BY Molly Willow
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

He took only one drama class at Bexley High School, but Tony Moras nonetheless moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career after graduating in 2002.

While attending a community college and then Loyola Marymount University -- where he earned a degree in theater-- Moras kept auditioning.

Six years and several small parts later, the 24-year-old will appear today as Richie and his alter ego, "Incisor," in Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, a children’s series on the CW.

The show, based on a Japanese series of the same name, features a complex mythology involving bad guys who come from another world through reflective surfaces and good guys who use decks of cards to fight them.

The target audience of 6- to 11-year-olds might best understand it, but Moras -- who has been making a living as a waiter -- is no less excited about his series debut. (He is expected to appear in three more Kamen Rider episodes.)

Moras spoke recently by phone about his acting pursuits.

Q: Would you explain the premise of the show?

A: I think the kids understand it more than we do, but I’ll give it a shot: It's really an evil-vs.-good TV show. There are the good Kamen Riders and the bad Kamen Riders. And the bad Kamen Riders are led by Gen. Xaviax.

Q: What do your friends and family think when they hear that description of it?

A: They think I'm on drugs. I just tell them I'm a preppy, snotty, bratty character on the show.

Q: When did you start auditioning for roles?

A: The first month I moved out here. I've always been really ambitious and not afraid to do anything, so I literally walked into an agency (when I was 18) and was like "Hey, guys, I want to be represented."

I found out later people don't do that; they do a bunch of submissions. But I'd recommend that.

Q: Have you been auditioning the whole time you’ve lived there?

A: I've been on 25 auditions in six years. It's very difficult until you get with one of these big-time agencies. These smaller agencies really send you out on massive auditions where everybody in town is auditioning for it. That's kind of like what happened with the Kamen Rider show.

The show took a little while to get up and running. They filmed 40 episodes before they aired anything. (The show premiered Jan. 3.)

Q: Where does a kids show rank on the scale of getting a job? How is this different from, say, CSI: Crime Scene investigation ?

A: They have different audiences, but they're (both) in the industry still. When my agent pitches me, he pitches me as "I'm in the industry on a network television show" but different in that the fans (will) be younger. So far it hasn't been that huge, but it's still getting me into doors of the industry.

Q: Overall, what was the experience on Kamen Rider like?

A: I learned the industry. I really learned the standard basics of network television and how it's made, just the work flow of a show, who . . . tells you it's time for lunch.

Q: Do you have any plans for 11:30 Saturday morning?

A: Par-ty!