Degrassi: Whatever It Takes is a new documentary that explores the 40-year legacy of the iconic Canadian teen drama and provides a behind-the-scenes look at how its popularity impacted its cast.
The film features clips from the Degrassi franchise, including Degrassi High and Degrassi: The Next Generation, and snippets of interviews with members of the cast and producers of the show. Aubrey Graham, better known as hip-hop rapper Drake, reminisces about how his offer for the role of Jimmy Brooks changed his life.
Other featured interviews include show creator Linda Schuyler, executive producer Stephen Stohn, and the cast of Degrassi, including Dayo Ade, Stefan Brogren, Amanda and Maureen Deiseach, Aubrey Drake Graham, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Jake Epstein, Shane Kippel, Miriam McDonald, Stacie Mistysyn, Melinda Shankar, Amanda Stepto, Jordan Todosey, and more.
Directed and written by Lisa Rideout, known for Sex with Sue, Degrassi: Whatever It Takes had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film celebrates the groundbreaking legacy of Degrassi, a fearless teen drama that tackled taboo topics and changed TV forever, while uncovering the behind-the-scenes tensions and personal sacrifices that shaped Canada’s most iconic franchise.
Both a warm-hearted tribute to a pop culture institution and a clear-eyed look at its ups, downs, and flaws, Rideout’s documentary relates the Degrassi saga from the perspectives of its creators, writers, superfans, and, of course, its cast members.
Regardless of whether you’re a Degrassi High devotee, a Next Generation fan or a newcomer to these iconic classrooms and hallways, you’ll have much to learn from Rideout’s engaging and insightful account of a uniquely Canadian phenomenon.
“Degrassi changed the landscape of television with real, unvarnished storytelling and did it unapologetically from a teenage perspective. I was inspired by how fearless the series was in tackling issues that others wouldn’t touch,” Rideout said in a press release statement.
Watch the official trailer for Degrassi: Whatever It Takes, above.
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