Kiwi Power Ranger keen on NZ roots

James Davies.

Sweet as - New Zealand's first international TV superhero says his character should have a strong Kiwi identity.

North Shore actor James Davies will don a spandex lycra Power Ranger suit when shooting on the show's 10th season begins in Auckland later this year.

As the first Kiwi member of the superhero team, his skateboarding, chilled-out character will wear black. "There's no silver fern or anything, but yeah," the 25-year-old said.

The series, seen in more than 150 countries, features a group of teens who morph into superheroes to save the world from evil.

Davies said he was enthralled by the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie as a boy.

He approached the first audition with little expectation, and said things got tenser after several recalls. The production team couldn't resist having a bit of fun with Davies when they phoned him for what he thought was yet another reading. To his amazement, the script ended with a line asking him to open a nearby box - inside was a card reading "James Davies: Congratulations, you are the black Power Ranger".

Davies has since met fellow cast members in LA, visited the gym twice a day and learnt how to ride a skateboard. "I believe every Ranger has signature moves that they do, but I haven't learned them yet - my character, he's all about the skateboarding, he definitely gets a lot of his focus and his tricks from his skateboarding."

Davies understood a New Zealand scriptwriter was going to help work on his lines "just to make sure we keep the whole Kiwi style and flair going" but it remained to be seen whether he might get to inject some Kiwisms into the dialogue.