Cade Tropeano a Young Actor Playing a Wide Range of Roles

Cade Tropeano is a young star to keep your eyes (and ears) on. Born in Birmingham, AL, the youngest of three boys, he began entertaining as soon as he could speak. Cade began to wow audiences in his first major role, playing Young Simba in Lion King at a local theatre. It was hard to believe that such a powerful voice could come from such a little body. He continued his singing, playing Michael Banks in Mary Poppins, equipped with a full British accent. His first taste of “on camera” work began with a small spot in Netflix’s Raising Dion, a show he would revisit the following year for a recurring role.  Stepping on to the “big screen”, Cade played the role of Tommy Tulane in “The Girl Who Got Away”, where his character has a chance encounter with a serial killer.

In 2019, when the pandemic began to hit, Cade decided to give voiceover work a try, and almost instantly found success, booking a heavy recurring role in Disney’s Eureka releasing June 2022, where he plays a character that tends to see life through “the glass half empty” lens. Eureka is a musical animation episodic and Cade gets to do two of his favorite things – sing and act.  Playing a role outside of his normal wheelhouse, Cade can soon be seen in Apple TV’s real-life series, “Black Bird”, where he will play the younger version of Larry Hall (Paul Hauser), a serial killer, and in Paramount’s “George and Tammy” where he plays alongside Oscar winner Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon.

HI, WELCOME TO ABOUT INSIDER! THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CHAT WITH US! CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, WHO IS CADE TROPEANO IN YOUR OWN WORDS? 
No problem! I tend to think of myself as just a normal kid who likes to act, sing and do funny voices. I don’t see myself any different from my friends, except that I have a job and they don’t. I do get to meet some pretty cool people and go to some amazing places, I guess that’s one of the perks!

HOW AND WHEN EXACTLY DID YOU REALIZE YOU HAD A PASSION FOR ACTING
I realized I love acting when I first stepped on a stage in front of an audience. It was a local theatre performance of Lion King, and I had been cast in the role of Young Simba. My friends were all really nervous to go on stage, but I could not wait. I wanted so badly to stand in front of all the people and sing my heart out, and that is just what I did. When the applause came, it made me feel amazing, I knew that I wanted to continue performing and made people smile.

DID YOU START YOUR CAREER WITH RAISING DION? HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
My first actual role was on Raising Dion, which started out as an extra role, until the director pulled me out and told me he wanted me to try a different role. Little did I know that the next year I would be back on the show for a recurring role. I really enjoyed working on Raising Dion and feel I made some good friends in the process.

TELL US ABOUT A TIME WHERE YOU HAD DIFFICULTY WITH A CHARACTER. WHAT WAS THE ROLE AND WHY WAS IT CHALLENGING?
My most challenging role has definitely been playing young Larry Hall in Apple TV’s “Black Bird” which will release July 2022. I can’t say much about the role, other than the character I play, a younger version of (Larry Hall played by Paul Hauser), is a serial killer. Needless to say, I really had to go deep for this character. The character was hard to identify with and it was extremely hot and humid when we were filming. It was such a tough role but I cannot wait to see the finished product. I am really proud of my performance and hope it shows on screen. It is definitely one to watch.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR LATEST PROJECTS, EUREKA! AND BLACK BIRD. 
Eureka! is probably my favorite project that I have worked on to this point. Eureka! is the story of a young inventor who is way ahead of her time. There is an amazing cast who will bring so much humor and talent to this show. It will be shown on Disney Jr. and Disney + but it will definitely be a show that people of all ages can enjoy. I have spent so much time working with the creators and directors of Eureka!, and they are an AMAZING group of people. I have learned so much from working on this project. Every session was full of laughter, I looked forward to recording each one of them.

WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES? 
I have a lot of people who make a big influence on my life. Foremost, would be my parents as they play a huge role in who I am and who I will become. As far as my acting career, who do I look up to and admire, first place is tied between Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. Tom Holland because he’s Spiderman and I spent six months as a small child wearing the same Spiderman costume. I’ve been a huge Spiderman fan for as long as I can remember! Chris Pratt – well,he’s a phenomenal actor and I think he sets an amazing example as the type of person I want to be in this industry. I also like Pedro Paskal because of the emotion and depth that he brings to a character. There are so many amazing actors, these are just a few who have made an impression on me.

WHAT’S SOMETHING WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT MIGHT SURPRISE US?
I really like to cook. My dad’s family is Italian, and I love authentic Italian food. This is something that my dad and I enjoy doing together. I love making homemade pasta – I consider myself a purist when it comes to Italian food – the more authentic the better.

ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS/ROLES YOU CAN TALK ABOUT?
Nothing I can talk about right now, but some exciting things in the works.

WHAT IS ONE MESSAGE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO YOUR FANS?
Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. As an actor, there are a lot of roles that I audition for that are outside of my normal character. It would be easy to pass on them, but that does not benefit me. I learn a lot about myself and other people when I step outside of my comfort zone and step into these characters. You don’t get very far in life taking the easy road, if you want success, you have to work hard, and that’s what I do. I have a long way to go before I consider myself successful, but I am doing my best every day to get one step closer to it. 

WHERE CAN OUR READERS FIND YOU ONLINE? They can find me on Instagram, Facebook, IMBD and the website.