Kadan and Brooklyn Rockett are hard people to get in touch with as they just seem to disappear all the time! In reality though they are just busy performing their magic for many happy audiences, but BSCKids got the opportunity to speak with Kadan Rockett during some of the duo’s down time. He has such a great outlook on his career and we really learned a lot from speaking with him.
Kadan and Brooklyn were voted by America to reach the semi finals of the “America’s Got Talent” this past season. Kadan shocked judges Heidi Klum, Mel B., Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell who called the 10-year-old a “real life Harry Potter,” after sawing his younger sister in half during his audition (spoiler alert: she survived). Not even a teenager yet, Kadan has conquered the big screen where he starred alongside Keri Russell and J.K. Simmons in Dimension Film’s supernatural thriller DARK SKIES. He has made over 1,000 live appearances and starred in the live stage production of Cirque: Illusions of Grandeur.
BSCKids: Kadan and Brooklyn, how did you get started in magic?
Kadan Rockett: Our parents were the first people that influenced us through their magic show at a 1,000 seat theater in Branson, Missouri. We practically grew up backstage there watching and learning from them. By the time we moved to Hollywood, I was 4 & my sister only 2. I already knew that I wanted to be an entertainer.
BSCKids: What was the first magic trick that you did together in front of an audience?
Kadan Rockett: We had done several where we assisted our parents. I used to help my dad close his show by making a Honda Jet Plane appear on stage. I would stand on the wing at the end! The first time we ever did our magic totally alone was on “America’s Got Talent.” Doing that show was what forced us to stand on our own and develop our own brand.
BSCKids: How do your parents feel about you working together?
Kadan Rockett: They are very encouraging to us. My dad is very insistent on us staying true to who we are and not just copying what he has done for years. He will allow us to use some of his stuff but wants us to make it our own with our own routines and personalities shining thru. We all work really hard to be different and do tricks that either haven’t ever been seen before or at least a new and fresh version with our own spin.
BSCKids: How do you decide what tricks you will attempt next?
Kadan Rockett: We have a board and write down all kinds of ideas. Sometimes they start out as really crazy and it’s not even magic! We bounce them around and just keep playing with them and eventually something usually starts to go together. We like taking classics and putting our own spin to them as well. There is so much that goes into putting something new together. It’s not just building the props & rehearsing but there’s music to choose, edit, wardrobe to think about, logistics of traveling with the prop, upkeep and so much more! You have to test it, make changes & keep playing with it until it’s just right.
BSCKids: Who has taught you the most in the world of magic? How did you learn all of your magic tricks?
Kadan Rockett: My dad of course has probably taught me the most. I read a lot and have been inspired by a lot of other magicians like David Copperfield. I like how he doesn’t just do a magic trick but focuses more on entertaining his audiences. That’s what I’m all about. I want people to have a good time, laugh and smile. It’s not about my magic but about how people feel when watching what I’m doing. Hopefully that’s good!
BSCKids: How do you fit in practice time with school and friends and all of the appearances you do?
Kadan Rockett: My sister & I do homeschooling on our computers. We have real teachers we can talk to and see online except when on a plane. We still do work there too but just aren’t allowed to actually talk to our teachers while in the air. Instead of home schooling we call that “plane schooling” and we do it a lot! It’s nice that we have made lots of friends literally all over the world now. When we are home in Hollywood, we have our regulars that we see and hang out with but we also look forward to traveling because we get to see others. We keep up with many of them thru texts, FaceTime & our social media.
BSCKids: How supportive of your goals are your parents?
Kadan Rockett: VERY supportive. They have always encouraged us and done everything they could to help us but they insist that we are involved in every aspect, even when they help us. This is good for us because it helps us learn. Especially the business side of things.
BSCKids: What was the first trick you performed in front of an audience?
Kadan Rockett: I flew in the air with my dad holding me, assisted him on making a jet plane appear on stage but the actual first one that was totally my Sister and I was on the audition round of “America’s Got Talent!” That surprises a lot of people but it’s true.
BSCKids: Do you get noticed on the street now? Any good fan stories?
Kadan Rockett: We get spotted almost every day. We prefer it when people come over and say hi instead of just staring at us or taking pictures as we walk by. We had a grown lady follow us at Disneyland one day and when we noticed that she was just following us around and we made eye contact she said, “you are both just so cute I want to hug you” and she reached out at the same time and grabbed me with a big bear hug! She was just excited to meet us but it was still kind of awkward because it caught us off guard. When we do live shows we always have security with us though. We LOVE hearing from other kids that we have inspired. That part is really cool to know you have made a positive difference in someone’s life.
BSCKids: Who is your favorite magician, what is your favorite trick that you have not done yourself?
Kadan Rockett: I respect a lot of other performers work but of course David Copperfield is the man! He and my dad of course. I don’t really have a favorite trick. I’m most excited about the one I’m working on at the moment usually. That or the idea of one that I’m about to begin work on!
BSCKids: What other hobbies do you have?
Kadan Rockett: Reading, playing video games, making home movies, editing them and making things out of other things. If you look at any of my props, the inspiration came from everyday objects that I play with.
BSCKids: Kadan what do you find harder, acting or performing magic and why?
Kadan Rockett: Performing magic for sure. Acting is fun, you pretend to become another character and that has always came pretty natural to me. When you are doing magic you can’t totally relax and just become a character. You have to constantly be thinking ahead & paying close attention to every little detail. They are both very rewarding though in different ways.
BSCKids: Where do you hope magic will take you? Would you like your own show, your own television show or to be in a movie?
Kadan Rockett: Well I’m working on my 7th movie now so yes, of course film. We are also developing a TV show that is based around our magic. I would love to do some TV hosting, develop our own network special and of course continue to perform live and appear on other TV shows. It’s fun, exciting and we want to inspire others with what we have been able to do.
BSCKids: If you could guest star on any show right now what would it be and why?
Kadan Rockett: Oh there are so so many! It would be fun to come in as the “kid magicians” and do something on any of the Nick Jr. or Disney shows. I think there are possibilities on other prime time network TV shows as well. It’s really all about how it’s written in I guess. We would love to do something like that but it’s not something we have been directly pursuing. We mainly have been focusing on doing the TV opportunities that we are being asked to perform on right now.
BSCKids: Let us know what we can expect from you in the future and what you have coming up?
Kadan Rockett: We have several live tour dates throughout America that we are doing. We post about them on our social media (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram). We are in development for our own television series that will feature our magic as well as working on new stuff for several big TV shows that have invited us to appear on them. We see what we do as a complete brand and have some really cool things in the works. We dream big and want to inspire other kids to do the same with whatever they choose to do in their lives!
Special thanks to Kadan Rockett for taking the time out to answer all of our questions.
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
RSS