Drake Bell reminisces on former Nick co-star Amanda Bynes: A 'dynamite force of nature'
Drake Bell reminisces on former Nick co-star Amanda Bynes: A 'dynamite force of nature'
Before it was "Drake & Josh," it was Drake and Amanda.
Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell, who reunited with co-star Josh Peck earlier this week for a candid interview, reminisced on his relationship with fellow Nick alum Amanda Bynes. Prior to his starring role on the buddy sitcom "Drake & Josh," Bell co-starred with Bynes on her sketch comedy series, "The Amanda Show," which ran from 1999-2002 (Peck also appeared on various episodes).
On Thursday's episode of the "Good Guys" podcast, Bell fondly recalled Bynes' charisma as a young performer, likening her to Jennifer Aniston's breakout "Friends" character Rachel Green. "She was the biggest thing on the planet to me," he said.
"All I've ever experienced with Amanda was just like this dynamite force of nature when it comes to talent," Bell told Peck. "Watching her was like watching Carol Burnett, was like watching Tracey Ullman."
After her time on Nick, Bynes starred in The WB sitcom "What I Like About You" alongside Jennie Garth, as well as hit films such as "She's The Man," "Hairspray" and "Easy A." However, after taking a hiatus from the entertainment industry in 2010, Bynes began making headlines for her personal struggles.
In 2013, Bynes was placed on a psychiatric hold after having a public breakdown that included a series of legal troubles and outlandish appearances. Her mother was then granted a conservatorship over the actress, which remained in place until 2022. Bynes was reportedly placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold in 2023 following a cancelled appearance at the pop culture convention 90s Con.
When asked if he's stayed in touch with Bynes over the years, Bell revealed the former child actors reconnected via text message around 2017 after Bell had seen media coverage of Bynes. Peck added that he runs into the "What a Girl Wants" star "every two to three years."
"She's just the greatest. She was great then, she remains great, and such a good person," Peck continued. She "obviously has had some public struggles, but I just think she's got one of the great hearts and great skills, great talents of anyone there is."
Drake Bell and Josh Peck reunite: Actors break silence on friendship status, Nickelodeon trauma
The first part of Bell and Peck's conversation explored the pair's friendship and the Investigation Discovery documentary "Quiet on Set." The docuseries, which aired last year, prompted calls for better protections for child actors after revealing stories of alleged misconduct at Nickelodeon. The biggest revelation was Bell's allegation that dialogue coach Brian Peck, who he worked with on "The Amanda Show," sexually assaulted him when he was 15.
Reflecting on the evolution of their relationship, Bell said his tight-knit bond with Peck began to suffer amid the situation with Brian Peck. The actor revealed in "Quiet on Set" that he participated in an investigation leading to Brian's arrest on a charge of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted in 2004.
"I had to come back to working with my partner going, 'I've got all this stuff that nobody knows about that's going on. Is this going to hurt our show? When this drops, is Josh going to look at me and be like, Bro, you took our dream away. Are we going to lose our show?'" Bell said.
At a certain point, though, Peck said he felt the friendship with Bell started "coming back." Bell summed up their relationship as having its ups and downs, saying there were "times when we hung out a lot and were close" and times when they weren't.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
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