This year Toronto’s Fan Expo will include a cast reunion of Degrassi: The Next Generation just in time for back to school.
Cast members Cassie Steele (Manny Santos), Jake Epstein (Craig Manning), Miriam McDonald (Emma Nelson), Stefan Brogen (Archie “Snake” Simpson), Shane Kippel (Gavin “Spinner” Mason) and Pat Mastroianni (Joey Jeremiah) will reunite for the first time since the release of Drake’s nostalgic I’m Upset music video.
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Global News’ Liem Vu sat down with McDonald, Brogen, Kippel, Mastroianni and Epstein ahead of the Fan Expo to discuss reuniting after 17 years.
“Looking back now, 17 years later, is it kind of insane that you’re getting together for Fan Expo?” Vu asked McDonald.
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“It’s absolutely insane. When I hear 17 years I’m like, ‘no, it was like 5.’ And then I think about and I’m like ‘oh my God, we started in 2001.’ I was graduating Grade 8 as we were having our premiere. It’s crazy,” McDonald shared.
“It’s like full circle,” Epstein said. “When I was in junior high, we’d watch the original Degrassi in sex-ed … So then to be part of the show and then to be part of storylines that may be connected to people our own age as we grew up, I mean it’s really been so special to be part of it. Part of the reason why we all wanted to do this Fan Expo is to meet some fans.”
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“This reunion sort of happened earlier with the Drake video. That was insane when that dropped and people went nuts for it,” Vu said on The Morning Show.
“We spent three days filming. It was really Shane with Aubrey (Drake) the first day. Then it was me, Miriam, Nina Dobrev the second day,” Brogen said.
Kippel added: “Everyone you saw dancing in the hallway was the second day.”
“And the third day was really a crazy-ass party,” Brogen revealed. “Aubrey made sure … we call him Aubrey still. It’s very hard for us to call him Drake sometimes and I’m learning … but he really threw a real genuine reunion for us. And it felt like, watching these guys get to see each other again, there was so much love. And a lot of being excited to be together again, being proud of Drake and what he’s done and being excited to be back on the Degrassi set again. It was a very surreal evening I don’t think we will ever forget.”
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Fans will have a chance to relive all of their favourite Degrassi memories with the cast when they appear at the Fan Expo on Thursday, Aug. 30 and Friday, Aug. 31 to pose for photos, sign autographs and take part in a live panel.
“The Degrassi High reunion with the original cast was one of the highlights at last year’s Toronto Comicon, and we are thrilled to continue to celebrate this ground-breaking show with the beloved cast of The Next Generation at Fan Expo Canada,” said Andrew Moyes, vice-president, Fan Expo HQ.
Watch Liem Vu talk to some of the ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’ cast in the video above.
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