Leading the pack of the cast of Kamen Rider Dragon Knight is Stephen Lunsford. Appearing in shows like Unfabulous, Stephen currently plays Kit Taylor, the titular Kamen Rider's alter-ego. Like the other interviews in this series, due to limitations, I couldn't place the respective interviews as sidebars. So, here for you now is the full, uncut interview. Enjoy!
Now before we start this, I got a chance to peruse through your Youtube channel. Your rendition of "Pop Goes My Heart"? Should've won the VMA for Best Music Video of the Year.
[Laughs] Thanks, what can I say? I think bad 1980's music video recreations is truly where I see my career heading. [Laughs]
Was there ever a time where you thought you could just become the next Internet sensation?
It's crossed my mind for sure, the luxurious life of a YouTube celebrity sounds quite tempting•not having call times, you don't have to worry about gaining weight with craft services. It's difficult to compete with the brilliant creations that are Smosh and SxePhil but my friends and I do our best. [Laughs]
Getting into seriousness, tell us a little bit about yourself. What made you want to start down the path of acting?
It's actually a funny story. I started when I was in elementary school back in Florida, I had a real knack for getting myself into trouble, being the class clown and begging for the room's attention at any possible moment. I tried getting into sports, baseball, swimming, etc. Though that didn't work. Actually I think it made things worse. [Laughs] So in trying to find a solution I was thrown into an acting class, got an agent and started working, which eventually led to coming out to L.A. with my mom and starting my life as a kid actor wannabe. The sad part is it still didn't help with me getting in trouble at school...
How did you find yourself in the role of Kit? Is there anything about the character that you found yourself able to relate to?
Well we both like cookie dough ice cream, long walks on the beach and saving the world. [Laughs] No, really, the character of Kit is similar to the way I actually am but he really is a character. Kit, like myself, will try and find the good in a bad situation, either with humor or determination.
Though we are quite different, he grew up with his father and works on bikes as a hobby. He had to grow up really fast when his father went missing and he was thrown into a foster home. When we meet him he's kind of a loner because he doesn't really have anyone in his life that cares about him. So I did a lot of studying on characters that are usually left in those situations, he's a little Jason Bourne with a dash of James Dean as Jim Stark and a handful of cliché super heroes dealing with something way above their heads.
How was it working with Matt (Len/Wing Knight)? Was there ever any doubt in the two of you having on-screen chemistry?
We constantly joked on set that our chemistry was a lot like Sean William Scott and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in The Rundown. I'm the funny action hero wannabe and he's the hard hitting silent guy full of kung-fu moves. We worked well from the start, with the screen test we were given cart blanche to just improve whatever we wanted. He just [got] into his Len mode and started talking about me not being ready for this and how I need training and I'm responding with things like, "What are you, a master of the Jedi arts?" Everyone loved what was going on and we haven't had a hiccup since, he's a great guy to work with.
After watching the teaser trailer that was released online and seeing the other Riders face off out of suit, I'm curious to know if you ever got a chance to do any stuntwork? If so, had you any experience beforehand?
I found out that I got the role and knowing that it's a show perfect for action junkies I kind of realized I had to get in shape and start some stunt training. I wanted to resemble the physique of Takamasa Suga, the lead of Kamen Rider Ryuki. Though the tough part was that I didn't have a lot of time between when I got the job and when we started filming, so that was pretty intense. I thought it would help with the stunt work, which turned out to be a LOT of running, rolling, slamming against cars and buildings. So most of the training I had done involved a lot of kicking and punching, trying to make it look natural on screen. Hopefully it paid off. [Laughs]
The fans will kill me if I don't ask this of you; Did you ever get to see any of the original Japanese version?
I did, actually, the day I found out I had the job I went online and ordered the series. I wanted to stay true to what they did with the original series but I also wanted to bring my take on the character, in the world that the Wangs were creating. There were a few scenes in the original series that I truly wanted them to put in our series because some of it is flat out fantastic.
How would you best sum up your feelings on your experience working on the show?
It was amazing, a little cliché to just say that but it's truly an unforgettable experience. It's so surreal to not only be a part of it but knowing that this is all just the beginning, it's a fantastic high.
So what's next on your plate in terms of projects? What do you want to accomplish as an actor?
I have a horror film called Maneater where I star alongside Dean Cain coming out sometime in February I believe. They're still in post so I won't find out for a while. I'm hoping to get into another movie around the beginning of the year. And as far as accomplishing things in my career, I want it to be along the lines of Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr. or Will Smith. They have all had really good long lasting careers, never selling out, making the right film choices. I'm not into the whole, "I want to be a teen celebrity! Even though I'll burn out in a few years" thing.
Any parting words to the fans that are reading this?
Enjoy the show. I demand it. The end.
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight airs Saturdays on the CW4Kids