For those who could not see the Degrassi reunion over the holidays,
I'll give you a summary of the show, highlights and anything else worth
talking about. The Jonovision episode takes place 8 years after the
Degrassi movie, School's Out took place. I can't believe it's been so
long!
The first two guests to come out were Joey (Pat)
and Snake (Stefan). Their thoughts on the
popularity and fan-following of the show were that the episodes were
made with "trying to be as real as possible" in mind. Before
the filming of each episode, the cast would sit and discuss the plots
and script in terms of if that really was what a kid in that situation
would say. Dealing with topics like alcoholism and eating disorders
and later suicide, molestation, AIDS and drugs were handled with care
and consideration, without all the glamour of a Hollywood soap opera.
The popularity of the show is not predominant of Canada, it is televised
in the United States, England, France and Austrailia. Pat mentioned
that he still reacts to the name Joey like his own name. Pat is still
acting in Canada on TV movies and has his own web page www.patmeup.com.
I'll have to stop by and write an email to him this week.
Pat will be auctioning off many of his Degrassi things on Ebay
starting in April,
with the proceeds going to charity.
Stefan has done some television ads along with the part of a crazed
fan in the band SCRATCHING POST's video. And the answer to the question
many have asked, WHY IS HIS NAME SNAKE? Stefan said that because he
was tall and skinny. He had the choice between being either Snake or
Slim. And the rest is history! Spike (Amanda)
mentioned that her hair on the show was her actual hairstyle at that
time. It may seem more common or even accepted to have piercings and
wild hair now, being different during the 80s made you more of an outcast
than an individual. This was the focus of one of the episodes when Spike
looks for a job and is discriminated because of her appearance. Liz
(Cathy) was another individual on the show with strong political
beliefs and voiced her opinion on many occasions. Both Amanda and Cathy
had a store in Toronto selling jewelery and other trinkets a few years
ago. Today, both Spike and Liz are working to get back into show business
but find it hard to return after being on a series. Cathy felt it was
almost like "having to work your way back up". You start out
doing the extra jobs before you define yourself and are given more rewarding
roles. Shane (Bill) has focused more on
the behind the scenes role of acting and recently shot a documentary
and later persure a career in that field. BLT (Dayo)
on the other hand, didn't even start out wanting to be an actor but
later enjoyed the role and the friendships with the other actors. Dayo
is now living in LA working on his acting career and came back specifically
for the reunion.
Yick "The Disorganized" (Siluck)
has no regrets living out his teenager years on the set of Degrassi.
that's the way they were brought up, and had nothing else to compare
it to. Siluck is now a Manager of a restaurant in Vancouver and flew
in just for the reunion. On the topic of the actors' freedom with their
characters, Siluck recalled a time when he wanted to get an earring
but his parents disliked the idea. As a result, he spoke with the directors
and insisted that to go along with the movement to Degrassi High, "Yick"
HAD to get an earring in order to fit in and look more mature. As a
result, Siluck got his wish. Dwayne (Darrin),
the school bully of Degrassi is working as a manager for films and shows
shot in the Toronto area and other Canadian cities. Darrin made a point
of the need to trust the other actors with their talents. In the episode
where Dwayne and Joey are fighting in the washroom, Darren didn't move
his head back far enough and was kneed in the face by Pat. "All
For The Good That Is Canadian TV" was Darrin's comment on
it. When asked what his character Dwayne would be, he said "either
dead or dying" relating to the fact that he had AIDS. This was
one of the first shows to deal with the topic of AIDS when there wasn't
much known about it yet. While Darrin and Pat may have acted tough and
clashed a few times, they were friends off the set. When you grow up
interacting with 30 people over the course of 7 years, it's no wonder
you become friends. Stephanie (Nicole) stated
the reason why she left the series was because she was bored. Her character
didn't really have any definition other than her looks. Jono brought
up the point of how she would "Go to school
in a snowsuit and walk around in a thong" which was extreme,
but true to the fact of the double life she had in the eyes of her mother
and the eyes of the school. Nicole went on to star in a short-lived
Canadian sitcom before fading into non-existence. nicole had no regrets
leaving the show early and looking different roles. On the Jonovision
episode, She seemed very bubbly for some reason, I don't know if she
was on something when they were filming but she was really talkative.
I guess it was her first time in a while that she was on TV or something.
I was surprised when Mya (Kyra) came out
on stage without the wheelchair. What a SCAM! I guess she had it pretty
tough, learning to do the series entirely from a wheelchair. Kyra is
a singer in the band PSYCHO KEY and will be a new voice on MuchMusic
very soon. You can check out her web site at www.psychokey.com.
I still think she's the cutest of all the girls from the Degrassi cast.
Ms. Avery (Michelle) and Mr.
Raditch (Dan) also made appearances on the show. Dan entered
the show right out of acting school and thrown into a lead role as the
very strict and revered Mr. Raditch. Looking back on the role, Dan said
that after coming out of school, he assumed he would get small roles
and not a role with everyone else looking up to him as a mentor. he
did enjoy playing the "bad-guy" and followed the cast all
the way to high school graduation. Ms. Avery also followed the kids
through the series as the teacher whom everyone liked. I heard about
the rumor that Beverly Hills 90210 derived
for Degrassi, but it wasn't until Bill confirmed it. Aaron Spelling
wanted to purchase the Degrassi world, but the Playing With Time Producers
wanted to keep it in Canada and without all the glamour. As a result,
Spelling made his own group of kids and placed them into a school enviroment.
When Jono asked the cast why they thought Degrassi was so popular, Nicole
wanted to find out what the audience thought. One member of the audience
replied saying that the "Teen Soap Operas"
right now mainly deal with the lives of only about 5-6 characters. Degrassi
had over 30 kids, each with different personalities. you could focus
on one character one week and them come back to them weeks later without
disrupting the storyline. It made room for a wider range of topics and
situations to deal with. Another point of interest is that the themes,
though sometimes exagerated, when thing that real kids were facing at
the time or of interest.
Update - I just received an email
relating to what BLT (DAYO) is doing with
his life. On the show he said that he was living in LA, but I've been
told he is allegedly stripping at a club in Brampton called the "Fox's
Den" or something to that extent. If anyone else remembers the
TV show CATWALK, that aired on YTV a while
back, the big tough guy, ATLAS is a regular
at that club. Neve Campbell was also on CATWALK
as well as a few episodes of Are You Afraid Of
The Dark, both Canadian made shows to start her acting career.
Update - It appears the Pat will
be getting married soon, and has asked Siluck to be his bestman at the
wedding. talk about long lasting friendships!
MORE TO COME!!!
