Who is Drake Bell? An interview with the star of "Superhero Movie"

Who is Drake Bell?

A) Musician B) TV Star C) Movie Star D) All of the above?

Some may know him from the hit Nickelodeon series “Drake and Josh”; others may have caught one of his appearances while on tour promoting one of his albums; while some may have discovered him simply because of his music. Well, this Friday, all of us will have the chance to discover a whole new side of Drake Bell when he stars as a super hero named ‘Dragonfly’ in the David Zucker produced “Superhero Movie”, in theaters Friday, March 28, 2008.

I got the chance to chat with Drake as he braces for what will be a hectic week of interviews, appearances and parties. To add to the whirlwind of activity surrounding the opening of the movie, Drake is also nominated for two Kids’ Choice Awards and will be at Pauley Pavilion here in Los Angeles this Saturday to (hopefully) collect an award! Good luck Drake! You can catch the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, hosted by Jack Black, this Saturday, March 29^th at 8 PM only on Nickelodeon. 

MuveeBuzz: Hey there, how are you doing?

Drake Bell: Doing pretty good.

MB: This is a pretty exciting week for you. Not only do you have a movie coming out on Friday, you also have the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday. How does it feel?

DB: Exhausting. It’s awesome. It’s pretty much what you come out to this town for you know? And especially, you know I grew up on all that “Naked Gun” stuff and those parody films, so for it to actually be a movie like this, it’s awesome.

MB: So, what would you say was the most challenging part of assuming a superhero identity that wasn’t based on a cartoon or an existing character?

DB: Yeah, that was weird, kind of, not having anything to base it off of, but the costume, you’re not really prepared for that. You think it looks great on screen, but you never imagine how uncomfortable that thing is! And, actually just being on set with people like David Zucker, Leslie Nielsen and Christopher McDonald, you’re completely intimidated the whole time hoping you’re doing a good job… while stuck in a spandex costume.

MB: So, is Leslie Nielsen as funny off camera as he is on camera?

DB: Oh yeah, he’s a complete prankster. He’s still got the fart machine that he’s had forever. The director would go up and try to be completely serious with him and he would just make farting noises without breaking character. He’s a nut case.

MB: So tell us about Dragonfly what are his powers?

DB: Well, he’s pretty much Spider-Man without spinning a web. He can climb on walls. He’s got armored skin, super-hero strength, and super agility… so pretty much Spider-Man… without the web.

MB: Right. But can he fly?

DB: Eventually.

(You’ll have to go and see the movie to find out if Dragonfly will ever get his wings and if he gets to fly!)

MB: So tell us about the stunts! Did you get to do some wire work?

DB: Yeah, I did tons! There was a lot of flying and we lampooned the kiss from “Spider-Man” where he is on the fire escape. So there is a lot of me hanging upside down, a lot of fight scenes and tons of stunts. It was really cool ‘cause I got to do a lot of them [stunts] which was a lot of fun.

MB: So how much training with martial artists and fight masters did you have?

DB: Ha-ha! Absolutely none!  I had a great stunt guy that I could copy very well.

This was the part in the interview that I decided to change gears and talk to Drake about Drake.

 MB: So, after a long day on the set, what do you like to do to decompress and get away?

DB: Play music. I usually come home and pick up my guitar or sit down at the piano and just play and write.

MB: And if you had to name a place which would be your favorite place to get away would it be home, Hawaii, or the recording studio?

DB: Home.

MB: Really?

DB: Yeah, absolutely I pretty much don’t like to be anywhere else.

Who knew Drake was so down to earth? A lot of young stars could take note… Lindsay, are you reading this? Then I worked up to the big question.

MB: Any big plans for the summer?

DB: Just working on my new record. We actually just finished “Superhero” not too long ago so this is the first chance I’ve actually got to get back into my music. I just finished touring last summer with Corbin Blue and Aly & AJ for my last record so now I am working on the third one.

MB: And when does the new one come out?

DB: Hopefully by the end of the year or early next year.

MB: So you are up for two nominations this weekend at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, are you looking forward to Saturday?

DB: Oh yeah, definitely! I love the Kids’ Choice Awards. It’s a lot of fun.

MB: We all know that you have a lot of fans out there. But who is Drake a fan of? And, who are you most looking forward to seeing on Saturday night?

DB: Oh man, I don’t’ know! It’d be cool if Johnny Depp showed up. But you know, I love old stuff. I grew up on the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, I’m pretty nostalgic. That’s what I am a fan of.

MB: So the old days?

DB: Yeah.

MB: How do you manage it all? You have a movie career and you are on television and you are singing and touring… how do you keep it all straight? Do you have like an amazing calendar or a great assistant?

DB: Ha, I don’t! And, well not much rest and a lot of work. But I love it. It’s not like I am dreading every day going to work. I love it.  So it makes it a lot easier.

MB: Did Josh Peck ever come down to the set to check out the action?

DB: No. He was actually working on another film at the time unfortunately. In New Orleans I think it was. I can’t remember what he was shooting. But we hang out all the time.

MB: So are you going to go back and do more of “Drake and Josh”?

DB: No. The show’s done. We’ve been done since July 2006. And it’s not coming back. But I just talked to Josh a while ago ‘cause you know, I loved it and we kind of had the carpet pulled out from under us and the show is bigger now than it was when we were filming it. It’s got this hype you know? So I said let’s do something. Let’s work together. Let’s try to get the whole camp back together. So we talked to the executive producer and Nickelodeon so we think we are going to have a movie of the week by the end of the year. Like a little reunion.

MB: So, what movies are you looking forward to seeing this summer?

DB: The Dark Knight! I can’t wait to see that. Otherwise I don’t know. I’ve been in such the eye of the hurricane that I don’t even know what’s coming out. I’ve been on planes flying everywhere doing all these press days so I’m actually out of the loop right now.

MB: Well, hopefully in the next couple of weeks you’ll be able to slow down and catch up on what’s been going on!

DB: Yeah, McCain is still the front runner for the Republicans right? Okay, good.

MB: Again, best of luck on Saturday with your two nominations and congrats on the movie. I hope it does really well. Any final words for your fans?

DB: Go out and see the movie! You are going to laugh for an hour and a half and it’s going to be a lot of fun.

MB: Yes, I will absolutely tell them that! Have a great week.

So there you have it kids. Check out the trailer for “Superhero Movie” and grab some pics for your pages while you are at it. The movie opens on Friday (4/28) and I think it would be best seen with a group, so tell a friend!

See you in line!