Reece Caddell makes audiences laugh as part of Nickelodeon‘s All That revival, and recently connected with me to talk about why audiences have embraced this reboot of the classic 90’s sketch comedy series. Plus, what does it mean to be a Nickelodeon star, and be associated with such a long legacy of popular kids’ TV?
She also dished on her most interesting scene in her career (which will take you by surprise) and the series that she’s watching, both now and when she was growing up. Get to know more about Reece in our interview!
Brittany Frederick: The All That reboot has been a success in a way that many other reboots and revivals haven’t. Why do you think fans have connected with the show?
Reece Caddell: I think it’s because everyone loves a good comedy! And, of course, having a built-in fan has helped with people knowing what the show is about, too. Part of what makes it so popular is that families get to watch it together. I love watching it with my family; parents get to share a sense of nostalgia with their kids and laugh together. There aren’t any other sketch comedy shows for kids right now, and it’s not often comedy is appropriate for kids and super funny for [both] kids and parents. I think my dad laughs the hardest when we’re watching it. It’s just the right amount of crazy silliness.
BF: Nickelodeon is one of the biggest kids’ entertainment brands, right up there with Disney. What does it mean to you to be part of the Nickelodeon world?
RC: It means I get slimed a lot. (laughs) When we all started on the show, we kept asking if we’d get to be slimed. People at the network and the crew kept assuring us we would, not to worry. To date, I’ve been slimed three times, and been doused with so many equally messy things—from ketchup to salad dressing.
But it also means getting to be part of a company that brings really original and diverse shows to kids! I love that Nick pushes the envelope a bit and that they are intentional about having shows that reflect the diversity of their audience. And they honor some of the classics in kid and teen comedy, like fart jokes. Everyone loves a fart joke.
BF: Were you a Nickelodeon fan before you were a Nickelodeon actress? Did you have favorite Nick shows growing up?
RC: I love Avatar: The Last Airbender! I used to watch it all the time during the summers with my cousins and sisters. It was a family favorite, and it’s one of the kids’ shows that we could all watch because of our age differences and still all find it really funny. I have also spent many, many, many hours waiting for Dora the Explorer to answer her own questions. I loved that show.
Read More: All That actress Aria Brooks uses Instagram to promote great stories in black history
BF: Speaking of your family, acting runs in it; your sisters are also actors. Is that where you got your interest in acting from, or did it develop elsewhere?
RC: I don’t think anyone in our family thought we’d all be actors. My parents aren’t; my dad is an engineer and my mom is a writer). It all started before I was born, when my oldest sister, Cameron, started doing short films and commercials where we lived in Denver. We eventually came out to Los Angeles from Denver to meet an agent and manager who were interested in her when I was about three months old.
I didn’t get started until I was five, but I definitely had the benefit of the years of work my sisters put in and all the learning they and my parents had to do. My sisters were always making up plays and movies and eventually a YouTube channel and so I literally cannot remember a time I wasn’t on or around a camera growing up. We finally moved out to LA when I was seven, and it was a perfect age for me to really get going as a professional actor.
BF: Do you share advice or otherwise collaborate when it comes to your careers? Or do you keep family separate from the work?
RC: We do! We’re all super close and we help each other out all the time. Cameron coaches me for a lot of things still and we all help each other film audition tapes. I just helped Maddy, my middle sister, tape an audition she had yesterday. Fun fact: Maddy coached me and helped me tape the All That audition. We would love to all get to work on more stuff together in the future!
BF: What’s the most fun or interesting thing that’s happened to you so far in your career?
RC: Probably one of the most interesting things I’ve gotten to do was my first death scene. I was nine or ten, and working on the new Heathers show [for] Paramount Network. I wasn’t sure how to do it (I mean, obviously), but there was a fantastic director, Leslye Headland, and she talked me through it step-by-step. I was so taken care of by the hair and makeup team in-between takes, and even the special effects guy made it this safe space for me. It was probably the first time I really understood how some of the different departments worked! Filming that episode is still one of my favorite memories as an actor.
One of my other very favorite memories is from this past year, when the All That cast got to go to New York and do a press tour. It was before the reboot had aired; we hadn’t been announced as the new cast, and we were all just so excited and giddy! That trip is one of my favorite memories with my castmates.
BF: What TV shows are you watching now or would say are your favorites? What’s on Reece Caddell’s watchlist?
RC: The Powerpuff Girls (loved watching this with my sisters), Phineas and Ferb (classic family favorite), Ponyo (I watched it a million times, but by myself as no one else would watch it with me after the first or second time), Gilmore Girls (another family favorite; I’ve watched the whole series twice)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (love the comedy on this), All That (of course; love watching this and hearing my family laugh at all the right parts!), the recent Spider-Man movies Homecoming or Into the Spider-Verse (you have a naive super hero, funny one-liners, and epic storytelling; what’s not to love?), [and] The Office (watching this with my sister Maddy right now, and the comedic tension is just perfect!)
Article content is (c)2020-2023 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram.
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