Today I'm here with Judith Hoag, who played April O'Neil in the original TMNT movie back in 1990. For me she is still the best April we had! But thats just me!
Hello Judith, welcome and thank you so much for this interview. I'm a lifelong fan and it's a big honor.

It’s my pleasure Rutger, I’m glad we can finally do this.

The first thing I'd like to know is how did you get the part of April O'Neil?

I auditioned for the part in New York City. I met with Steve Barron and it was a blast. At first I wasn’t able to do the film because I was shooting Cadillac Man with Robin Williams at the same time. But both productions were willing to accommodate my schedule and it all worked out.

Did you even knew who the TMNT were when you got the part and did you go and read the comics and watch the cartoons to get more into who April O'Neil is?

I knew nothing about the comic books and wasn’t sure about the project at all. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Hmmm. Very questionable. Robin Williams was an avid fan of the comics and so his enthusiasm about the project was encouraging. I learned more about Eastman & Laird’s work once we got to North Carolina and shooting started.

What was it like for you to mainly work with puppets and actors in rubber suits?

Strange and wonderful. I really felt for Josh, Michelan, David and Leif. Those suits were hot and really uncomfortable. They felt like they were suffocating. When the actors were physically present on set it was really easy but sometimes they couldn’t be there so I’d have to act to a paper plate with a smiley face drawn on it attached to a c-stand!
It required a lot of imagination. Splinter was AWESOME and I loved working with Kevin Clash. That puppet was amazing.

Yes, it was and is incredible animatronics work. It must have been nice to at least have some human counterparts like Elias Koteas and Jay Patterson?

Absolutely. I loved working with Elias so much. Sam Rockwell was in it too and we go way back.

I once read that you though the film lost its soul in the final cut. Were there any scenes you thought should not have been cut from the final release?

There was a more mystical through-line in the original script – (think Luke Skywalker and The Force). The Turtles were on a spiritual quest lead by their Master Splinter. It added dimension to the story and made it more appealing to people of all ages. But one of the producers called those parts “fluff” and said that “all the kids wanted to see was the fighting”.

I disagreed with him then and I disagree with him now. Kids are smart and they want a story to go along with the action. I have to say that while I love the devotion this movie has inspired in so many people of a certain age all over the world – I still have a hard time watching my work in the film. I was so inexperienced and green as an actor. I see all the mistakes and missed opportunities. I wish I knew then what I know now. But that’s the journey of the actor. It’s all about letting go.

There were rumours that the crew actually considered having you wear a yellow jumpsuit like the April in the cartoons. I like it that you had a yellow raincoat as a small hint, but was the jumpsuit ever produced before deciding not to use it?

The yellow jumpsuit was deemed too unflattering so it got scrubbed. I guess yellow isn’t my color!

Haha maybe not. So what was it like backstage for you? Do you have any cool memories about your time with the cast and crew?

It was a wonderful cast and crew. It was a very hard shoot. We worked 6 days a week for 6 or 7 weeks, sometimes 17 hours a day. First and second unit were shooting simultaneously almost the entire time. We were all exhausted. The puppeteers, Brian Henson and most of the actors would hit the beach every Saturday night at wrap. We’d rip off our clothes and hit the surf! Then it was time to unwind. Sunday was sleep all day and then back to work early Monday morning. The Henson Creature Shop on the lot was the place to hang out; there was a lot of crazy fun inside that building!

Did you do any stunts yourself, and did you actually go down a real sewer on the street scenes?

There wasn’t a lot of action for April really. We only used a stunt woman once when April was carried over the subway tracks in New York. I wish it had been me because that stuntwoman lifted her arm and put it around Raphael’s neck. A person who’s knocked out wouldn’t do that! That drove me crazy when I saw the movie – hello?! April is out cold! Pay attention people!!!
As you can see I’m a bit of a perfectionist...

I see. I should pay attention to that scene next time I watch it. Along your entire career, what has been your favourite role so far?

I’m on a show right now called “Big Love” on HBO and the reason that I’m enjoying it so much is that the writing is so good, the other actors are incredibly talented and I’ve gotten the opportunity to grow with the character. Cindy can’t stay out of her own way. She can be just awful but she doesn’t mean to be. It’s been tremendous fun! Mostly though, I just love the challenge that each role offers.

Back when I was about 12 I was so sad seeing another April in the second movie. Where you even asked to come back for TMNT II in the first place? And what did you think of Paige Turco's performance?

I’ve never seen the other movies so I couldn’t tell you. I know Paige is a talented actress so I’m sure her April was lovely. Each actor brings a whole different flavour to the character and I’m sure our April’s were vastly different.
I was asked back for TMNT2 but I wanted a few things changed. I wanted the “fluff” back in the script and I wanted conditions on the set to improve. I also wanted a raise. My team and I didn’t handle the negotiations as well as we could have and Golden Harvest got fed up and walked away. It was quite devastating at the time. But that’s what life is about – learn your lessons and move on! They came back to me for #3 but they were just fishing and not particularly serious.

Hmm to bad! The TMNT are now celebrating their 25th anniversary. Are you now or still a TMNT fan, and are your children fans now that they know their mom is April O'Neil?

My kids aren’t really fans – the movie isn’t their generation. My son dabbled briefly when he was little (he was a real action figure kinda guy). My kids have grown up with a mom who’s an actress and so for them it’s just mom’s job. They did enjoy visiting me on all of the Halloweentown movie sets because we had so many special effects and creatures. They loved going into the f/x trailer and seeing all of the prosthetics and masks and body parts.
I really enjoy and marvel at the staying power of this movie. The original one, in particular, seems to have resonated and been such a seminal experience for so many kids. I love that this movie is still so special to so many people.

It is. Last question and one of my favourite lines on the movie, are you still behind on your Sony payments?

Nope. I’m all paid up – I learned my lesson!

Thank you for this interview and I hope to see you soon in another new movie.

You’re welcome Rutger, Sorry it took so long getting to this. I hope it was worth it!