All That child actor Bryan Hearne reflects on being cast in racially stereotyped roles, was called 'a piece of charcoal' while working at Nickelodeon

Former child star Bryan Hearne, known for his role on All That, shares his reflections on being one of the few Black actors on the Nickelodeon sketch-comedy series. His insights come ahead of the release of a new docuseries.

Investigation Discovery's upcoming four-part docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, debuting on March 17, delves into the toll many actors claim they endured while navigating emotionally manipulative and occasionally sexually charged environments during long hours on set.

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Reflecting on Racial Stereotyping

In a conversation with People magazine, Hearne, among several former Nickelodeon child actors highlighted in the forthcoming docuseries, reflects with discomfort on his past experiences. He recalls being cast in racially stereotyped roles, such as playing a drug dealer and a rapper during his teenage years, which continue to haunt him from his time at Nickelodeon in the early 2000s.

Hearne, a cast member on All That for seasons 7 and 8, which debuted in 2002, reflects on his experience. 'I was referred to as a ‘piece of charcoal’ [by an adult],' he recalls. The series, among more than a dozen TV shows created by Dan Schneider from the 1990s through the 2010s, originally aired on Nickelodeon in 1994.

Docuseries Revelations

A striking revelation in the docuseries unveils the existence of sexual predators on the set. In 2004, production assistant Jason Handy, aged 30, was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison for committing sex crimes involving minors.

Recently Drake Bell, the one-time star of Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh, spoke of being repeatedly molested by dialogue coach Brian Peck when Bell was 15 who invited him to his house for acting lessons. Through his non-profit organization, the Urban Poets Society, Hearne collaborates with parents of young creatives to assist them in realizing their craft and supporting it in a way that he wasn’t supported.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is scheduled to air on Investigation Discovery over two nights, on March 17th and March 18th.

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