Nickelodeon’s new version of the legendary sketch comedy series, All That, returns June 15 at 8:30 p.m. The new All That will feature a brand-new cast that includes Ryan Alessi, Reece Caddell, Kate Godfrey, Gabrielle Green, Nathan Janak, Lex Lumpkin, and Chinguun Sergelen. The premiere will feature appearances by original cast members Kel Mitchell, Lori Beth Denberg, and Josh Server. All That is also executive produced by original cast member Kenan Thompson. The Jonas Brothers will be performing their song “Sucker” during the premiere.
The reboot is perfect for fans of the original show who love nostalgia, as well as the new generation. HollywoodLife sat down EXCLUSIVELY with the new cast members to talk about all things All That. The young actors revealed their adorable reactions after they learned they had been cast in the reboot. They also opened up about how much they love working together as well as what it’s been like getting to know some of the original cast members. See the full Q&A below.
What was your reaction when you got the call that you were cast on the new All That?
Kate Godfrey: I think we all had the same reaction which was excited and happy. I cried. I was so happy. No words. It was amazing.
Nathan Janak: I cried as well and Chinguun can vouch for me that I was literally bawling because when I found out I was on the side of the street. We just got out of the test, the final stage of the audition, and so I got the call 20 minutes after that. We were still getting an Uber to go back home and I was just crying so badly.
Chinguun Sergelen: I was at The Grove when I got the call and I was running around the waterfalls that they had. I was crying, as was Nathan.
Reece Caddell: When I first got the call, I was actually getting off of a plane because I didn’t live in Los Angeles at the time. We got off and my agent manager said, “Hey, maybe you guys should’ve stayed.” That’s when I found out. We just kind of stood there for a minute and dropped to the ground because we were just bawling and all the people were like, “Are they okay?”
Gabrielle Green: When I got the call I was very, very sick. I was sweating. I had a very bad headache, I remember, but I was home with my aunt. My mom called and she conferenced me in with my agent and manager and my agent goes, “Hey, I know you’re sick, but you know what the best cure for a cold is?” I was like, “What?” My agent said, “You booked All That.” The headache and everything, the sweat, was just gone. I got up and I just started running around the room and then the call dropped and I was so upset. I kept calling my mom back saying, “Conference me back in, conference me back in.” But she handled it.
Ryan Alessi: My story is not as interesting as their story, but I was driving out of a Best Buy. My mom was there and our manager told us that she wouldn’t call us. She’d only call us if she had any news about the show and her number was on my mom’s phone. So my manager, my agent, and I are on a three-way call and they said, “Guess what? You booked All That.” My mom and I went absolutely crazy.
Lex Lumpkin: When I got the call, I was out front of a commercial audition and I was super happy. I was in shock didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure if they had gotten the information right. When I got the role I was super happy, super excited, and pumped.
It’s been a long time since the ’90s when we first saw All That. With this new cast and reboot, is it different from the original show or does the heart of the show stay the same?
Lex Lumpkin: I feel that the new reboot still stays true to the original, but it’s more modernized with new kids and it still brings back some of the old sketches and the original cast.
Nathan Janak: It’s the same old All That with a brand-new cast. It’s classic sketches, the same type of comedy, with an all-new cast and maybe some even old cast members, too.
What was it like for you all to work with some of the original All That cast members?
Gabrielle Green: Just getting to work with them is such an honor. They constantly are making sure we’re comfortable with everything and making sure we understand everything. They’re just like our big brothers and sisters and second parents. It’s so amazing. Getting to go to work every day, you can’t be sad with Kel Mitchell in the room because he’s always like, “Hey guys, what’s up?” So if you’re having a bad day, Kel’s the guy to call for sure. He’s always giving us advice and always reminding us that this show is not what makes you special. You were born special.
Kate Godfrey: They’re just so supportive. Since they were in our same shoes in the ’90s, they know what it’s like and they’re giving us a bunch of advice. It’s very helpful especially because we’re all new at this and we’ve never shot something this big before.
Ryan Alessi: Overall, Nickelodeon has just been super awesome to us. The production’s great. Every single person plays a part in making this project so good and perfect and making sure the cast is happy and making sure the writers are happy. It’s super awesome that we’ve become a family. We’re hanging out with each other all day, every day.
What’s it like working with each other?
Reece Caddell: Working with this cast is probably one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done. They are so supportive because they know exactly what we’re doing and they have the same feelings because we’re all in this together.
Gabrielle Green: We all love each other. I think I speak for everyone when I say these are some of the best friends that I’ve ever had in my entire life. I really trust these people and that’s really hard for me because I don’t trust people a lot, but we’ve really built a strong community, including Kel, Lori Beth, Josh, and all the OGs. We’re really tight and that’s really important in this kind of show because with all the improv and all the sketch comedy characters, you really have to trust each other.
Nathan Janak: To add on what everyone said, we really all just love working together whether t’s off-screen or on-screen. We just have a personal chemistry and connection with one another. It’s just a magical thing. I’m so grateful that I get to work with you guys and that we all have this opportunity. Y’all are just the bestest friends in the entire world.
Ryan Alessi: We’re sort of like the cast of Friends, just like sketch comedy this time.
All That has been had so many fans since it premiered 25 years ago. What do you think makes fans keep loving All That after all these years?
Lex Lumpkin: I think what makes the fans love All That, specifically, is because of all the new sketches each week. There are new characters and the cast never holds back. They love what they do. They’re always going full-on to make the people laugh and it’s awesome that the cast just loves doing what they’re doing and making people laugh.
Nathan Janak: I think the all-new All That is going to make some of the people who watched it back in the ’90s feel like a kid again watching it on their screen because it really is, like we’ve all said before, the same type of comedy.
Ryan Alessi: It’s the same two writers, Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. They were writers for the old All That, too. Plus, they have some new amazing writers that have come on and it’s just a really talented group of people.