Cade Tropeano

November 18, 2022November 25, 2022 Rachelle Henry 0 Comments

Illuminate Interview: Cade Tropeano

CADE TROPEANO

From on screen roles to voice acting, Cade Tropeano is one to watch. He recently played the young version of Larry Hall (older version played by Paul Walter Hauser) in the AppleTV+ series “Black Bird” alongside Taron Egerton, Greg Kinnear and the late Ray Liotta. Cade serves as the voice for the character Bog in the Disney series “Eureka!” about a young prehistoric inventor and her adventures. Soon, he will be seen in “George and Tammy” starring Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon. Cade Tropeano is on a roll!

ILLUMINATE: Welcome Cade!

It’s fall and that means you’re in full swing in your school year and activities. What grade are you in this year and are you in any school activities? You are in so many great filming projects! Is it challenging to balance family and friends, school, training, filming…in other words, everything?

TROPEANO: School is definitely back in full swing! I am in the eighth grade this year but I am presently taking three high school courses, and completed one last year. That means that around October of next year, I will be a sophomore, which should help me to get a good bit of my college courses taken before I graduate high school. School is a lot of work, especially when mixed with auditions and work, but I still find time to hang out with my friends and have fun.

ILLUMINATE: You already have an amazing resume that includes on screen and voiceover roles. How did you get started as an actor and what made you decide you wanted to pursue both voice and onscreen roles?

TROPEANO: I started out in local theater productions, which allowed me to adjust to performing before an audience at a young age. I have trained for years in acting and voice, and it was just a natural progression to go into on camera performance. With voiceover, it was something my parents had thought about for me, but it was not until the pandemic hit and onscreen work slowed down that we looked at it as a serious option. When I did my first voiceover job, I was hooked. I love being able to bring a character to life with just my words, it’s really something special. To top it off, you can do voiceover while still wearing your fuzzy houseshoes, that’s a big plus!

ILLUMINATE: You play the younger version of Paul Walter Hauser’s character, Larry Hall, in the AppleTV+ series BLACK BIRD, which also stars Taron Egerton, Greg Kinnear and Ray Liotta. Did you get to meet Paul before filming and what was your process for playing a character cohesive with his older version? Did you research the real story?

TROPEANO: The cast of “Black Bird” was exceptional; the amount of talent in every aspect of the film – from the writers, director, cinematographers to the actors was top notch. I met Paul before I started filming and he gave me some amazing advice. I had researched the real story behind the film, and I knew it was going to be a role unlike any I had taken on before. Add that to the fact that Paul would be playing my older version and knowing he was going to give an award winning performance made this a challenge I was eager to accept and I am so thankful that I did!

ILLUMINATE: You got to attend the red carpet premiere for BLACK BIRD with the stars of the series. That must have been exciting! Tell us about that experience.

TROPEANO: The “black” carpet premiere for “Black Bird” was such an exciting experience. It had been quite some time since being on set, so it was really great to get to see everyone and reconnect again. Apple TV+ was such an amazing host and the premiere and after party were top notch. It was really emotional during the memorial for Ray Liotta, who passed away shortly after filming completed but it was great to hear that he did get to see some of the finished product.

ILLUMINATE: You voice the character of Bada in BADANAMU STORY TIME and BADANAMU STORIES as well Bog in EUREKA! and Yuta in KOTARO LIVES ALONE. What is your process for bringing voiceover characters to life? Do you do any vocal warmups or have any voiceover inspirations?

TROPEANO: I like to have a picture of the character, if possible, to help me visualize what they look like. I find it alot easier to create a voice for a character when you know what they look like and can get a feel for what the animator and creators are looking to bring to life. If the character or role has an accent, I usually have a catch phrase that I start with for each accent or dialect that puts me into that role.

ILLUMINATE: You have your own home studio that you use to record voiceovers in. Tell us about how you created it and do you feel more comfortable recording in your personal studio or inside a professional studio?

TROPEANO: I have an amazing home studio that was custom built for me. I got to have a lot of input into the build, and wanted the inside to be red and black (red is my favorite color). It’s super cool and has amazing LED lighting and effects. It’s really like a hang out for me and makes doing voiceover work even more fun.

ILLUMINATE: Your character, Bog, is a recurring role on the animated Disney series, EUREKA! What has been your favorite adventure Bog has been on…even if Bog isn’t looking forward to them?

TROPEANO: My favorite adventure that Bog has is in an upcoming episode so I really can’t talk too much about it but every adventure with Bog is a great one. He is such a fun character to voice, probably my favorite. I absolutely love working with everyone on “Eureka”. I have learned so much from each one of them and their talent and creativity is beyond measure.

ILLUMINATE: You have a broad range of skills from jiu jitsu to accents to impressions to archery. Have you been able to utilize these skills for any roles and are there any skills you haven’t taken up yet but are interested in doing so?

TROPEANO: I haven’t been able to use any of these skills yet but I have some things in the works which hopefully will utilize so other hobbies and skills of mine. I have recently taken up the guitar, and I hope to be able to use that skill when I get a little better at it. I do, often, use my vocal training and singing in voiceover. Bog does enjoy singing and being able to give him a voice to sing his songs is really fun.

ILLUMINATE: Along with your work in TV and voiceover, you’ve worked on multiple features and shorts. What has been your most challenging role to date and why?

TROPEANO: “Black Bird” has definitely been my most challenging role to date. The subject matter was difficult and we were filming in New Orleans in 90+ degree temps, dressed for winter. The humidity and the bugs were terrible, but the final product made it all worthwhile. I really think the heat actually made the graveyard scene better, as I was so miserably hot and tired, and I think it really played into what Young Larry was feeling that night and made the scene even more believable.

ILLUMINATE: You have multiple projects in the works including a role on the series GEORGE and TAMMY. What can you tell us about your next projects?

TROPEANO: “George and Tammy” was an amazing project to work on. Hopefully it will be released later this year. It was super exciting to be able to work with Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon. I was working with Jessica during the time of her Oscar win so that was really cool. I think people are really going to enjoy watching this series and seeing the extraordinary performances of Jessica and Michael and everyone else involved!

ILLUMINATE: Just for fun: What’s your favorite movie or TV series to watch, and do you have any favorite video games you play?

TROPEANO: Some of my favorite shows are Star Wars Clone Wars and Dragon Ball Z. As for movies, I like a lot of different kinds. I like the original and prequel trilogy of Star Wars, any James Bond movie, old westerns – and new ones, too, and my all time favorite, Dark Knight and The Batman. For video games, right now I’m playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. Some of my favorite video games are Marvel Spiderman, Batman Arkham Knight, and Last of Us.