Jason Lawrence Geiger, best known by his stage name Austin St John (born September 17, 1974) is an American actor, martial artist, entrepreneur and paramedic.
He is best known for playing Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (although he likes to joke that he's really number twenty-six if you add up all the previous Rangers from Super Sentai). We can thank a friend of his who saw an open casting call, looking for young people with martial arts abilities for a fledgling TV show titled Phantoms; despite Austin's indifference to the idea, said friend convinced him to do it by betting $20 that he'd book the role. Needless to say, Saban had a Red Ranger and Austin was down a few dollars.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was an instant hit, and Austin was a role model to children in over forty countries around the world. However, despite the international success and merchandise sales, the show was not a union project; meaning the production could get away with sixteen hour shoots six days a week, only one week off for Christmas, and extremely low pay for cast and crew (when it was still generating billions for Saban). When the possibility of a feature film came on the table, Austin, Walter Emanuel Jones and Thuy Trang started contract negotiations to make Power Rangers a union show and get better pay for everyone. The deal fell through, and the three walked off the set; leading to the show infamously using body doubles, stock footage and voiceovers done by soundalikes to write them out and replace them with three new Rangers.
After leaving Power Rangers, Austin instead became a paramedic and also served as a healthcare provider in the Middle East, as well as acting in a few shorts and indie films. He returned to the franchise with Power Rangers Zeo, Jason now becoming the Gold Ranger. He also appeared in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie alongside Mighty Morphin alumni Amy Jo Johnson, getting to play their characters briefly turning evil ("villains have all the fun"). He has also reprised his role as Jason in reunion episodes for Power Rangers Wild Force and Power Rangers Beast Morphers. Despite the physical resemblance, that's not actually him playing Jason's father in Power Rangers (2017) (it's David Denham).
He's also part of the website Fanward
(and its accompanying YouTube channel), along with Walter Jones and Peter Pan actor Jeremy Sumpter, in addition to his own personal online store (likewise with YouTube channel). In 2021, he also announced a comic book series titled 'Austin St John Redempt1on' (yes that's the correct spelling).
Tropes associated with his work:
- Actor-Shared Background: He taught martial arts classes in high school, just like Jason. As the youngest member of the original cast, he joked that he was the only one who was actually "a high school kid with attitude".
- The Cast Show Off: With a second degree black belt in Taekwondo and first degree black belts in Judo and Kenpo, you bet there are several Power Rangers episodes demonstrating these skills.
- Crack Defeat: He had minimal acting experience, and turned up for the audition because of a bet with a friend, even not realising that he was supposed to learn off the monologue he was given the day before. He ended up cast as The Leader of the Power Rangers.
- Creator's Favorite Episode: He says that his favourite episode is the original unaired pilot, because of the intensity of the fight scenes (that had to be edited down in the re-shot version). Within the main series, it's "Crystal of Nightmares".
- The Danza: He was playing Jason, which is his legal name, and in fact the character was called Victor and changed to Jason inspired by him.
- Dawson Casting: Less so than his fellow Rangers. He was 17 when he auditioned, and 18 when he filmed the first season. Due to his muscular physique, he looked much older. In fact, they told him he couldn't do shirtless scenes after a while, because his physique did not look like that of a typical high school student.
- Fake Shemp: When he, Thuy Trang and Walter Jones left Power Rangers, the show infamously relied on stock footage and soundalike voiceovers, reducing their unmorphed scenes and eventually sending them to a peace conference in Switzerland. He's the only one of the three to have returned to the franchise since.
- Friendship on the Set:
- He and Walter Jones became fast friends on set, with Walter as the more experienced actor helping him out in his scenes (and this was reflected in Zack and Jason's on-screen friendship). He was also very close with the late Thuy Trang, describing her as "like a sister to me", and filming a tribute on the 20th anniversary of her death.
- When he returned for Zeo, he became very friendly with Steve Cardenas, who ironically had been his replacement on the original series. He describes Steve as "lovely", and they've appeared on many panels together.
- He and Walter Jones became fast friends on set, with Walter as the more experienced actor helping him out in his scenes (and this was reflected in Zack and Jason's on-screen friendship). He was also very close with the late Thuy Trang, describing her as "like a sister to me", and filming a tribute
- Hostility on the Set: A well-documented feud between himself and Jason David Frank once led to a fan being arrested at Phoenix Comic Con for attempting to smuggle weapons in to attack the latter. While they were able to appear in reunion specials and publicity appearances together, they've notably avoided doing conventional panels together. Frank himself made a public statement after the incident about the need for safety at the conventions as well as putting to rest the stories of the feud (While he indicating either it was exaggerated or the two of them decided to bury it, it should be noted that a lot of it was actually incited by JDF, while Austin would generally deflect any inquiries into their feud. That said Austin never hesitated to admit the two never really got along.). On the latter's tragic suicide in 2022, Austin was among the first, if not the first to express his condolences, even saying "it's no secret we weren't beer drinking buddies". During such, he would admit that before his passing the two of them were amicable enough to be in the same room together comfortably and had actually successfully managed to reconcile without being friends.
- I Am Not Spock: He'll be forever known as Jason Lee Scott, the Red Ranger. But judging by his frequent convention appearances and general attitude towards fans, he doesn't appear to mind.
- Money, Dear Boy: He agreed to return for Power Rangers Zeo in exchange for a pay rise (likewise for the Turbo movie) because he was supporting his mother at the time.
- Mr. Fanservice: He spent many episodes in skintight clothes, sleeveless vests, tank tops or low-cut v-necks, as well as getting the odd Shirtless Scene; most memorably, an episode where he wins a martial arts contest completely shirtless.
- Pop-Culture Urban Legends: The 2000s saw persistent rumors that Austin was in a gay porn film, due to the resemblance between him and the performer (credited only as 'Brock').
- Stage Names: He goes by Austin St John because his father was involved in the military at the time of filming, and going by a stage name was deemed a safer way to protect the family from any potential backlash.
- Tom Hanks Syndrome: He has a role in the 2019 indie drama film A Walk With Grace.
- Wag the Director:
- He agreed to come back for Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie if he got to play Jason evil. They compromised by having Jason and Kimberly be brainwashed when they're sacrificed to Maligore, and revert after a fight scene.
- He pushed for the line in "Forever Red" where Jason says "you didn't think I'd let you do this without the original Red Ranger" to show the character with more "bite".
- What Could Have Been:
- Jason, Trini and Zack were slated to appear in The Movie (and according to Walter Jones, it was used as an ultimatum to try and keep them on board). There were also three movies planned.
- He, Walter Jones and Thuy Trang were meant to star in three movies together - Cyberstrike, Act of Courage and Children of Merlin. Thuy's untimely death in a car accident led to them all being scrapped.
- "Forever Red" was going to be a longer episode, and entire backstory for Jason was written; where he and Tommy fell out after Turbo, Jason "went punk" and they'd only reconcile during the episode. It was cut when Disney ordered the episode to stay at 22 minutes, but it explains why Jason arrives on a motorcycle and acts cockier than usual.
- Written-In Absence: He wasn't able to leave America to film in New Zealand for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, due to legal issues, so Jason only appears morphed and is among the three Rangers kidnapped.
