What The Cast Of Degrassi Looked Like In The First Episode Vs. Now

For entire generations, the universe of Degrassi has been the pinnacle of contemporary teen drama.

Based on four short after-school specials that started in 1979, The Kids of Degrassi Street went on to air from 1982 through 1986, and was lauded for dealing with real issues facing real kids and their families.

The next iterations of the series were Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, which followed the exploits of much of the same cast as they got older, and maintained that same atmosphere of relatable plots and age-appropriate issues.

Finally in 2001, the most popular entry of the franchise, Degrassi: The Next Generation, was unleashed. Lasting for a whopping 14 seasons, this installment deftly updated its universe to reflect the advancements of our own.

Despite some idealization that’s common with the theme of high school dramas on television, the show managed to be relatable for both teens and adults, incorporating even more mature themes and poignant moments, with a heaping helping of a little more drama to spice things up.

After the show wrapped up, many of the actors and actresses remain popular with fans of the franchise, and even beyond, so we wanted to check in with them ourselves.

It’s time to take a look at where those actors and actresses went with What The Cast Of Degrassi Looked Like In the First Episode Vs. Now!

26 Sarah Barrable-Tishauer as Liberty Van Zandt

Playing the lovable Liberty Van Zandt, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer was always a favorite amongst the cast of students that populated Degrassi High School.

Aside from her long, 102 episode tenure on the series, she was mostly known for her time on the student council, her many defiant ambitions, and her long-time crush on J.T.

Infamously, this particularly attraction would lead to one of the most memorable storylines to occur during the entirety of the series, specifically her eventual pregnancy at his hands.

Following a number of break-ups and reconciliations between the two lovers, Liberty made the difficult and powerful decision to put the baby up for adoption. Their troubles would continue until finally ending with J.T.’s death, giving sorrowful closure to their saga as Liberty wept during his memorial service.

25 Sarah Barrable-Tishauer Now

Of course, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer went on to do much more in the series, but even after her departure, she still managed to have an adventurous post-Degrassi: The Next Generation life.

Aside from being the valedictorian of her real-life college graduation, the long-time star now boasts a popular Instagram.

She’s also found a second creative career by becoming a strikingly successful DJ.

Known as DJ Me Time, she focuses on self-care and bringing a female perspective to the party scene.

Aside from her musical endeavors, though, she’s also a full-time account manager at a marketing agency. Despite all the continued success, she hasn’t forgotten where she got her start and she returned for the reunion special in Degrassi: Next Class, with some other series’ favorites.

24 Daniel Clark as Sean Cameron

Daniel Clark’s Sean Cameron was somewhat of a tortured soul in the world of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Due to a violent past, he was sent off to Toronto by his parents, but violence caught up with him.

Known for his friendship with Jay and Alex, but especially his relationship with Ellie, he also played a huge role in the controversial school-shooting saga, where he successfully prevented Rick from shooting Emma.

Of course, by saving one life, he doomed the shooter, Rick, by having the gun discharge into its very owner.

Naturally, this moment weighed heavily on Sean’s soul, and he visited his estranged parents to help deal with his feelings and why they sent him away in the first place. After eventually overcoming his personal demons, Sean would join the military and head to Afghanistan.

23 Daniel Clark Now

Before, and even during, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Daniel Clark was no stranger to on-screen acting.

Debuting as Stanley Hope in the oft-forgotten-but-still-spooky Eerie Indiana: the Other Dimension, he’d also leave his mark on other kid-focused television horror, such as Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?

He later had roles in other popular series and movies, not the least of which being cult-favorite, Juno.

These days, though, his many roles, including both Degrassi and acting in general, seem to all be in his past, with Daniel successfully transitioning to a different section of the entertainment industry.

He was an intern for MSNBC on Rachel Maddow’s show, and currently works as a news correspondent and producer for the ABC News and Univision joint network, Fusion.

22 Lauren Collins as Paige Michalchuk

Paige was part of some of the darkest and most poignant plots in the entire series of Degrassi: The Next Generation, with ones that seem even more relevant today than they did way back when they premiered.

At a party, Paige was assaulted by Dean and, although she brought him to court, she was unable to attain victory due to a lack of evidence. Taking matters into her own hands, she lost her license by smashing Spinner’s car into that of her assaulter’s in act of vengeance.

Although that was a major moment for the character, she went down a rockier path still, which involved establishing a lesbian relationship with Alex and even smoking substances during a college interview (which she aced, regardless). Sadly, she’d have to drop out of school due to serious panic attacks.

21 Lauren Collins Now

Thankfully, Lauren Collins’ life is far more positive than Paige’s, and it continues to be so.

Before her initial departure from the world of Degrassi, Lauren was no stranger to film and television, having roles in kids TV such as I Was a Sixth Grade Alien and more mature television movies like Rocky Marciano.

Following her stay in the world of Degrassi: The Next Generation, she continues to act in both movies and on television.

She had credits in Disney’s High School Musical-based Sharpay spin-off movie, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure, and roles as recent as 2017’s The Strain. To top it all off, she even made an appearance in Degrassi: Next Class.

Other than her artistic adventures, it appears that Lauren Collins is happily engaged to actor Jonathan Malen, who appeared in the classic Mean Girls.

20 Ryan Cooley as James Tiberius “J.T.” Yorke

Poor James. As a class clown with feelings of major, male-specific inadequacy, he faced some serious embarrassment before being thrust into the incredibly scary and real world of being a parent after impregnating Liberty Van Zandt.

Once things broke off between the two, J.T. was eventually able to come to terms with his desire to be a father, but he fell down a dangerous path of being a drug dealer in order to make money for his budding family.

This led him to attempt to end his own life, but he survived. Sadly, after things in his life started to get back on track, he would be tragically stabbed by a student from a rival school.

A garden would be built in his memory, and his friends would mourn his loss.

19 Ryan Cooley Now

Ryan Cooley’s life thankfully didn’t take the same tragic turn as J.T.’s, and he even had a nice amount of success before walking through the doors of Degrassi High School for the first time.

His initial television role was that of the alien, Pleskit, the main character of I Was a Sixth Grade Alien, which also happened to have other future Degrassi students amongst the cast.

After his time as the purple alien and his untimely end at Degrassi High, he would continue to act in various roles through the years.

Currently, though, he appears to be the vice president of the Konrad Group, which is a digital agency and product innovation firm. However, he still has time to interact with many of his fans on Twitter.

18 Stacey Farber as Ellie Nash

Ellie, a long-time favorite of many, was initially best known for her goth looks, which popularized her amongst the counter-culture crowd, but it was more than her looks that cemented her as one of Degrassi: The Next Generation’s more iconic characters.

One of her greatest challenges was grappling with the emotional stress of having an alcoholic mother. Making matters worse, her father was away and at war in the Middle East.

With this crushing pressure, she sadly turned to self-harm for emotional release. However, despite this darkness, she was responsible for protecting Marco’s closeted orientation through a fake relationship. She was also able to recover from having her apartment burned down and would even take care of her PTSD-stricken father upon his return.

Top that off with a hopeful implication of a future relationship with Craig, and things look way up for Ellie.

17 Stacey Farber Now

Stacey Farber, the actress who played Ellie for the 73 episodes spanning seasons two through seven, including guest appearances in season eight, thankfully did not have her acting skill overlooked for the range she brought to the character, and was nominated for a Gemini Award for the role.

Even after her award-nominated success, she would continue acting all the way to the very present, with roles in popular shows like Flashpoint and Cult.

She even had a main role in the show Saving Hope. In 2017, she appeared in Chicago Justice and the The Brave, and right now in 2018, she’s just completed two episodes of UnReal.

With all this under her belt, and more in the pipeline, we’re sure that she’ll have continued success as the years go on.

16 Jake Goldsbie as Toby Isaacs

J.T.’s best friend, Toby was a lover of anime and computers, and was labeled as a geek because of it. A huge part of the character’s identity is his Jewish faith, and his grandparents are revealed to have passed away in the Holocaust, making for an exceptionally impactful and emotional moment.

As J.T.’s best friend, suffering the loss of someone so close to him was extremely devastating for Toby, and he developed a strong hatred against any and all students from Lakehurst, which is where the criminal who stole the life of his closest pal hailed from.

Despite this setback, and a battle with bulimia while he was on the wrestling team, he’d go on to host BattleBots-styled competitions after graduation, which led to a life that he fully enjoyed.

15 Jake Goldsbie Now

Jake Goldsbie may not run robot fighting competitions in reality, but he’s still had a successful life and career so far. Clearly loving the craft of acting, he diligently studied theatre in college, and was able to successfully graduate from his school of choice, Concordia University in Montréal.

Aside from his regular appearances as Toby Isaacs in Degrassi: The Next Generation seasons 1 through 5, and he his recurring and guest roles in seasons 6 through 8 for a whopping total of 88 episodes, Jake has a slew of acting credits, starting way back in 1996 and following through to 2010.

Now, it appears that he has given acting a well-deserved break.

He now works at The Score, where he creates podcasts regarding professional sports.

14 Shane Kippel as “Spinner” Mason

Gavin Mason, nicknamed Spinner, was somewhat like the male version of Ellie, but trading in goth looks for a punk rock flavor. Although grappling with ADHD is what earned him the name “Spinner,” his story arcs were just as wild and out of control.

Probably most well-known for eventually being diagnosed with testicular cancer (and going on a reckless streak because of it), he also played the horrific role of being responsible for Jimmy being shot in the back and ending up as a paraplegic.

In a strange twist of fate, Spinner himself would also end up being shot, this time during a burglary at the Dot.

To top off all of the wacky adventures, he was converted into a born-again Christian, played in a band, and would even drunkenly get married to Emma.

13 Shane Kippel Now

Aside from his well-known, 139 episode stint in Degrassi: The Next Generation, and its multiple spin-offs and TV movies, Shane Kippel also had the roles of Ralph in Life With Derek and Ryan in Pure Pwnage, among other acting projects.

Shane has also kept busy in ways beyond acting since his time as Gavin “Spinner” Mason.

Much like his character, Shane is a musician, and is now the drummer for the alternative rock band Dear Love.

He was also happy to reprise his most famous role for two episodes of Degrassi: Next Class.

Finally, he labels himself as an actor, comedian, producer, writer, public speaker, and critic on his popular Instagram, so it seems that the future continues to be bright for Shane and his many endeavors.

12 Andrea Lewis as Hazel Aden

Hazel Aden was a recurring character in season 1 and 2 of Degrassi: The Next Generation, before becoming a regular in seasons 3 through 5, eventually appearing in a total of 58 episodes throughout her run in the drama-stricken high school.

Although she felt self-conscious and insecure about her Muslim heritage, she didn’t let that stop her, and was able to still maintain her status as a fairly popular girl. She even had a romantic relationship with Jimmy and was a member of the Spirit Squad.

Hazel also happened to be Paige’s best friend, although that relationship became strained because of her distaste toward Alex.

Following her senior year at Degrassi, she would go to college outside of Toronto, and presumably found success in whatever she chose to do.

11 Andrea Lewis Now

Despite the back-and-forth drama of Hazel Aden in the world of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Andrea Lewis has made a name for herself beyond her high school character through Black Actress, a web series of her own creation.

Born from her frustration at the lack of roles for black women, her web series tackles the problem head on, with both poignant and hilarious results.

It features interviews with the likes of Jenifer Lewis and Amber Riley and their personal experiences as women of color in the comparatively barren landscape of the entertainment industry.

She’s even taken crowd funding by storm, successfully using a Kickstarter campaign to help her form Jungle Wild Productions, a company that hopes to create positive content for women and people of color.

We’re happy to hear that not only is Andrea popular for her time on Degrassi, but that’s she’s successfully changing the world for the better.

10 Miriam McDonald as Emma Nelson

As the descendent of characters from Degrassi Junior High, Emma is the de-facto title character of The Next Generation and, as such, is the focal point of many plots and events– some silly and some not so much.

As a determined idealist, Emma spearheads multiple political and activist-driven movements. Some examples of her activities were the boycotting of GMO foods and her desire to protect the environment.

Everything wasn’t always smooth sailing for her, though, and she found herself having to contend with major roadblocks in her life, such as battling both anorexia and bulimia, contracting an STD, and even burning down the Dot.

Despite the various mishaps and depressing moments, she wound up drunkenly eloping with Spinner and, despite various attempts to get a divorce, the two would eventually realize how much they loved each other and remain together.

9 Miriam McDonald Now

Although she’s well-loved for her role as Emma Nelson in 138 episodes spanning seasons 1 through 9, Miriam McDonald has had a long career in the entertainment industry before, after, and during her award-winning part in Degrassi: The Next Generation.

In 1999, she was in System Crash and would go on to appear in XIII: The Series in 2012, Orphan Black in 2013, and recently reprised her role as Emma in Degrassi: Next Class, and that’s only a portion of her on-screen credits.

Perhaps more interesting are her 39 voice acting roles, including one from the disgraced John Kricfalusi’s The Ripping Friends.

Aside from her long list of acting credits, she’s very active on her wildly popular Instagram account, and seems to enjoy interacting with the fans of her various roles.

8 Melissa McIntyre as Ashley Kerwin

Ashley Kerwin, brought to life by actress Melissa McIntyre, was one of the most intelligent and popular girls in her class, but she was also unafraid to change who she was. This was especially seen when she consumed substances and went through a goth phase.

Something that remained consistent with her, however, was her love of music. She would join Craig’s band, Downtown Sasquatch, only to be kicked out, and then eventually come extremely close to having her talent discovered, only to be overshadowed by Jimmy.

Despite all of her setbacks, musical and otherwise, she would go on a road trip with her friends to Smithdale University for the Purple Dragon concert

Things would end on a happy note: she sees Craig performing during the show and drops everything to tour Europe with him.

7 Melissa McIntyre Now

Melissa McIntyre made quite the name for herself in Degrassi: The Next Generation. Appearing in multiple capacities throughout 71 episodes, spanning seasons one through seven, she also had some earlier roles on her résumé.

These roles went as far back as a video called Timesweep in 1987 and even included some voice work as Cornflower in the TV mini-series Redwall.

Aside from movie and TV roles, she was a major player in community theater productions, while playing the lead in the radio drama Disco Does not Suck.

Melissa seemed to slip under the radar, but re-emerged of one of three harmony singers in the band, Fortune, led by the former INXS vocalist, JD Fortune. She also keeps fairly active on her Twitter and Instagram, where she happily posts pictures of her and her cats, books that she is reading, and food that she is enjoying.

6 Christina Schmidt as Theresa MacGregor

Playing the role of Theresa “Terri” MacGregor, Christina Schmidt brought memorable life to this relatively short-lived character. Appearing in a total of 34 episodes through seasons 1 and 3, Christina won a Young Artist Award, despite the comparatively small amount of appearances.

Best friend of Ashley and the daughter of a widower, Terri is extremely insecure about being overweight and how it affects her looks. This insecurity eventually turns into something positive, though, and leads her to a successful career as a plus-size model, although that victory came with more than a few hurdles to contend with.

However. her life wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Her boyfriend batters her and shoves her to the ground, which gravely injures her and sends her into a deep coma upon hitting her head.

When she finally recovers, she ends up being transferred to a private school, leaving behind Degrassi High.

5 Christina Schmidt Now

In a positive turn of events, Christina Schmidt’s real-life started to reflect the best parts of her Degrassi: The Next Generation counterpart.

She won the 2005 Young Artist Award for “Best Performance In a TV Series – Supporting Young Actress” and the 2002 winner for “Best Ensemble in a TV Series,” amidst a slew of other nominations.

Just like Terri, Christina became a fashion and print model, and found great success in multiple ad campaigns.

Continuing to follow this career path even now, she’s currently one of the runway models in How To Look Good Naked Canada, a show that focuses on helping to build the self-esteem of women who aren’t confident in who they are– and often is greatly successful.

Although her acting credits are seemingly limited, it’s great to see the kind of wonderful effect that she’s had on so many people.

4 Cassie Steele as Manny Santos

Manuela Santos, better known as “Manny,” was a Filipino girl who wasn’t sure exactly what kind of person she was, but still ended up as the subject of some of the most dramatic plots in the series.

Exceedingly promiscuous, to the point of familial and peer criticism, she becomes pregnant with Craig’s child, and controversially chooses to have an abortion.

Through other ups and downs, including various relationships, she considers getting back together with Craig, although that hope is shattered when his substance addiction comes to light, so she dumps him once and for all.

She would eventually rebound from Craig and become a pair with Jay, though they’d go through hard times thanks to an out-of-control and hackneyed scheme regarding a fake engagement. Despite this, they would end up genuinely and happily together.

3 Cassie Steele Now

Cassie Steele’s Manny Santos would remain a popular figure on Degrassi: The Next Generation for a total of 128 episodes, spanning seasons one through nine. She was also nominated for multiple Young Artist Awards, and won one in 2002.

After her tenure on Degrassi, Cassie continues to act on a wide range of projects such as the recently wrapped Paint It Red, the video game Accounting+, and multiple voices on the ultra-popular Rick and Morty television series. S

he was even nearly cast as Gabriella in High School Musical, but Degrassi took precedence.

Aside from acting, she has dabbled in composition, cinematography, and has even released multiple albums over the years.

Best of all, she has an exceptionally popular presence on Instagram and Twitter.

2 Aubrey “Drake” Graham as James “Jimmy” Brooks

You didn’t think we’d forget Drake, did you? The future rapper got his start as Jimmy Brooks in Degrassi: The Next Generation, and it propelled him to his future fame.

Appearing in 100 episodes as a regular in seasons one through seven, and making guest appearance in 8, Jimmy is known for his on-and-off relationship with Ashley (and his distaste for her gothic side), his wealthy background, and, most notably, his role in the dramatic school shooting.

Betrayed by his best friend, Spinner, Jimmy is shot in the back by Rick, causing him to be wheelchair-bound for the rest of the series. Despite this set back, Jimmy discovers an artistic side, and pursues it successfully.

As the cherry on top, Jimmy is able to find love with Trina, another wheelchair-using individual, and he even proposes to her in a deleted scene.

1 Aubrey “Drake” Graham as… Drake

Speaking of finding an artistic side (and pursuing it successfully) Drake more-or-less did the same thing as his Degrassi character, Jimmy.

Almost immediately after he left Degrassi for the final time, Drake started creating mixtapes, founded his own record label, and then found success with the single “Replacement Girl.”

That particular victory was like rocket fuel for his music career, and the hits kept on coming, year after year. After being officially signed, his popularity continued to skyrocket, and now, in 2018 he remains one of the most well-known artists across the globe.

Some of his mega-hits include “Best I Ever Had,” “Forever, ”Look At What You’ve Done,” and so many more.

It’s wild to think that a young kid in a long-running TV series would go from disliking his girlfriend’s goth phase to becoming such an enormously popular artist, and yet the proof exists in Drake.

—

Who are you most surprised by? Are there any other Degrassi The Next Generation actors who look completely different now? Let us know in the comments!

About The Author