Kenan Thompson is taking a walk down memory lane — all the way to his Nickelodeon days.
On Friday, the Saturday Night Live star, who joined forces with Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood for their new “Let Yourself Woah” campaign, spoke with PEOPLE about returning to Universal (the place where he kickstarted his career!) for the first time since he was 18, and the everyday “woah” moments the husband and father of two experiences in his own life.
“I’ve been involved with Universal my whole life. They were my very first job, and now it’s come back around that I’ve been given the opportunity to be the new spokesperson for their parks and resorts,” he says of why he joined the campaign, which is meant to showcase the range of emotions guests experience when visiting the thrill-filled theme parks.
As a child actor, he grew up, in part, at Nickelodeon Studios in the park. “I remember spending a lot of my childhood running back and forth between the rides and stuff when we were shooting All That and Kenan & Kel,” he says. “The place where I was getting dressed every morning was maybe 20 yards away from where I spent the first four or five years of my career, my very first job on television. It holds a really, really special place in my heart.”
But the comedian, 41, hasn’t been back in over twenty years. “It’s crazy, crazy nostalgic just seeing those roads leading up to Universal,” he says. “They’ve been a part of my life and family for a long time.”
Now, he’s taking his spokesperson duties seriously.
“The campaign is about just letting yourself experience all the good things here,” he says. “We want people to know that it’s a destination where people can let themselves be immersed in awesome attractions and rides and the beach resorts and all that — just come in and give themselves over to the great time that they paid for.”
Following the initial success of the original All That series, Thompson and Kel Mitchell went on to star in the kids’ sitcom Kenan & Kel that ran from 1996 to 2000, and Good Burger, a theatrical adaptation of the hit All That sketch. In June 2019, the duo launched Nickelodeon’s revamped All That, which featured a new cast of teens and the return of show originals Mitchell, Thompson, Lori Beth Denberg and Josh Server.
When it comes to rebooting Kenan & Kel, Thompson says he’d be game.
“I feel like we should just start doing stuff straight to YouTube ourselves, just like Kenan and Kel in reality,” he says. “That would be so much fun.”
Meanwhile, Thompson — who will be starring in his own sitcom, The Kenan Show, on NBC later this year — is the longest tenured cast member on SNL and doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.
“Retiring, probably not,” he jokes. “I don’t think any actor feels like they can retire. I feel like I’ve been blessed, and the way I’ve been able to go about it was with good training, especially that I got at Nickelodeon in Orlando at Universal. It’s just been like that’s my foundation in life, so when I got the call to work with them, it was just such a blessing and it made all the sense in the world.”
On top of his Universal family, Thompson is grateful for his own family and admits he has plenty of “woah” moments with his two girls: 5-year-old daughter Georgia Marie and 1-year-old daughter Gianna Michelle, whom he shares with wife Christina Evangeline.
Kenan Thompson with wife, Christina, and their two daughters INSTAGRAM
“I mean, I don’t want to be vulgar, but it’s like, there are a lot of ‘woah’ diapers in the morning,” he says with a laugh. “And then whenever you let the baby just eat whatever, if it’s yogurt or something, she has a lot of experience throwing it around and smearing her face in it. So that’s usually pretty ‘woah’ funny.”
But when it comes to fatherhood, he wouldn’t change thing.
“I took all of what I was doing for myself and made it all about what I do for my family,” he says. “I’m way more focused on the actual effect that my work has on people. It’s not just for me.”
From Attractions Magazine:
Universal Parks & Resorts launch new ‘Let Yourself Woah’ campaign with Kenan Thompson, Arturo Castro
Universal Parks & Resorts have launched a new campaign featuring comedians Kenan Thompson and Arturo Castro called “Let Yourself Woah,” designed to show off the range of emotions guests experience when visiting Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.
This new campaign encourages guests to immerse themselves in these “woah” moments, as they “embark on epic adventures that can’t be experienced anywhere else,” like riding on a motorbike through the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, causing mischief with the Minions, or coming face-to-face with dinosaurs on Jurassic World – The Ride.
Thompson currently stars on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” and made his way to fame through the popular ’90s Nickelodeon shows “All That” and “Kenan & Kel” — which were both filmed on the Universal Orlando backlot. Castro created and stars in a hit comedy series, and took vacations to Universal’s parks growing up.
“‘Woah’ means to me exactly what these parks do for you on a daily basis – on every ride, it’s like ‘Woah!'” said Thompson. “Universal’s theme parks hold a special place in my heart and it’s amazing to see how much they’ve grown since I worked here as a teenager. And now to be a part of a campaign for one of my favorite experiences in life… it’s almost like someone asking you if they can provide you an awesome time – of course, I say ‘bring it on!'”
“It is so exciting for me to be able to capture that ‘Woah’ feeling I always felt as a kid,” said Castro. “I’ve been going to Universal since I was five years old, and bringing 25 of my family members to the parks last year was incredible! It’s our favorite place to visit, hands down.”
The “Let Yourself Woah” campaign will launch nationwide on Feb. 17, but you can check out a sneak peek below:
To learn more about Universal Parks & Resorts, visit UniversalParks.com.
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Blooper reel:
According to the Universal Press Release:
Because it’s easy to get wrapped up in the daily responsibilities of work, school, family or the ongoing debate of what to have for dinner, Universal Parks & Resorts developed this unique campaign to invite guests to escape to a place that immerses them in amazing “Woah” moments. “Woah” represents the indescribable feelings guests have at Universal as they embark on epic adventures that can’t be experienced anywhere else, like causing mischief with the Minions from Illumination’s “Despicable Me,” coming face-to-face with ferocious dinosaurs on the new Jurassic World – The Ride, accelerating up to 50 mph on the new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure story coaster, savoring the very first sip of Butterbeer or soaring high above Hogwarts castle within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
And who better to be the ambassadors of “Woah” than comedians Kenan Thompson and Arturo Castro? Thompson currently stars on “Saturday Night Live” and earned fame as a teenager on the popular Nickelodeon ‘90’s sketch-comedy show, “All That” and sitcom, “Kenan & Kel” – both filmed on the Universal Orlando backlot. And Castro created and stars in a hit comedy series and vacationed at Universal’s parks growing up.
“‘Woah’ means to me exactly what these parks do for you on a daily basis – on every ride, it’s like ‘Woah!’” said Kenan Thompson. “Universal’s theme parks hold a special place in my heart and it’s amazing to see how much they’ve grown since I worked here as a teenager. And now to be part of a campaign for one of my favorite experiences in life…It’s almost like someone asking you if they can provide you an awesome time – of course, I say ‘bring it on!’”
“It is so exciting for me to be able to capture that ‘Woah’ feeling I always felt as a kid,” said Arturo Castro. “I’ve been going to Universal since I was five years old, and bringing 25 of my family members to the parks last year was incredible! It’s our favorite place to visit, hands down.”
“We’ve evolved so much in recent years and have worked very hard to continuously bring incredibly-popular ‘Woah’ moments to life,” said Alice Norsworthy, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Universal Parks & Resorts. “We’re delighted to work with Kenan and Arturo to share the excitement for what we have to offer our guests in an extraordinary new way.”
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From the Discover Universal Blog:
Q&A with Kenan Thompson | Get Ready to “Woah” with Universal Parks & Resorts’ New Campaign Spokesperson
What does “Woah” mean to you? When I think about it, a few things come to mind: when I abandon my comfort zone and try a new dish from a favorite restaurant; when I travel and see breathtaking views; or when I try something new that gets my adrenaline pumping, like…a roller coaster.
All of these scenarios have one thing in common – a feeling that breaks me free of my normal day-to-day. A feeling that leaves me breathless from awe, laughing with my friends, or even screaming from the rush of a roller coaster. This is the feeling that Universal Parks & Resorts is creating and delivering to you with its new brand campaign, “Let Yourself Woah.” Because, when you think about it, we’re really the only place where you can “Woah” at every level imaginable. From the adrenaline rush of flying through the air at 67 mph to living your favorite horror film during Halloween Horror Nights to experiencing your childhood dream as you finally get to see the iconic Hogwarts castle for the first time in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter… these are the moments that leave you breathless with that feeling that captures it all: “Woah!”
One of the faces of our new “Let Yourself Woah” campaign has been part of the NBCUniversal family for years, creating his own “Woah” moments at Universal’s theme parks for audiences around the world, as well as for himself. After shooting the national campaign across both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, we were able to grab a few minutes with actor and comedian Kenan Thompson – check out what he had to say:
Q: Tell me about the experience of being a part of the new “Woah” campaign for Universal Parks & Resorts?
KENAN: I gotta tell ya, it’s been incredible. There’s a lot of love here in Orlando, and it’s been incredibly nostalgic for me because this is where I had my very first job. We’ve been prepping 20 feet away from where I spent my teenage years growing up here. I’m really excited to roll this out and see how people respond to the whole “Woah” of it all. I think it’s going to be really fun.
Q: After experiencing the parks and working on this campaign, what does “Woah” mean to you?
KENAN: “Woah” means to me exactly what these parks do for you on a daily basis. Every ride really delivers that “Woah!” I brought my family here and we went on all the rides and afterward, I was like “Woah” every single time.
Q: You have a history with NBCUniversal. You filmed your show “Kenan & Kel” in Orlando, you’re a part of “Saturday Night Live”…how would you describe the experience of filming in a theme park environment?
[A guest shouts, “We love you Kenan!” Kenan responds, “Thank you! Mad love for you.”]
KENAN: That sums it up! That has been my experience working in a theme park. When I think back, I’m thankful that it was Universal. Coming back to a place that is so familiar has been blowing my mind these past few days. I had a chance to take my picture over by the old filming soundstage. I could have cried because it’s just a special place in my heart. It’s been a long road back and to be a part of such an awesome campaign for one of my favorite places – is like “Woah.”
Kenan Thompson with Family at Universal Orlando Resort
Q: What is your favorite “Woah” moment so far at Universal Orlando Resort?
KENAN: I gotta say it has to be Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. We rode it a few times, and I think it’s one of the most creative roller coasters in America. I don’t want to spoil it for people who haven’t ridden it, but you can’t even guess what happens next. The twists and turns and ups and downs – that’s all I can tell you. That’s my favorite, hands down!
Q: What is your favorite ride at Universal Studios Hollywood?
KENAN: At Universal Studios Hollywood, Jurassic World is strong…super strong! I seriously felt like I was right in one of the movies. And seeing all of those giant dinosaurs lunge at you is so cool – and they look so realistic. The giant Mosasauraus, the Indominus rex – and of course that drop! It’s an awesome water ride that gets you soaked to the bone.
What are some of your favorite “Woah” moments you’ve had in the parks? Share with me in the comments below or on social with #LetYourselfWoah.
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Originally published: Friday, February 14, 2020.
Additional sources: Travel Market Report, Inside Universal, Behind The Thrills.
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