Mexico City

A blue-skinned, red-suited alien named Baby Alien is eliminated from the Who’s the Mask program and, as the name suggests, the loser must reveal his identity. To everyone’s surprise, it is Drake Bell (California, 37 years old) the huge alien baby. “That? THAT?!” shouts Juanpa Zurita, giving voice to everyone, stupefied. A few weeks later, the actor appears again on Mexican television, now in Venga la alegría. With the same emphasis Zurita’s exclamation resurfaces; this time on everyone’s minds. “That!? What is Drake Bell doing in Mexico?” Event that caused the viral headline “Drake Bell, new TV Azteca presenter” to be shared in all media.

For years we have only talked about the Californian’s controversies. Driving under the influence of alcohol, domestic violence, sexual abuse of a minor, reported missing, her divorce. This forced the Nickelodeon star, one of the most important television networks in the United States, to avoid the public eye, give interviews or open up to the media. Now, Bell agrees to speak exclusively about his projects and clarify what he is doing in Mexico.

The meeting was at the offices of Cosmos Producciones in Lomas Verdes, State of Mexico. The property seems inspired by the functionalism of Mario Pani. The fourth floor is the creative center where Bell works on his new album Non Stop Flight. “We still don’t have a publication date. We want to release it in the middle of the year,” he says. Going away, the only single on platforms that belongs to the new album, is an obvious statement of wanting to escape and run away from everything. The website on your social network “Not really. “I have to fix it but I keep forgetting.” Not all decisions that are made, even if they fit perfectly into the narrative that the artist promotes, seem to be made consciously or are a marketing strategy. “Sometimes they are the result of chance,” sometimes they are just jokes. Like when Drake decided to change his name to Drake Campana on his networks. “The thing about Campana occurred to me while he was on a flight and I thought it was kind of funny. It was just a joke. There were headlines everywhere of ‘name changed and… no, I didn’t. It was a joke”.

Another “coincidence” that fit into the recent controversy of the girl who reported Bell for harassment and inappropriate messages, and even abuse, when she was a minor. The artist acknowledged part of the accusations, except the abuse. A US judge finally threw down the case due to lack of evidence.

Drake Bell performed at the BB Forum in Mexico City on August 11, 2023.Edgar Negrete Lira (Cuartoscuro)

Drake is wearing a cap, sunglasses, denim jeans and a sweatshirt. His look is easy to misinterpret as tired, but it is something more akin to apathy. His private life has been cannon fodder for the media. Smile a little when thinking about whether it’s a good time to move to Mexico City taking advantage of the recent wave of digital nomads. It is the only moment of the interview that smiles with joy. “That would be very cool. “I love being here.” In July 2023, Bell published in X that he was in Mexican lands. “(But) I come and go. “I return to the United States and when I have work I return to Mexico.” By work, he means the album and projects to promote it when the time comes.

His brief appearance on national television caused a stir. But TV Azteca did not offer Drake Bell the position of presenter. “He would be great. I wish they had made me the offer. I think my Spanish needs to improve first.” Although his plans are entirely in music. He does not plan to act again. Unless “it was something I created. But, music has always been (priority) for me. I love being in the studio and writing, making records, touring and playing live, and that’s what I’m focusing on,” he enthuses. “I feel more satisfied and fulfilled writing my own songs, my music, producing. It is a constant creative process. As opposed to being on a TV show or whatever, which is waiting too long on set and nothing happens or you don’t get the role you wanted. With music it’s different.”

In 2024, he adds 33 years to a career that includes his participation in acting and musical composition. Three decades in the world of entertainment, especially in Hollywood, is a complicated thing and not everyone manages to stand the test of time. Bell – Campanas, for friends in Mexico – began acting in commercials at the age of 5, reaching the peak in his teens, at 18, with the television show Drake and Josh, one of the most popular Nickelodeon series, which assures that it does not receive a single cent of royalties. “Contractually there is nothing he can do,” he says with a half smile on his face full of irony. “It was the deal that was made with Nickelodeon and, unfortunately, those were the cards we played with.” A precise analogy: you make your game and your bets, sometimes your fingertips touch glory, but you invariably lose. The house always wins.

At the age of 7 he appears in the famous North American series Home Improvement, just a small role as the son of Pete Bilker – played by the actor and singer Mickey Jones. At 10, in the first minutes of the film, Jerry Maguire, with another brief but decisive appearance: he plays the son of an American player who has suffered a concussion. Jesse (Drake Bell) doesn’t buy the lies of his dad’s agent who tries to convince the little boy that everything will be okay. Jesse tells him to go to hell and “paints the finger” at Maguire (Tom Cruise) who comes to his senses and questions if what he is doing is morally correct.

It was these small appearances, both on the small screen and the big screen, that earned her a spot on The Amanda Show, another hit Nickelodeon show. There she meets Josh Peck and the chemistry between them draws the attention of the producers to make a show with them as protagonists. The rest is history. The Californian continued in the world of acting, although it was music that weighed most in his life.

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2024-01-26 04:32:50
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