"Degrassi: The Next Generation": Interviews with Aubrey Graham, Shane Kippel, Shenae Grimes and Cassie Steele

Part One: A Night with the Degrassi: The Next GenerationCast

Shenae Grimes joined the cast of Degrassi: The Next Generationin its fourth season. Of the possibility of being on the show, she said, "I needed it. I wanted it so bad." Grimes remembers her first audition for Degrassi, as the whole cast was there doing a read through. At the time Grimes thought, "Oh my god, this is what it would be like!"

Shane Kippel, who has been on Degrassi: The Next Generationfor all seven seasons, remarked, "I wish I could see it from the other side and get that tingle."

The tingle that Kippel is referring to is the feeling that most kids get while watching Degrassi. It's obvious there's something special about this show, as it tells those kids' stories.

While spending the night at MTV's TRL with four members of the Degrassi cast - Aubrey Graham, Shane Kippel, Shenae Grimes, Cassie Steele - I had the chance to sit down with them and get their feelings on their characters.

Aubrey Graham as Jimmy Brooks

Aubrey Graham has also been on Degrassisince the first season. In season four, his character Jimmy was shot in a school shooting, leaving him in a wheelchair. Over time, Graham says of playing a handicapped character, "I've become very comfortable in that setting." To prepare for the role, Graham went out to public places with a boy in a wheelchair, to "see how it really feels to really be separate."

One of the difficult parts of Jimmy's character is his attempts to have a solid love story. In season six, when Jimmy tries to advance his sexual relationship with girlfriend Ashley, he learns that his physical disabilities have caused him to have some erectile issues. (Yes, Degrassidoes go there.) Of the storyline Graham remarked, "It crossed my mind, 'Are they gonna' go there?' and they did go that far. It's great for me to play... It comes with the territory and I accept the role."

Jimmy and Ashley fans most likely don't have much to look forward to however. "I think Ashley wants more from life... you'll slowly start to see them drift," Graham foreshadowed. Yet he said there's a "possibility" a new girl might drift into Jimmy's world.

As for the friends in Jimmy's life, his relationship with Spinner (Shane Kippel) has been an uphill battle at times. They went from best friends to enemies (when Jimmy found out that Spinner played a role in his shooting), and back to best friends. "He changed my [Jimmy's] life, and not for the better... Personally I wouldn't be friends with that person," Graham said.

Prior to the shooting, Jimmy's goal was to be the star of the school basketball team. Post-shooting, he began to pursue art. The hobby that is more true to Jimmy's personality? "Basketball and sports, hands down," said Graham. He added that the most "integral part of playing the character" is trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Jimmy can't just get up and play sports again. "I always have it in the back of my head," Graham explained, "I look at people standing up and think I used to be taller than them."

On a positive note, Graham said for season seven, "Things are getting better. Life is returning to a normal state... I definitely think Jimmy can be happy."

Graham himself should be smiling quite often as his music career continues to pick up. In fact, he left straight from the TRL appearance to head to a meeting with Clive Davis. He's "gearing up to release an album next year," and Trey Songz's album (which Graham worked on), is currently in stores. You can check out Graham's music at http://thisisdrake.com/. And, Graham hinted that his music will appear on the upcoming season of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Shane Kippel as Gavin "Spinner" Mason

The one question everyone wanted answered by Shane Kippel was, "Which hairstyle has he liked best?" And "did he do them for the show or for himself?"

You see, Spinner's character has had numerous hairstyles throughout Degrassi's run. "It's always fun to have a specific quirk," Kippel said. Yet what is important to note is that in the upcoming season, Spinner's hair - shaved - will be a substantial part of his storyline. Although Kippel won't give anything away, he said, "This year he goes through his own problems that aren't friend oriented. This year is more personal." Kippel also said this is his toughest work to date, hinting that his storyline is going to be quite intense.

Back to Spinner's hair in past seasons: Only two of the styles were for personal reasons. "The first hairstyle in season one, which I like to talk about very little," and "In season two the girl I was with at the time wanted me to dye it blonde," Kippel explained. "My personal favorite was the flip... it was a hell of a year for me... I got made fun of by Kevin Smith, my idol."

As for Spinner's romantic life, Kippel said Spinner has had the "right girl for every phase," and he "might or might not have a new love interest" in season seven. "He might or might not meet the perfect girl for him," Kippel added.

So what were Spinner and Shane's feelings when Spinner's ex Paige announced she was bisexual? "Knowing Spinner, he probably thought it was amazing," Kippel laughed. "In real life if my ex turned into a lesbian I'd be very insecure for awhile."

Outside of Degrassi, Kippel said he has some other projects in the works, and is pressing on with his musical aspirations. In addition, he's "doing things any 21-year-old would do."

ShenaeGrimes as Darcy Edwards

Joining the Degrassi: The Next Generationcast was "the scariest experience of my life," Shenae Grimes recalled. Before her first day, "I had nightmares of the Degrassicast," she said. Grimes was so nervous that she was very quiet in the beginning. "They probably thought I was a mute at first!"

Grimes' character Darcy Edwards is deeply religious, but often grapples with her good girl image. "She was raised a Christian girl... Her parents instilled all these values and rules in her, and she didn't necessarily agree with it," Grimes explained. "She's battling the traditional values forced upon her that didn't fit with who she was, so she rebelled and went in the opposite direction."

Having seen the premiere of season seven, fans know that Darcy is put through the ringer, with one tragedy occurring after another. First she and Peter get into an argument over her vow of abstinence. Then Darcy gets drunk and wakes up only to think she slept with Peter. Peter of course tells some of his friends, and the gossip spreads around school. Darcy then finds out she never slept with Peter but was actually slipped a roofie and raped. To deal with it, Darcy attempts suicide. Thankfully, Manny finds her in time to save her. Needless to say, Grimes had to act out some pretty heavy scenes.

Grimes describes these experiences as "one big time rollercoaster," and said that the issues in the premiere aren't the only troubles that Darcy is going to face this season. Grimes added that playing Darcy this season has been "emotionally draining" and that she'd "go home and be an emotional wreck. Those are not fake tears all the time."

Beyond Degrassi, Grimes is filming Picture This! with High School Musicalstar Ashley Tisdale. She described the experience as "really exciting, really fun," and said there is absolutely no competition between the Disney kids and The N kids. Grimes is also filming a Lifetime movie, Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet, which tells a story similar to that of Lindsay Lohan's life.

Cassie Steele as MannySantos

Cassie Steele likes to play the bad girl, and that's a good thing, since her character Manny Santos has definitely had her share of bad girl experiences. "It's fun to play," she said. "I can't do it in real life." Plus, she said, "No matter how real the character is, it's not me... Having sex, getting an abortion. That's not me."

In season three, Manny got pregnant and later had an abortion. The abortion episode, however, was banned in the United States. Of the incident, Steele said, "I thought it was great," because it showed that abortion really is a controversial subject. "They can't run away from the issue," Steele added. Furthermore, she said, kids were going to see the episode anyway, whether it was through YouTube or a bootleg copy. The abortion episode finally did air in the United States in 2006 during a Degrassimarathon.

Also in response to the abortion episode ban, Steele said, "You can't candy coat it for too long." Degrassi is known for not sugar coating anything, and always telling stories in as true-to-life of a fashion as possible. "It's really important for girls to see that," Steele said of all of her character's storylines.

"Manny's not a bad person," Steele declared. She believes "Manny has leveled out" in terms of her rebelliousness. "All her friends lean on her shoulders now... She tells it like it is."

Steele also gets to share her true feelings, as she's launched quite a successful singing career. You can visit her MySpace page to listen to her tunes. Steele described her music as "more of indie stuff, not mainstream." She also said that "music is my heart and soul."

Recently Steele guest starred on The N's The Best Years and appeared in MTV's Super Sweet 16: The Movie.

Be sure to check out new episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation on The N, Fridays at 8 p.m. ET.

Additional Research By Sally Cohen-Cutler and Danny Rosenberg