They’re again and extra burgery than ever.

Vanessa Clifton/Nickelodeon/Paramount+

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Vanessa Clifton/Nickelodeon/Paramount+

They’re again and extra burgery than ever.

Vanessa Clifton/Nickelodeon/Paramount+

Good Burger was one of many nice ’90s cult classics, staring Kel Mitchell as Ed and Kenan Thompson as Dex — two greatest mates working on the similar quick meals restaurant.

And now, greater than 25 years later, the burger-slinging duo is again with Good Burger 2.

It’s a mission that Mitchell says they have been desirous to make ever because the first one got here out again in 1997.

He spoke with All Things Considered host Juana Summers in regards to the significance of the beloved mission then — and the way it suits into his life now.

This interview has been flippantly edited for size and readability.

Interview Highlights

Juana Summers: It’s now been greater than 25 years since Good Burger the unique first hit screens. And I wish to begin by asking you, do folks nonetheless come as much as you and ask you to cite that film?

Kel Mitchell: Yes, on a regular basis. Literally occurred about an hour in the past. [Laughs] “Kel, can you say welcome to Good Burger?”

But sure, it does. It occurs so much. And, you realize, I adore it. I like that I’ve finished one thing that’s close to and pricey to folks’s hearts.

Summers: How did the plans for this sequel come collectively?

Mitchell: Well, we have been desirous to do half two since half one. And I really feel like about two years in the past, that is when it began to actually get on its ft.

When we did the Jimmy Fallon reunion, that was tremendous wonderful. The followers beloved it. It simply made it extra actual. We had already been speaking about doing it extra, however that bought the studios like, “OK, yeah, we really need to do this.”

Then it was like, properly, what is the story? Let’s get into the script. And Kenan and I each produced this one as properly, so it was simply nice to work with the writers, Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert, who’re wonderful.

They wrote the primary one, and [it was amazing] for us all to work collectively and simply make this a film that may additionally stand by itself.

Summers: We have to speak about that voice that individuals preserve asking you to make use of to cite these well-known traces from that film. Can you discuss to us just a little bit about Ed’s voice?

Mitchell: Well, I really created the voice in my audition. It was a voice that I used to be doing right here in Chicago, after I was doing theater. And I might at all times have enjoyable with my cousins.

We would say, would not or not it’s cool if Saved by the Bell lived in Chicago, the children from there? And how would they discuss, these California youngsters? And so we might discuss Chicago stuff, however discuss like we have been Valley youngsters like, “Woah dude, yeah!”

And so I did that within the audition as a result of they have been like, “Do you have any characters?” And I did a bunch of characters. I did my coach in there, and that was Coach Kreeton from All That and a ton of different characters that became characters on All That. But Ed was the one which simply retains going that everyone simply gravitated in direction of, which is tremendous cool.

Summers: One of the brightest issues that shone by is that this actually lovely, beautiful story about friendship and loyalty. So I wish to ask you about your friendship with Kenan Thompson. I imply, you guys had not been on a set like this collectively for years. What was it like working collectively once more and reprising these characters?

Mitchell: Oh, man, it felt wonderful. For me, like, that is the present that we began in 1994, after which a film in ’97, after which now we’re nonetheless doing it in 2023.

And for us, man, I imply, that is like my brother. This is what you hope for. You’re taking part in a personality and you’ve got these friendships that often, while you say reduce in a few of these films, you won’t discuss to the individual once more for some time, however for us it has been superior.

It’s like this household that we’ve, even with our [own] household, and our mothers are mates and everybody hangs out. And so it is actually, actually cool that we get to have this journey with our complete household collectively and with Kenan and I each.

With the comedy, it was like using a motorbike. When we bought proper again into it the primary day, we was similar to, “OK, let’s get into this.”

Summers: What do you assume it’s about Good Burger that makes this film, this place, so related nonetheless to so many individuals, even 25-plus years later?

Mitchell: I actually really feel prefer it’s the underdog story, you realize what I imply? I assume the mother and pop restaurant, going up towards these main companies and also you’re rooting for them, I imply, you actually rooting for them.

And then it is also, I clarify this on a regular basis, Good Burger seems like consolation meals. When you eat consolation meals, you have got a reminiscence of the primary time you ate it, after which the second that you just’re consuming it 1700692026. And so that is what Good Burger 2 offers you, all this nice nostalgia, however then [also] what’s to return sooner or later and what you are doing now.

And the household side of all of it, the place it is a film that you may watch with everybody, you realize from grandma all the way in which all the way down to the toddler, all people will be on the sofa. We’re bringing that again the place you may simply have the entire household watch and nobody has to depart the room.