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Not only did filmmaker Kevin Smith get to appear on the reboot of what was his favorite Canadian teen soap opera growing up, but he got to cause some drama too.
On the newest episode of PeopleTV’s Couch Surfing, Smith broke down how he managed to book an arc on the show, recalling to host Lola Ogunnaike that Degrassi franchise creator Linda Schuyler initially pitched him on coming to the show when Degrassi: The Next Generation was first announced, but he was busy with projects like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
“Like two years later I found the show and was like, ‘Oh my God, they’re bringing back all the old characters, and Caitlin [Stacie Mistysyn] and Joey [Pat Mastroianni] are a thing. Why wasn’t I on the show when I had the chance? I’m such an idiot,’” Smith said.
Smith pitched writing and directing episodes in which Caitlin and Joey — who originated on Degrassi Junior High and returned as adults on Next Generation — would get married, but he was turned down because the show could only work with Canadian filmmakers. Instead, Schuyler offered Smith a cameo as a version himself. “I worked with one of the writers up there — wink — and the version of myself is unmarried and has no kid,” Smith said. “He’s a single director, but he’s made Clerks and all those movies.”
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Since Caitlin’s character was a journalist, Smith thought she could interview his onscreen counterpart. “And then we kissed,” he said. “I broke her and Joey up. It was awesome. I changed the f—ing course of Degrassi history! Yes. These two were heading toward a marriage, and I ruined it.”
But, he added, “That’s what you do on a show like that. It’s ripped from the headlines.”
Watch the video above for more.
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