Degrassi has been a great contributor to many teenagers’ childhoods throughout the years.
Fans know it to be the starting point of rapper Drake’s career, as he played Jimmy on the show before his rap career took off.
The show is currently heading for its eleventh season, and it’s still going strong with a fresh new cast since its first season!
The new season, called “New Beginnings,” follows the high school students as they discover new things about each other, and even themselves. It’s sure to be packed with laughs, tears, and even some surprises!
We sat down with some of the castmates: Jordan Todosey, who plays Adam, Munro Chambers, who plays Eli, Annie Clark, who plays Fiona, and Alex Steele, who is new to the cast playing Tori, to talk to them about their characters, what kind of mischief happens on set, and if they’ve ever met Drake!
GlobalGrind: What can we expect from this upcoming season compared to the previous seasons?
Munro: I think you’re going to see a lot of people battle some of the stuff they’ve gone through in the first part of the season. The whole new beginnings thing is just about finding yourself again or having a fresh slate. Then the new faces intertwine a lot of new story lines, and some of them affect the seniors’ lives. You’ll see how that works in the season.
Annie: Even more drama than we’ve ever seen!
Munro: Oh yeah! It’s stupid how much drama there is.
What’s your favorite part about being on Degrassi?
Annie: Maybe stuff like this. The fact that we get to come out on these trips, meet fans, and all of that. Aside from acting, which is a fun job in general, it’s cool to do all these little bonus things that you don’t really think about. We get to come on these trips with our friends and even see the result of our work.
Alex: You would think that going to work would be all serious. I was going to go into it being completely serious, but I find I’m always laughing whenever I go.
You all have such different characters from one another. How can you relate to your own character?
Jordan: Adam and I both have a love for music. He hosts a radio show, so he likes to be very up with the music and what’s going on. I will also admit that I enjoy reading comics. It was mostly when I was younger, but I still sometimes do.
Annie: I don’t really relate to my character a whole lot, but definitely with the fashion side of things I do. I’m pretty into fashion and so is Fiona. She likes New York, I like New York. Other than that, her life is ten times more dramatic than mine. I think she’s a lot more of an out there kind of person, when I think I’m a little bit more subdued.
Alex: For me, Tori is sometimes a little bit more on the mean side of life. But when it comes down to it, she really does care about her friends, and she will make sacrifices for them. I really relate to her in that way.
Munro, your character loves to write. He’s one of the deepest people the show has ever seen. Do you ever write yourself or find yourself in that deep state of mind?
Munro: I wish I did write, honestly. I tackle things in my mind. When I go on a big tangent like I usually do in interviews, for some reason things just bang off from topic to topic. I feel like he has a great ventilation system for what goes through his mind. Sometimes it’s not the best thing for him like we saw in ‘Love Roulette’ on stage. He’s an amazing writer. I’d like to think that’s one of the areas where we’re alike.
So who would you say is the biggest jokester on set?
Annie: Munro and Jahmil probably.
Munro: And Luke too!
Annie: Yeah, pretty much everyone. When all of those guys get together in one room, it’s like, oh my god! Everyone is just always laughing and having fun. We’re never very serious.
Munro: No! We have an awesome cast.
Do any of you do music at all?
Jordan: Yeah, I write songs and sing. I actually just finished a song. I’m really excited about it. I’m going to try and come out with an EP. I think that’d be fun. Music is a huge passion of mine. I couldn’t live without it.
Do you have any plans of where you’d like to take it?
Jordan: Yeah, I mean the music industry is hard, but so is acting. So, it’s worked out so far. I’d love to just put it out there, and see the response. If nothing else, I’ll just continue listening to music and write my own stuff. It means a lot.
Since rapper Drake originally came from the show Degrassi, have you met him or talked to him?
Alex: I might have, but I was probably about 6 years old. I would have been like, “Hi Jimmy” because that was him on the show and I called everyone by their character name.
Munro: I actually think it’s kind of great that I didn’t work with him because it doesn’t even feel like he was on it. I feel like when I watch the episodes where he was in it, like when he got shot and everything, I feel like it’s a completely different person. That was Jimmy and Aubrey Graham, but this is Drake. I respect him so much as a Canadian. It’s so hard for people to do that, and that’s where I look up to him in a sense.
Are you friends with any of the original cast members from Degrassi?
Alex: Cassie Steele is my sister [who played Manny on the show].
Annie: Yeah, actually a lot of the alumni come back and visit the set. We end up still at the same events and stuff. I came in at a transitioning period where there was still some of the old cast members. Once you’re part of the Degrassi family, you’re kind of in it for life.
Munro: It’s great how nice they are too. These are the alumni of Degrassi who we look at to be so iconic, and they’re so nice. They’re amazing people. I think that’s really cool.
What is playing on all of your iPods at the moment?
Annie: I just got this new album from the band Doctor Dog. They just came out with a second album that is so good. I just got it right before I came on the trip so I’ve been listening to that a lot.
Jordan: I’m constantly listening to The Weeknd. I love his stuff so much. That’s been on constant repeat ever since he came out. Lately I’ve been listening to an artist called Ponder Eyes. Not a lot of people know of her, but she’s an awesome singer.
Munro: With me right now, I like my Drake, I like my J. Cole, I like my Big Sean, and Weezy. Right now, I love Childish Gambino’s stuff. He’s a boss! People don’t think his flow isn’t unique, but honestly listen to his stuff! He’s so smart and witty. I’ve been watching him ever since he did his YouTube stuff. Donald Glover is awesome.
Alex: Right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of Lady Gaga. I also really like Florence and the Machine. “No Light” is really one of my favorites right now. I love the Black Keys.
Munro: The Black Keys are good! I also
like Bon Iver.
