EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Stefan Brogren On His Career and 300 Episodes of DEGRASSI

Producers Stefan Brogren, Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn celebrate 300
episodes of DEGRASSI. Brogren also directs has has been playing Archie
'Snake' Simpson since the original DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH series.

Stefan Brogren has been playing Archie "Snake” Simpson since the first DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH series. The current DEGRASSI airs its 300th episode tonight 25 years after Brogren first played the character. These days he's also directing and producing DEGRASSI as well as THE L.A. COMPLEX. We Love Soaps caught up with Brogren today to talk about his career and the latest DEGRASSI milestone.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Congratulations on 300 episodes of DEGRASSI. When you were shooting the original series, did you ever think the shows would leave such a lasting impact or have such a successful comeback?
Stefan Brogren: I was pretty much convinced that first year when I was 13 years old doing it that it was a one year summer job and we wouldn't come back for a second season. We were having so much fun making it as kids I don't think we realized we actually had people that wanted to watch it again and again. It is a ridiculously happy experience that we're hitting 300 episodes.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: The show has always been topical and well-written but I think casting real teenagers to play teens makes the show more relatable. Do you think that added to the DEGRASSI success?
Stefan Brogren: It makes all the difference in the world. I think an audience member can tell when a 16-year-old is being played by a 16-year-old and it not a 27-year-old. They can see themselves in the characters There's a certain amount of innocence that comes with that actor. They might necessarily have gone through what the character has gone through in life and they have research it and experience it for themselves for the first time. That gives you a much different experience than someone coming in with 5 to 10 years of acting experience and already having experienced those things several years prior. So there's something to be said about finding young talent the age of the characters they play.

Neil Hope Dead at Age 35; Family Learns Former DEGRASSI Actor Died Five Years Ago

According to the Associated Press, actor Neil Hope, who starred as Derek “Wheels” Wheeler on the 1980s TV series DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH and had little contact with relatives and friends in his final years, died alone in an Ontario rooming house in 2007, his former fiance, Christina Boulard, confirmed Friday.

Boulard said Hope’s family spent years trying to track him down after hearing rumors of his passing several years ago, but only learned last month from police in Hamilton, Ontario, that he had died on Nov. 25, 2007. She revealed Hope died of “natural causes” at the age of 35 but declined to elaborate, only saying Hope was diabetic.