Kel Mitchell [Interview]

Growing up in the 90’s, it would have been damn near impossible not to know this talented, now grown, kid.  Kel Mitchell and his buddy Kennan were the tag team to rule them all during their time as the duo known simply as Kenan & Kel.  What was simply one act on the hit variety show All That would spawn into the children’s classic film Good Burger (we ALL remember the infamous “Welcome to Good Burger” specch, right?), And even a television show that was one of the finest shows for young adults in history.

And as you would expect, the duo has been hard at work even when they became grown ups and were allowed to occasionally drop a curse word here and there.  Kenan went on to SNL, and Kel has done films like Mystery Men and The Adventures of Rocky  Bullwinkle.  He has also championed the act of voice over work, providing voices for hit programs like Clifford The Big Red Dog and Motor City.  All of this in addition to getting behind the camera, writing and directing some of his own work.  He is an extremely busy man with some wonderful credits to his name.  So, we were fortunate enough to be able to steal a few minutes of his time to drop a few questions in his lap.  So here we go!

What was the inspiration behind the hilarious film you wrote and produced, Dance Fu? Are you into Kung Fu yourself?

Yes I am so into Kung fu. I love kung fu movies and dance movies so I thought it would be a great idea to put the two together , so I came up with the story of a guy that can only dance when music is playing.

You became a regular cast member on All That when you were just a young teenager. What was it like during this time? Was it hard handling a work and school schedule at the same time?

We had “On Location Education”. It was a program for kids in entertainment. We had a trailer behind the studio that was our school house. We would go to school early in the morning and in between filming on set. I still stayed enrolled at my high school in my hometown. My teachers would send my work to my tutors on set so I could continue the same work my class was doing.

How do you enjoy voice work for animated projects? Is it pretty impressive to your own children and are they fans of Clifford, Motorcity, or any other programs you have been involved with?

 Voice over work is awesome! I am a huge fan of cartoons, graphic novels and anime. It’s great to see what the animators do with our voices! My kids enjoy it!

What is the most hilarious thing that has happened to you during the filming process since you began your career as an actor?

Can’t pick just one so many hilarious things but one that sticks out is when Kenan and I played Mavis and Clavis, The two old guy characters from All That We took a studio golf cart for a joy ride through Universal studios in full old man make up and wardrobe, we got in trouble with Studio security but we stayed in character the whole time so they thought it was just two old man that decided to take the golf cart for a joy ride.

If you weren’t involved in the world of film and television, what do you think you would be doing?

I would probably have an art gallery with my paintings. I like art and have been into it since I was kid. I went to a vocational high school and majored in commercial arts. The art gallery would also double as a juice bar, custom shoe store and have a DJ playing Dubstep and K-pop. Yep I am a K-pop fan as well. Awwwww I can see it now.

If you could portray any TV dad from the back in the day, who would it be? Why?

George Jefferson played by Sherman Hemsley. He was never afraid to speak his mind and he owned over five stores in New York City and he moved his family on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky. Plus that show had one of the greatest theme songs in sitcom history.

Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming film First Impression? What can we expect to see you doing?

It’s about a couple that find out they were more honest when they interacted with each other on a internet dating site because when they meet each other in person they try too hard to impress one another by using lies. I play a well known bestselling author that gives them some good advice.

What else does the future hold for Kel Mitchell?

More writing and directing. I got some great films coming out that I have written and will be directing.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I’m sure it was something my wife said. She always makes me smile.