If you also grew up watching Degrassi, this one’s for you. The iconic Canadian teen drama that gave us decades of messy high school storylines is about to get the documentary treatment and it looks juicy!
The new doc, Degrassi: Whatever It Takes, brings fans behind the scenes of the franchise, from its humble beginnings in the late ’70s with Kids of Degrassi Street all the way through Degrassi: The Next Generation and Netflix’s Degrassi: Next Class. Cast members from across the years, including Amanda Stepto, Miriam McDonald, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Jake Epstein, Stefan Brogren, and yes, Drake, open up about what it was really like being part of the show that never shied away from tackling heavy issues like teen pregnancy, drug use, domestic abuse, and mental health.
The trailer alone is a nostalgic gut-punch. Drake kicks things off talking about how he never felt like he fit in during high school, before getting “the call” that he landed the role of Jimmy Brooks. From there, the doc dives into the highs, lows, and groundbreaking risks of making a show that teens actually saw themselves in—awkward phases and all.
Even filmmaker Kevin Smith (a longtime superfan) and Dawson’s Creek alum Joshua Jackson pop up to give props to the series, with Jackson calling Degrassi “the granddaddy” of all teen dramas. Hard to argue with that!
Directed by Lisa Rideout, Degrassi: Whatever It Takes promises to celebrate the legacy of the show while also digging into the complicated impact it had on the young actors who lived it. The documentary makes its debut September 13th at the Toronto International Film Festival, and will hopefully hit streaming soon after!
