EXCLUSIVE: Aubrey Drake Graham – better known as simply Drake – remembers his time on the show that first launched him to fame in the trailer for Degrassi: Whatever It Takes.
WildBrain and Peacock Alley Entertainment today released the first look at the documentary, which makes its world premiere September 13 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Watch the trailer above.
Lisa Rideout (Sex with Sue, This is Pop) directs Degrassi: Whatever It Takes, which features “interviews and insights on the show’s legacy from creator Linda Schuyler, executive producer Stephen Stohn, superfans, including filmmaker Kevin Smith,” according to a release, “and cast of the Degrassi universe, including Dayo Ade, Stefan Brogen, Aubrey Drake Graham, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Jake Epstein, Shane Kippel, Miriam McDonald, Stacie Mistysyn, Melinda Shankar, Amanda Stepto and more.”
Drake in ‘Degrassi: Whatever It Takes’
Courtesy of WildBrain
In the trailer, Drake notes that one of his first kisses took place on camera for the show. “Damn, I never thought about it like that,” he recalls. “It was kind of a whirlwind experience,” former cast member Shenae Grimes-Beech says of Degrassi stardom, “probably a bit like ‘out of body.’”
The Kids of Degrassi Street, the first of the Degrassi TV series, premiered on the CBC in 1982. The Degrassi universe would expand to several more series as well as novels, graphic novels, soundtrack recordings and more. Along with The Beachcombers (1972-1990) and Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020), the Degrassi iterations are among the most successful Canadian television productions ever, also gaining a devoted following in the U.S. Unlike many American dramas aimed at young people, Degrassi did not hesitate to explore teen pregnancy, LGBTQ identity, abortion, and other hot topics.
“Degrassi changed the landscape of television with real, unvarnished storytelling and did it unapologetically from a teenage perspective,” director Lisa Rideout said in a statement. “I was inspired by how fearless the series was in tackling issues that others wouldn’t touch. This documentary celebrates the iconic Canadian franchise while revealing the impact it had on the people who made it and the audiences who loved it.”
‘Degrassi’ creator Linda Schuyler
Courtesy of WildBrain
Carrie Mudd, executive producer for Peacock Alley, noted, “Degrassi is more than a TV show—it’s a time capsule of growing up, full of heart, honesty and every ‘first’ experience you can think of. Nothing then, or now, has captured the teenage experience in a more raw, authentic or unfiltered way. Degrassi is one of Canada’s biggest cultural exports, which helped shape four decades of TV and touched multiple generations of kids around the world. Telling its story felt like honoring a piece of the Canadian identity.”
Degrassi: Whatever It Takes is executive produced by Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts and Angela Boudreault for WildBrain, and by Carrie Mudd (Leonard Cohen: Tower of Song; Travelers) for Peacock Alley. The documentary is produced by Mudd and Erin Sharp (Sex with Sue, Hip-Hop Evolution) and is written by Rideout and Celine Wong (Hip-Hop Evolution, The Loneliest Race).
Watch the trailer for Degrassi: Whatever It Takes above.
