Teenage Ninja to Mutant Turtle: Becoming the Reel Raphael

by Kenn Scott

Being a Ninja Turtle can be hell...

Just ask Kenn Scott, who portrayed Raphael in the original hit films of the 1990s!

Sucking on oxygen tanks between takes, sweating out 10 pounds a day, and having a near-death experience doesn't sound like a Hollywood dream, but for Kenn Scott, it was everything he hoped for...and more!

Ever since he was a kid, Kenn dreamed of being a Hollywood action hero! He took acting lessons, studied karate, and figured out a plan to sneak into a movie studio to get his big break. The hard work paid off and Kenn found himself in a green rubber suit, kicking ass as Raphael the Ninja Turtle, in the most successful independent film of the time.

With a relentless production schedule, grueling working conditions, and breakdowns in the state-of-the-art animatronics used to animate the turtle heads, making the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films was no walk in the park. Performers suffered injuries, illness, and exhaustion to meet the demanding needs of the production.

Now, in this candid book, Kenn shares entertaining, educational, and humorous stories of the blood, sweat, tears, and laughs shared by him and a crew of dedicated artists, as they brought some of the world’s most beloved comic book characters to life on the silver screen.

See what life was like behind the shell.

BUY IT TODAY!

Bonus - 10% of ALL proceeds from this book go to the SEA TURTLE CONSERVANCY!

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2019

Reviews

[Jacob Unruh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and fun read. For someone who grew up obsessed with TMNT, this was a delight to learn more behind-the-scenes information.

Kenn’s wild journey to Raphael was full of fun, short stories that made this a good read.

[Ryan Permison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t remember if I’ve read other auto biographies before this but I love this book. Whether you grew up reading the comics or watching the movies, this has tons of great stories about the making of the first 2 TMNT movies of the 90s. This is a great page turner from beginning to end. Kenn Scott makes an incredible debut here. I learned so much about the creators of the comics to the cast and crew of the movies. Look forward to reading Scott’s next book.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun read. I highly recommend for anyone that loves the first 2 TMNT movies and TMNT in general.

[Ashley Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! As a person who was a kid when TMNT 1990 came out, this was an excellent look behind the scenes! The Turtles will always be MY heroes! Turtle Power!

This is an excellent story that I am happy I got to read about. I’ll always be a huge fan.

[KJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an unexpected pleasure!

On a whim I typed up "teenage mutant ninja turtles" onto audible, not really expecting anything when I saw this. Intrigued, I added it to my wishlist and went on with my day. Then on a whim I restarted my membership and used my credit on this and boy am I glad I did!

The narration was perfect, endearing and hilarious! I was so sucked into the storytelling that I couldn't put it down and finished it the day I picked it up.

Great insite into the makings of the tmnt movies and just interesting to see how it all lead up to it for him. I was definitely rooting for Kenn in his achievements, even though I knew where it would lead, I was just that invested! (Even audibly cheering when he got the role in Secret of the Ooze haha)

I'm so glad I read this and would highly reccomend the audio, perfect all round.

[Oli Turner]

#teenageninjatomutantturtle #becomingthereelraphael by #kennscott A brief autobiographical account of the making of the first two #tmnt films. Describing his experience as a young martial artist breaking into films, stunt performance and acting. Highly energetic and full of enthusiasm. Open and endearing. Full of interesting anecdotes about two of my favourite childhood films. Although recollections will no doubt vary it was still an engaging tale well told.

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

This is a book about the man who played Raphael in the original TMNT movies. You get a lot of behind the scenes information and stories. I really enjoyed the book. Ken came off as very likeable.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read, especially if you grew up, like a lot of us did, wanting to be an action hero on TV. The author provides a glimpse of the fun and seriousness of a life spent chasing that dream. I really enjoyed the way it's written - like he sat down with you to chat.

[Digitalforward . · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent written book! As a turtles fan a must Read!

[Bradley Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a lifelong TMNT fan, this was a must read for me. To be brutally honest, I didn’t read this for the writing but the nostalgia. The author does a great job bringing the behind the scenes information to life, and really opened my eyes to what it was like to be on the set of one of my favorite childhood movies. My favorite parts are him describing the scenes he’s in on the big screen - and I may have finished the book and immediately made my wife watch the movie with me so I could point out all the times he was on screen!

[Michele Ivey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The behind the scenes on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies is one of my favorite all time topics. I was buying the magazines as they were being released to read every story of how the costumes were made, who wore the costumes, the other actors in the film, the set design and so much more. I would carry these books around with me everywhere from 1990 till I graduated from high school in 1997. I admired the work they did on those films and admit it was my dream job to wear those heavy costumes for a living.

I always felt there was so much more that we could always learned about these movies. When I started my own video blog on YouTube I was lucky enough to talk to many of these very talented folks and interview them asking questions about their times working on the movies. Though even with that, it's still never enough as more stories are hidden behind every door... as I encourage others to interview them to help open more of those stories up as we all ask different questions.

Shock came to me when Kenn Scott first told me that he was doing a book. When I read it, my jaw dropped as page by page I learned more than I ever thought I could about how the movies were done. How his adventure in becoming part of those films truly played out. Each paragraph, page, and chapter held me on the edge of my seat. It's his story to share, and for anyone who really wants to know about the making of the TMNT movies, or how someone really broke into the industry this is a book to read! And how he's read it so you can listen on Audible!

I HIGHLY recommend this book! I carry around with me, and tell most TMNT fans I meet who love the original movie that they can't miss out on the stories by one of the actors from the film. This is the best insight one can have on the set. Followed by the "Behind the Shells" video made for Showtime and later released on video, and the TMNT issue of "Black Belt Magazine" from 1991. Those show how things are done. But this book doesn't just show, it brings you on the adventure. Making it my favorite behind the scenes material for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Secret of the Ooze 1991!