Since his Nickelodeon days on “Kenan and Kel” and “Good Burger,” actor, comedian and director Kel Mitchell has been incredibly busy. Mitchell is visiting OU this weekend to give students a taste of his infectious humor. The Union Programming Board is bringing Mitchell to campus at 7 p.m. Friday in Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Meacham Auditorium.
I caught Mitchell for a brief phone call to ask him about his work since “Kenan and Kel,” and whether or not people still ask him about the infamous orange soda.
Q: What has been your favorite project since “Kenan and Kel?”
A: I don’t know. I mean, “Mystery Men” was a lot of fun to work on with Ben Stiller. That was a lot of fun. Also, “Honeydripper,” that’s another dramatic film that I did with John Sayles, who was a great director. I’ve liked doing every project that I’ve worked on. Every project that I do is different, I mean “Honeydripper” was a drama, but I also do a lot of different films. I also direct now, so I mean, I love it all.
Q: Do people still recognize you from the Nickelodeon show and ask you if you like orange soda?
A: Yeah, all the time. It’s actually funny, like if I go to a restaurant, it doesn’t matter what type of restaurant, it can be five stars or whatever, the waiter, at some point, if I don’t order orange soda will crack up and say, ‘Oh you’re not going to get orange soda?’ Yeah, it’s pretty funny, but I’m not one of those actors that get upset about it. It think it’s fun.
Q: We’re all college students, so we grew up with “Kenan and Kel.” So when you do a comedy show, do you still talk about your experience on that show?
A: Oh definitely, it depends on what type of show it is, you know the audience or demographic. I mean, of course you want to hear about that for the nostalgia, so I definitely put a lot of that in there. You know, and current things as well — pop culture stuff. So just be prepared to have a good time. It’s a lot of fun. I think everyone will really enjoy it.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a comedian?
A: I enjoy making people laugh and putting a smile on their face.
Q: What can people expect from your show?
A: I’m pretty high energy. I want to keep it more of a surprise, though, so all I have to say is get ready to have a lot of fun.
Q: Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to preview for us?
A: Yeah, definitely. I will be on “Liv and Maddie” this weekend. It’s on Disney. It’s pretty funny. On the episode, actually, I play this hip-hop dance instructor named Q-Pop.
So yeah I’m still working in all kinds of different areas.
Q: Do you have any advice for any aspiring actors or comedians?
A: I would definitely say, you know, keep God on your side. It takes a lot of prayer and faith. And then the other thing is I would definitely say enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, then it’s going to be all over your face and everybody’s going to see it. So definitely enjoy what you do, and never stop. Always have a positive attitude and train. Learn as much as possible. Never feel like you’ve learned it all.
