Drake Almost Left ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’ and Filed a Lawsuit - Why?
According to the show's writer, Drake's Character in "Degrassi: The Next Generation" was confirmed to be altered based on the artist's request.
E! reported that the cast members and creators of the beloved television series recently revealed some behind-the-scene stories during the 20th-anniversary celebration of "Degrassi." The most shocking secret that was shared involved Drake's refusal to play his role as Jimmy Brooks.
Based on the article, Jamie Hurst, the show's screenwriter, had recalled how he had a conversation with the former child star while they were preparing to film the sixth season.
In season four, Hurst had written in that Jimmy Brooks would be paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by Rick Murray's character- Ephraim Ellis. However, Drake got sick of the wheelchair and started becoming "adamant" in demanding the executives change the plot.
Drake Almost Filed A Lawsuit
"There was a letter from a law firm in Toronto, and it was from Aubrey. It was an odd letter that said, 'Aubrey Graham will not return to Degrassi season six as Jimmy Brooks unless his injury is healed, and he is out of the wheelchair," Jamie confessed while mentioning the rapper's real name.
Drake was then called to face the writer and then asked about the letter, to which he replied that he had no idea what letter the writer was referring to.
"And I said, 'Alright, I understand. But how do you feel about the wheelchair?' He's like, 'All my friends in the rap game say I'm soft because I'm in a wheelchair.' And I said, 'Well, tell your friends in the rap game that you got shot."
Hurst explained as he continued sharing the memory, "How much harder can you get? You got shot, and you're in a wheelchair,"
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Drake Struggled With His Role
According to the screenwriter, the 14-year old Drake "instantly backed down" after hearing his side and was "so nice and apologetic about everything."
"I said, 'Aubrey, there's some kid somewhere in a wheelchair, who's completely ignored, who's never in television, never gets represented. I need you to represent this person. You're the coolest kid on the show, and you can say there's nothing wrong with being in a wheelchair," Jamie passionately told the star.
It wasn't only the creators of "Degrassi" who saw how the "One Dance" singer had struggled with handling the wheelchair.
Based on this article by People, Drake's co-star Lauren Collins, who was known for her character Paige Michalchuk, had remembered the celebrity "toppling the [wheel]chair over" and even "falling off of makeshift ramps" that the production staff had constructed for him.
