Chance Perez: Javi Garcia’s Journey as the Black Ranger in Power Rangers Dino Fury and Cosmic Fury

As the Black Ranger in Power Rangers Dino Fury and Cosmic Fury, the journey of Javi Garcia is defined by a strong bond with his sister Izzy and a contrastingly tense relationship with his father, which shaped his self-discovery that was ultimately unlocked by music–connecting him to the Morphin Grid in a special way. For Chance Perez, portraying a Power Ranger was his childhood dream come true, confessing that seeing side-by-side photos of his younger self wearing a Time Force Red Ranger Halloween costume and a more recent one as the Cosmic Fury Black Ranger felt like a true full circle moment.

The audition came as a surprise for Perez, who up until that moment was focused on his music career as a member of the American boy band In Real Life and had no prior acting experience. “I felt like I knew what Power Rangers was about at its core already because I had grown up with it. When I did my first tape, I just thought back to what I watched as a kid and tried my best to portray that high energy, impactful emotion that was part of Power Rangers acting. I already knew what I was doing to a degree, and then once I got the job, I found out I had a lot to learn!” One thing led to another, and after a few callbacks later, Chance Perez got the role of a lifetime, packed up to embark on a long journey to New Zealand and began production for Power Rangers Dino Fury.

Javi’s passion for music is the key part of his characterization–channeling his creativity and embodying a true conduit for his powers. Given his own background as a musician, Chance Perez revealed that “when I first started portraying Javi, I tried to keep myself and him separate, but as more time went on, I realized that we’re almost the same person. It was really cool to connect with him in that way and realize the more of myself that I gave to the character, the more comfortable I got on screen, and that showed in my acting as time went on, especially in Cosmic Fury.” Although he didn’t have the opportunity to write the songs he performed in both series, when it came to musicianship and learning the various instruments Javi experimented with, Perez requested to get lessons for each one: “Coming into it, I knew how to play guitar, I could play ukulele, I could sing–I had rhythm, but I didn’t know how to drum, how to play bass, and I’d never played keytar before. All these things about him, I had to learn on the fly, which was really challenging and also really exciting for me as a musician. We got to learn together, Javi and I.”

The father-son relationship between Warden Garcia and Javi added a really grounded emotional level to the story–a father who for the longest time doesn’t recognize his son’s life choices and true potential until his son finally decides to speak up for himself. Perez shared that working with Blair Strang was special, and that his joyous energy made him feel comfortable and cared for on set. “I grew up with my father passing away when I was eight, so I didn’t have him around in my preteen, teenage, and adult life. Getting to work with a father figure on screen was a mix of emotions … It was a little daunting because I had never had that figure in my life. It was exciting and fun, just because of Blair and how great he is.”

He added, “For the more serious moments, we made it a point to read the script back and forth to each other and find those genuine heart ties to the scenes for each of us. He has a son of his own, so he put those emotions into the scene with me. For me, I wanted my dad growing up and so for Javi, he wants his dad to see him … it’s a similar feeling. We really did our best to bring our hearts into every moment and if it didn’t feel right, we would do it again.” When the father finally sees his son, he sets aside his pride and finally accepts and supports Javi in a way that feels wholehearted and genuine: “Warden Garcia having the humility to recognize what his son’s trying to do and respect it and let him be him is huge, but it means so much more that he expressed it to Javi. Some parents may think that, but they don’t talk to their kids about it, and they never know … if your kids don’t know that you are approving and rooting for them, then they feel closed out. So that moment of humility, that shared connection between them is so important,” Perez explained.

Izzy Garcia, Javi’s sister, is a pillar of his life–the two are always looking out for each other. This sibling dynamic came natural, Perez admitted, the two actors instantly connecting on set through fun and music. “Tessa [Rao] is a joy. She is one of the greatest and most passionate people I’ve ever met. She puts this great energy with everyone around. I miss her dearly. She’s in New Zealand, so I don’t get to see her very often, but she will always have a very special place in my heart,” he said, also reminiscing about their singing duets between takes, which may or may not have exasperated the crew from time to time!

In Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, Javi Garcia has a really powerful moment of sacrifice–risking his life to summon the legendary Cosmic Fury Zords by activating the Altar of Zordnia, ultimately resulting in the loss of his right arm. Perez emphasized that this was the perfect example of Javi’s big heart and bravery, and that “he doesn’t always think about the consequences; he just instinctively knows the right thing to do. I feel like we have that in common sometimes.” This scene was not only a turning point for the character, but an important responsibility of disability representation for a younger audience. “Coming back after a year and a half of not filming and having that be the first scene was kind of daunting. I tried to play it as presently as possible and to react as anyone I think would, in shock. While there was a lot of heavy weighted emotion, there was also an importance to bring this sense of hope with it too … even though this is really hard, life is not over. Life is different, maybe, but you can always keep trying and do your best, no matter what life throws at you,” Chance Perez shared.

Carrying that sense of hope was Javi’s final stage performance with May the Power Protect You, a really special way to close out this chapter of Power Rangers. Perez described the experience as uplifting and pressure-free–particularly special since he was able to share it with his daughter and family who were present in the crowd: “It felt like a concert! It’s such a great song, and I think the audience felt that too … you could tell that they genuinely liked it, so that made it even more exciting!”

Looking back now, Chance Perez opened up about what Javi Garcia means to him personally and what he’s taken from the character into his own life: “To be honest, I look at Javi with such fondness … I think he’ll always be a part of me. I think about him, and I feel some sort of peace, this sense of realization that I am part of the Power Rangers franchise and how much that means to me. I always think about the kids who come up to me and say, ‘You’re my favorite Ranger!’ I hope one day—twenty years from now—they come back and tell me, ‘I watched you growing up, and that meant the world to me.’ Because honestly, I would’ve loved the chance to talk to my favorite Rangers when I was a kid. The fact that I’ve been able to connect with them now as an adult … man, I just want to be that for some kid one day.”

If you want to learn more about Chance Perez’s lifestyle and new projects, then make sure to follow him on Instagram. All episodes of Power Rangers Dino Fury and Cosmic Fury are streaming on Netflix!