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| 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. |
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.
Season 12 of DEGRASSI, being billed as DEGRASSI: SHOWDOWN, premieres on Monday, July 16 at 10 p.m. on TeenNick in the United States and MuchMusic in Canada.