.
“I’ve known poor mental health before and being under that intense spotlight was one of the hard times,” says Kat, who was then dating co-star Jack Campbell, who played Dr Daniel Buchanan. “It was a lot. That’s what you sign up for and it’s mostly incredible, but sometimes it’s scary.”
As a more recent alum, Sally’s still winding down from the intense workload.
“The hardest part was the hours and sheer amount of work,” recalls the actress, 41.
On my biggest day, I had 24 scenes!”
From shorty to the Rangerverse
While many child stars fall down dark roads after experiencing fame young, Katrina credits her “very strict” mum for keeping her grounded. And though being typecast as teen terror Minnie was a concern after she left Shorty, she quickly landed roles in Xena and in theatre, before nabbing a gig on Power Ranges.
Like Katrina, Anna, 40, also joined the cult superhero franchise after Shorty.
“There’s something so marvellous and spectacular about the show,” says Anna, who also led a 5km run for fans at the convention. “You don’t realise when you’re filming that, years later, you’ll still be getting this awesome love for it.”
“I had zero idea,” agrees Kat. “I wasn’t aware of the whole Rangerverse and how deeply important it is to generations of families.”
Sally adds that it’s been wonderful to experience true girl power at conventions.
“It’s great being surrounded by chicks because it was boys versus boys in my season.
I love their guts, but there’s something cool about being around women.”
Sally’s often handed gifts for late Power Rangers and Shorty co-star Pua Magasiva. “One girl crocheted Pua’s helmet and asked me to give it to his daughter,” she smiles. “It’s really touching.”
Power Ranger mums
As for what their kids think about having Power Rangers as mums, Canada-based Katrina says her nine-year-old son Jason “wasn’t thrilled” to see her character being mean to others, but he proudly boasts about her to his classmates.
“He thinks it’s super-cool, but his little friends don’t believe him. They’re like, ‘Yeah, sure!’”
Meanwhile, Kat – who has three sons aged 19, 17 and 15 – once got called by a teacher after her eldest got into a tussle.
“Somebody said, ‘My dad’s going to come,’ then someone said, ‘Well, my dad’s a policeman,’ then my son goes, ‘My mum’s a Power Ranger.’ Everyone went, ‘You win!’”
Meanwhile, Anna’s four-year-old boy Vinnie is so hyped by her fight scenes that she has to remind him, “We only fight baddies.” The Underbelly and Cabin In The Woods star adds, “I’ve got this tiny window where my kids are playing with the dolls and think Power Rangers is cool, so I’m rocking that because I can’t show them the more adult stuff I’ve done!”
When Anna’s daughter Joanie, six, told teachers that her mum is a firefighter, food scientist and Power Ranger – all roles the 40-year-old LA-based actress has played – she had to set the record straight.
“The teacher pulled me aside and said, ‘Joanie’s got a wonderful imagination.’ I said, ‘I’ve done all those things, but I was acting.’ Joanie understands the process, though. She heard me reciting lines for a witch audition and in the car ride home, she gave a better read than me!”
Working life
Taking the kids along on the journey is something Kat’s also done. When her Filthy Rich character needed sons, she simply used her own.
“Still, there’s overwhelming guilt as a mum. I’m missing my youngest son’s hockey tournament now and was crying as I left New Zealand. But it’s important for kids to see mums work and pay bills.”
What’s next
Kat has just wrapped filming on The Diplomat star Rufus Sewell’s upcoming Netflix series Queenstown, while Anna’s busy with her podcast 100% Ready With Anna Hutchison And Eliza Taylor. Meanwhile, Sally’s working for Māori performing arts festival Te Matatini as she prepares to dip her toes back into acting.
Katrina’s doing the same after working as a kindergarten teacher.
“It’s a lot of auditioning,” she says of life as a working actor. “In New Zealand, I got everything I auditioned for, so when I didn’t in Canada, it was ego-deflating. But everyone needs that!”
