Ahead of its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Toronto Star published a major feature examining the darker realities behind the legacy of Degrassi through the new documentary Degrassi: Whatever It Takes.
In the article, titled “Being on the show has a cost,” journalist Briony Smith interviews director Lisa Rideout alongside original cast member Stacie Mistysyn (Caitlin Ryan). The piece emphasizes that the film does not shy away from difficult truths, balancing the series’ life-saving cultural impact with the long-term psychological toll experienced by its young performers.
Key Revelations
The feature outlines several behind-the-scenes realities explored in the documentary, including:
- Low Pay: Cast members recall earning as little as “$50 a day,” while also being expected to transport equipment and assist with production tasks.
- Public Harassment: Amanda Stepto (Spike) describes being harassed by members of the public who conflated her real life with her pregnant on-screen character.
- Neil Hope: The article reveals that the late actor (Wheels) lived with co-creator Linda Schuyler during periods of personal instability in his youth.
- Drake’s Candidness: The film includes participation from global music star Drake (Aubrey Graham), who is described as being just as open as his former castmates.
Mistysyn speaks candidly about the unresolved emotional weight carried by many members of the original cast:
“I’m speaking for myself, mostly, but I know there’s a lot of other people from the original cast that have been carrying a lot of baggage from our experience of the show… Obviously it was a great experience, but there was a lot of psychological stuff in regards to our relationships that are still ongoing.”
— Stacie Mistysyn, Toronto Star (Sep 6, 2025)
Media Gallery
Click here to view the high-resolution scan of this feature in the Vault Gallery.