Why Playing Ivan Ooze In Power Rangers Was A ‘Mental Challenge’ For Paul Freeman
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There are some actors who are so good at being bad that it nearly becomes their defining quality. Such an honorable reputation began for Paul Freeman in a most glorious fashion when he was cast as Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark - a tribute to classic serialized adventure films that instantly became a beloved classic itself in 1981. Forty years later, the arch nemesis of Indiana Jones remains the British actor’s most recognizable role, partially because he is almost completely unrecognizable as his other most iconic antagonist: Ivan Ooze.
In 1995, Paul Freeman was cast in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie as the titular young heroes’ most sinister enemy: Ivan Ooze. Having grown-up with the hit series about teenagers fighting otherworldly threats in colorful armor, I just could not resist the chance to bring up “the galactically feared, globally reviled, universally despised,” and purple, character while speaking to the actor about Raiders of the Lost Ark’s 40th anniversary.
When asked if he had more fun playing Ooze or Belloq, Freeman had this to say:
Despite what sounds like a taxing experience to endure, it is refreshing to learn that Paul Freeman still looks back on the experience of playing one of his most bizarre characters quite fondly these days. It is even more endearing to learn that he also enjoys the reputation he has earned from scaring children as Ivan Ooze - something I can also closely relate to.
From playing the cunning French fortune hunter Belloq in the first of the Indiana Jones movies and the Power Rangers’ (literally) slimiest adversary, Paul Freeman has the honor of being remembered as the definitive villain for more than one generation of children. This is not even including the other notable times he has gone bad, such as playing Moriarty opposite Michael Caine’s idiotic Sherlock Holmes and Ben Kingsley’s brilliant Watson in 1988’s twisted comic caper Without a Clue or in Hot Fuzz as a reverend with a few surprises up his sleeve in 2007. Who knows what role the actor, who also stars on the hit Amazon Prime original thriller Absentia, will play next that has people jumping out of their seats?
The 4K Ultra HD Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection, which includes Raiders of the Lost Ark, is now available.
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Jason Wiese writes feature stories for CinemaBlend. His occupation results from years dreaming of a filmmaking career, settling on a "professional film fan" career, studying journalism at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO (where he served as Culture Editor for its student-run print and online publications), and a brief stint of reviewing movies for fun. He would later continue that side-hustle of film criticism on TikTok (@wiesewisdom), where he posts videos on a semi-weekly basis. Look for his name in almost any article about Batman.