Tessa Rao

Last updated

Tessa Rao
Born (1998-02-20) 20 February 1998 (age 27)
Auckland, New Zealand
Occupation
  • Actress
Years active2017–present

Tessa Rao is a New Zealand actress. She is best known for playing Izzy Garcia in Power Rangers Dino Fury and Power Rangers Cosmic Fury [1] She is also known for playing Poppy Achari in the soap opera Shortland Street . [2]

Contents

Early life

Rao was born in Auckland. [3] She is a graduate of Trinity College London and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts . [4]

Career

Rao's biggest role of her career so far has been playing Izzy Garcia (The Green Ranger) in Power Rangers Dino Fury . [5] The character is known for being the first lesbian character in the Power Rangers franchise. [6] Rao was worried that she would have to cut her hair for the character. [7] She reprised her role in Power Rangers Cosmic Fury . [8] Rao was then cast in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street . [9]

Personal life

Rao has said that her mom is her hero for supporting her during the good times and the bad. She is a big fan of the sitcom Ted Lasso. Her perfect evening is going out for a nice dinner with a little bit of karaoke at the end. Her favourite food is Hash browns, specifically the ones from McDonalds [10]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017 Into the Rainbow Koia
2018Behind the CoverAvaShort
2019Moving DayDead VictimShort
2020ZozoMeganShort
2025 Project MKHEXE Ashleigh

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017Auckward LoveEvelineEpisode; Oh my god, we're back again
2021-2022 Power Rangers Dino Fury Izzy Garcia41 episodes
2023 Power Rangers Cosmic Fury Izzy Garcia10 episodes
2024 A Remarkable Place to Die GeorgiaEpisode; Out of the Blue
2025 Shortland Street Poppy Achari75 episodes

References

  1. "Tessa Rao: Portraying Izzy Garcia, The First Female Green and LGBTQ+ Power Ranger". bluescreenreveals. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  2. "Five things you need to know before Shortland Street returns". thespinoff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  3. "Tessa Rao". tessarao.com. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  4. "Portfolio". tessarao.com. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  5. "Power Rangers star responds to playing franchise's first LGBTQ+ Ranger". digitalspy. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  6. "Power Rangers star feels "honoured" to play series' first LGBTQ+ ranger". gaytimes. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  7. "Power Rangers' Tessa Rao Says Role's Queerness Is 'Powerful'". advocate. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  8. "It Took Power Rangers 30 Years To Use This Color For The First Time, And Now I'm Afraid We'll Never See It Again". screenrant. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  9. "Shortland Street unveils new cast photo with a twist for 2025". nowtolove.com. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  10. "Q&A with the Green Power Ranger Tessa Rao". nowtolove. Retrieved 13 August 2025.