'All That' star Ryan Alessi opens up about his journey from Second City to Nickelodeon: 'It's good to have nervousness'
Nickelodeon's popular 90s show 'All That' saw an impressive reboot that premiered on June 15 this year. According to an official announcement, the reboot includes "a talented and diverse group of comedians who reflect the spirit and humor of today’s generation of kids." And among the talented comedians, one famous name happens to be Ryan Alessi, whose journey from the comedy troupe Second City to Nickelodeon has been nothing short of inspiring.
In an exclusive interview with MEA Worldwide (MEAWW), Alessi spoke about how he started out at Second City in Chicago and what a great experience it has been so far for him. "My favorite part of going to Second City was that there was a wall of the celebrities that used to go there like Tina Fey was on the wall!' said Alessi. "Sean Hayes was on the wall, along with some other really big people, and it's a place where dreams are made. The first class I ever took there - I was like, this is what I want to do, and comedy is been such a great experience for me so far."
Talking about how he is able to bring the same element of comedy on 'All That', Alessi said: "I love this show and improv is such a great thing where you can take chances and you could just be a different character."
Having worked with many of the current cast members of 'All That' in Second City, Alessi has been able to find himself in familiar territories. "I was working with other kids," Alessi says about his work in the sketch comedy troupe, adding: "I have not gone to the adult program yet. But when I get older, I'm hopeful of joining that. But I was working with other kids and it was literally just a kids' sketch comedy, kind of like the show 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' but for kids. So many talented kids came out of Second City."
Despite being one of the wonderful talents in the cast of 'All That', Alessi acknowledges that nervousness will always be a part of the routine, and that's not entirely bad. "I was so nervous the first day because it was in front in front of a live audience. It was the first time I'd ever been in front of a live audience that big and I was getting like dead butterflies in my stomach." And that's when series regular Kel Mitchell stepped in with some sound advice for Alessi.
"He (Mitchell) told me that he was like that the first day, how you'll probably most likely be nervous, but that's okay because it's good to have that kind of nervousness. Because then you get used to it over time and it's good to have those butterflies in your stomach because it makes you perform 10 times more and really go a hundred percent, and that's what I did and I had such a fun time doing that sketch."
