Acting and sketch comedy both lend themselves as something like an intrinsic derivative of performance. Legendary shows like SNL, Chapelle' show, and few in the like, can masterfully execute and package humor, wit, and controversy, while making it digestible for the masses.

The young actress, YouTuber, and star of Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy series, “All That”, Reece Caddell is pioneering a new comedic generation. Reece's extensive resume includes Reece starting at just five years old in HBO’s “Hello Ladies”. She has stayed busy working on ABC’s critically acclaimed comedy “Fresh Off The Boat”.

Aside from acting, Reece is involved in charities such as Compassion International, which helps raise kids out of poverty all over the world. When Reece turned ten years old, she organized what is now an annual donation drive for the Burbank Animal Shelter Kitten Fostering Program. Please read our exclusive interview below to learn more about Reece Caddell.

Where are you based?
I live in Los Angeles, and, more specifically right now, in my house, six feet away from the members of my family. :)

Having grown up in front of the camera, starting at just five years old in HBO’s “Hello Ladies”, how did you initially get interested in acting? Were there any specific actors/actresses that inspired you?
My two older sisters (Cam, 20, and Maddy, 17) are both actors, and I don’t remember thinking about wanting to be an actor at some specific point when I was little. I just saw what they were doing and wanted to be a part of it, at first. Before they acted professionally, they were always putting on little plays or making short films from as early as I can remember. I realized that if I paid attention to what they said, and if I was funny, they would let me keep hanging out with them and do whatever they were doing. So, for me, acting has always been about connecting with people — at first just my sisters. My mom says she remembers the time my sisters and I were doing a play in the living room when I was three or four, in front of an audience of various family members, and they busted up laughing at something I did in the play. I looked up like, ‘Oh! I did that!’ It’s a pretty amazing feeling for a kid to make grown-ups laugh.

You are very passionate about sketch comedy, whether it be through your YouTube content or Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy series, “All That”. Can you talk about the importance of comedy within your career and life?
I think a lot of kids are naturally comedians — especially if they’re the youngest in the family! Our house has always been a busy place, and the best way to get everyone’s attention is to say or do something funny. I have so many memories of laughing around the dinner table or someone shouting from the kitchen, ‘Hey-come see this funny video!’ and we would all gather around to watch it. My sisters and I are always doing funny bits and I think sketch comedy was a natural next step from that. Now, getting to perform with the fantastic ensemble cast on “All That” feels like a next step for me with comedy and acting.

I like doing drama too, but comedy will always have a special place in my heart. It is just the best feeling when we are performing at our live shows and you hear the audience respond with laughter to something we’re doing in a sketch. Comedy universally makes people feel better. And I like being part of that. :)

Congrats on “All That” being nominated for favorite TV show at the Kids Choice Awards (KCA). How does it feel? Why do you feel the series resonates with fans?
Thank you! It’s so cool that we got nominated for a KCA!! We’re only in our first season of the revival and we’re up against so many amazing shows. It’s kind of an out of body experience to be nominated alongside “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and huge fan favorites like “Henry Danger”.

I think “All That” resonates with fans because what happens in the sketches is like the best (or worst?) of the What if game… like, what if your gym coach could fly through a wall, or if sassy babies could talk, or if a home organizer really DESTROYED things in your house? It’s like thinking, ‘oh, they aren’t really going to… oh, yes they did.’ I think fans like knowing that it is always going to be ridiculous and hilarious, usually at the same time.

“All That”, originally a show from the 90’s, was influential in breaking stars like Kenan Thompson from Saturday Night Live. Do you ever go back and seek out classic series?
Yeah, I’ve watched a ton of sketches from the original series! I had only seen memes and the clips that are in pop culture before I auditioned for the show. The project was called, ‘Untitled Sketch Comedy Show’ and the audition notes said to refer to “All That” clips on YouTube for reference. I started watching them and just kept clicking to see the next one! And getting to work with some of the legacy cast like Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Lori Beth Denberg, Josh Server and Alisa Reyes has been super awesome. They are so talented and totally fearless about how to perform comedy.

Can you tell us a little bit about Compassion International, and your work with them?
My family has been supporting Compassion International for over a decade and I love what the organization does. They come alongside kids in communities around the world to help break the cycle of poverty. It’s an approach that involves supporting the children and their communities with education, health, and economic care and training. The organization really encourages being in contact with the kids being supported to let them know they are loved and seen, even by a family far across the world, so I get to write letters and gifts for birthdays and Christmas through Compassion. I really like that Compassion puts a face to the work of eliminating extreme poverty in this world. Otherwise, I think it would feel kinda hopeless.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Burbank Animal Shelter Kitten Fostering Program, and how you got involved organizing their donation drive at the young age of ten? Why is this cause important to you?
When I was littler and we were traveling back and forth a lot between Denver and LA, I really wanted a cat. Like, really really. But because we were traveling so much, it wasn’t a good time to get a new pet. So my mom would take me to the animal shelter to look at and pet the kitties. I wanted to volunteer (because you get to pet the kitties), but I was too young. The volunteer coordinator told me I could help by raising awareness and donations for the Kitten Fostering Program. So for my tenth birthday I asked people not to get me presents, but to please help me celebrate by picking something off the shelter’s wishlist. It made me so happy to help in that small way and I do it every year for my birthday now. It’s important to me because I love animals, and I hate to see them without the things they need. Sometimes people are overwhelmed by all the need in the world, so pets can feel like a manageable way to help. People would be surprised how far a small donation can go!

Is this how you got your cat, Oatmeal?
No, he was adopted from a kitty shelter in Colorado before we moved to LA. Luckily, he doesn’t mind all of our traveling and even moved to Japan with us!

What changes would you like to implement to improve the animal shelter system?
There are so many animals in the shelter system because we don’t spay or neuter our own pets and we don’t train our pets. This means there are too many animals and animals with behavior problems that end up in shelters.

If shelters had funding to provide more training for animals or resources for adoptive pet families, I think it would help lower the number of pets with behavior problems, and that would make it easier to find homes for them. You really see a difference with happy adoptions in places where they can do this! Right now with social isolating, I hear that lots of animal shelters have been emptied out — which is so great! But I wonder how many pets might return to shelters because the adoptive family doesn’t know what to do with problem behavior.

I would definitely stop euthanizing pets in shelters because of crowding, too. It’s so tragic — even though I know pet shelters don’t have enough resources to care for all the animals they have. I wish the shelters didn’t have to make such hard choices like that.

What fun things are you doing to stay positive during the shelter in place we are going through?
I didn’t mind it so much at first, but man, it’s definitely taking some getting used to as it continues! I’m staying busy with school and using the time to take some classes online. I’m taking tap dancing and hip hop from the studio I usually go to in person, and it’s cool to get to see my classmates. Thank goodness for Facetime calls and online games, too! I’ve been playing a lot of Animal Crossing with my castmates Kate Godfrey and Chinguun Sergelen. I love that game—it’s so cute and peaceful, haha!

Keeping to a routine is helping me feel like life is kinda normal, too. So, I get up and get dressed and plan my day every morning. I make sure to schedule time to draw, exercise, and arrange social time with my friends. And I hope to finish my school year early, so I’m working hard at that!

Are you planning to learn anything new?
I have recently started trying to paint with acrylics and it’s kinda cool to have time to spend on learning how to do that. There are SO many YouTube videos and online classes — I feel like I could learn pretty much anything right now!

What is your motto in life?
When my sisters and I would sign off on our YouTube channel, we would say, ‘Shine on!’ and I think that’s always been my motto. Life can be pretty hard sometimes and I think all of us have some responsibility to shine light into each other’s lives, doing what we can even in small ways to make the way a little brighter.

To learn more about Reece Caddell, please follow her via the below platform:
Instagram: @itsreececaddell

Photography by Russell Baer

Reece Caddell: The Next Generation of Comedy