It's a scene many Canadians of a certain generation would remember — at least those who are secret (or not-so-secret) fans of the nearly 40-year-old Canadian television franchise Degrassi.
In the 1992 two-hour made-for-TV-movie wrapping up Degrassi High, Caitlin Ryan doesn't feel she's ready to have sex with boyfriend Joey Jeremiah.
So behind her back, he starts dating and having sex with the beautiful and promiscuous Tessa Campanelli. Then Caitlin finally feels ready to have sex with Joey, and does so.
But meanwhile, Tessa has become pregnant, and, in one of the emotionally dramatic scenes that are a hallmark of Degrassi, Caitlin finds out what's been going on behind her back.
While their characters probably weren't too fond of each other, Stacie Mistysyn, who played Caitlin, and Kirsten Bourne, who played Tessa, actually get along just fine in real life.
The two will be appearing as the guests of honour at Graphic-Con at the Sudbury Arena tomorrow (Saturday, June 10).
“We like to joke about it — Team Caitlin or Team Tessa,” Mistysyn said, speaking to Sudbury.com in a phone interview to promote Graphic-Con.
Now 45 years old, Mistysyn first appeared on The Kids of Degrassi Street in the early 1980s, when she was 10 years old.
She said she was leaving a dance class when she spotted a stack of pamphlets that said “kids wanted.” They turned out to be an audition call-out for Degrassi. Mistysyn had no prior theatre or acting experience.
She ended up playing a character named Lisa Canard on The Kids of Degrassi Street. Mistysyn then played Caitlin on Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, and has also appeared on Degrassi: The Next Generation and even its latest iteration, Degrassi: Next Class.
“I'm probably one of the longest holdovers out of everybody,” Mistysyn said.
When asked if she feels like she graduated from Degrassi, Mistysyn said she does. Growing up on the show, Mistysyn said she had two groups of friends — one from her real high school, and one from Degrassi.
“I had a bit of trouble trying to balance the two groups,” she said. “My parents were also very strict. I wasn't allowed to socialize as much as I wanted to.”
The TV series version of the after-school special, Degrassi is known for tackling contemporary issues affecting teens. That means that the Degrassi characters seem to have a disproportionate number of unfortunate things happen to them.
Besides the cheating drama described above, Caitlin's character has epilepsy, dates a young man who dies from suicide and thinks her parents are going to get divorced after her dad has an affair.
Mistysyn said she especially enjoyed the epilepsy story arc because it was her “first big episode.”
These kinds of issues happen in every school, she said, but perhaps are dispersed among many more students, “not the select group that they focus on in Degrassi.”
Of course, the most famous Degrassi alum is Canadian rapper Drake, a.k.a. Aubrey Drake Graham, who played Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, a character paralyzed from the waist down after a school shooting.
Mistysyn said she met Graham when she was reprising her role on Degrassi: The Next Generation, long before he became an international superstar. She remembers being impressed with the actor, then a young teen.
“He was very polite when I was working on the next generation,” he said. “He was one of the few that actually came up and introduced himself and shook my hand. That always made an impression.”
These days, Mistysyn, who's married to actor James Gallanders, describes herself as a “full-time mom” to her two young kids, Grayson, 4, and River, 2, and isn't involved in show biz much anymore.
A few years back, along with fellow Degrassi alum Amanda Stepto (she played teen mom Spike), she used to DJ at '80s music nights.
Mistysyn said she's excited to appear in Sudbury at Graphic-Con, as it's only the fourth such appearance she's made. Degrassi stars are currently touring the country in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Degrassi Junior High.
“We can do photos, sign autographs, chat and answer questions,” Mistysyn said. “I'm very excited to be welcomed to your wonderful city.”
There will be a small charge for autographs from Mistysyn and Bourne, Graphic-Con organizers say. Graphic-Con runs at the Sudbury Arena Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Learn more on the event's website.
