Kenn Scott: Embodying Raphael in 90s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been a pop culture phenomenon since its inception in comic book format in 1984. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created a formula that went against norms–quickly gaining momentum as the turtles expanded their reach in all mediums. The animated series and toy line were so incredibly successful that their fortune led way to one of the greatest live-action adaptations of all time. The first two 1990s films were only possible because of the superlative forces that came together, from the legendary Hong Kong production company Golden Harvest to the magic of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop that, along with the rest of the cast and crew, made these films stand the test of time. Arguably the key to this momentous task was making the ninja turtles feel as real as they could possibly be … without this, the films would have never worked, and in fact they never quite did in subsequent iterations. Sharing his insider story is Kenn Scott (credited as Kenn Troum in the films), who began his journey as a member of the Foot Clan and ultimately embodying Raphael–from action to acting turtle.

Call it fate, but pizza was a key factor in Kenn Scott’s journey to becoming a ninja turtle. One day, the young aspiring actor decided to sneak into the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) studios in Wilmington, North Carolina as a Domino’s pizza delivery guy. He recalled, “I got scared. I didn’t think I was going to make it. They let me in and I drove to the back lot, and just by coincidence, they were shooting a big action sequence … there were stuntmen and car chases and guns going off, and I was just in heaven! I covered up my pizza delivery uniform with my jacket, and I just sat in the back.” His eagerness to make it into the movies led him to make connections with stunt performers and eventually casting directors who were looking for local martial artists for a secret project: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Although Scott admitted that at the time he wasn’t very familiar with the intellectual property, this was his chance to fulfill his childhood dream to become an action hero. “I got hired as what they call a special ability extra based on my karate skills. It was the best thing that ever happened to me … my first official job out of college was being a ninja,” he said with enthusiasm.

As soon as he got in, Kenn Scott kept working hard to make himself stand out within Pat E. Johnson’s team, performing more and more challenging stunts, eventually becoming the “premiere” Foot Soldier, featured in some of the most iconic scenes in the film, including the nunchuck showdown with Michelangelo and even saying the line, “Bicentos, now!” during the ambush at April O’Neil’s apartment which earned him the Screen Actors Guild card–one step closer to becoming an action hero. The big break came after the originally casted stunt performer who was behind Raphael injured his nose after the scene where he meets Casey Jones’ cricket bat and lands in a trash can: “I went to the [Jim Henson’s] Creature Shop where they fit me into Raphael’s suit (they had to get parts from other turtles to make it all work). Ultimately, they stuck a head on me and said, ‘You’re the new Raphael.’ From that moment, my whole life changed.” Scott described his first scene as Raphael exhilarating, performing his first-ever car stunt in Manhattan rolling over the hood of the taxi as he’s running after Casey Jones: “I was really nervous because I couldn’t see, and if I missed the mark, the cab might hit me head on. We were introducing a 3000 pound vehicle into a collision course with me [laughs]!”

Raph’s fight scene where he retrieved his sai and rescued April once again from the Foot Clan in the subway was the perfect way to showcase the character’s fierce personality while setting the dark tone of the film. “Pat came to me and he said, ‘You need to show that Raphael is brutal and just wants to kick ass.’ We created this short, brutal fight scene with a double jumping front kick, a tornado kick and an elbow smash not only to get the job done, but encompass the spirit of Raphael as well,” Scott said. Raphael’s character development through physicality was further explored in the rooftop scene where the turtle is ultimately cornered by a horde of Foot Soldiers, which was shot both in New York and North Carolina. “The director, Steve Barron, asked me to capture Raphael’s anger through some martial arts and acrobatics as he worked his frustrations out. It was a combination of working with [acting turtle] Josh Pais, Pat and the director to really showcase that moment,” Scott shared.

Lo and behold, Kenn Scott’s strong performance in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles promoted him from 2nd to 1st unit, where he joined the other turtles as the new “acting” Raphael in its sequel, The Secret of Ooze, replacing Josh Pais. The actor admitted that, while exhilarating, the new role was taxing to say the least–the 65-pound rubber suit and the lack of oxygen the most difficult to overcome. However, creating Raphael’s physicality by working closely with the Jim Henson’s puppeteering team kept him focused as each movement had to be cohesively orchestrated for each turtle scene. “Imagine trying to dance a ballet while wearing a deep sea diving outfit. You’ve got this giant space helmet with 27 different electric motors constantly whirring and buzzing around you. The only way to see was out of two little slits directly underneath the bandanna of the turtle. And you couldn’t breathe because the rubber mouth was in front of you, so there was a lot of carbon dioxide. You’re in a sensory deprivation suit.” Scott then revealed that communication was key–a multichannel sound system allowed him to receive instructions from his puppeteer, David Greenaway while also being able to listen to the rest of the team: “We spent two weeks in London working with our puppeteers, doing things like playing charades or comedy improv amongst the turtles. We had to develop this intuitive sense of oneness so that the body, the face, and everything else were working together.”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of Ooze have left the mark on a generation of kids. Kenn Scott confessed that touring around comic cons and meeting fans has fortified his appreciation for his movie making experience: “Over the course of the films I got to run the gamut of performance. From bad guy to good guy action, to good guy actor, it was great. I was very blessed to be able to do all that.” If you want to learn more about TMNT behind-the-scenes, then make sure to pick up Scott’s book, Teenage Ninja to Mutant Turtle: Becoming the Reel Raphael, also available in audiobook format!