Interview Crushable

'Degrassi's' Charlotte Arnold, Raymond Ablack Go Head To Head In Season

As the second incarnation of hit Canadian teen soap opera Degrassi, Degrassi: The Next Generation, gets ready to kick off its tenth (!) season, fans here in U.S. can prepare for a whole new way of watching Degrassi. The two-hour original TV movie The Heat Is On, premiering Monday, July 19, starts six straight weeks of Degrassi episodes, airing nightly at 9 p.m. ET on TeenNick.

Before we get a chance to enjoy the new Degrassi eps, Crushable spoke to two of the show’s stars, Charlotte Arnold, who plays Holly J, and Raymond Ablack, who plays Sav. After spilling to us about Raymond’s girlfriend, Charlotte’s journalism studies and their off-camera expeditions with their fellow cast members — including a story about former cast member Drake — Char and Ray got into the good stuff: some spoilers about the coming season, starting with the TV movie that features Charlotte as Holly J quite prominently.

What can we expect from Holly J and Sav’s story lines this season?

Charlotte: Well, the TV movie that we filmed in New York last fall that kind of launches this season on July 19. And I have a pretty big role in that. Holly J, my character, has gone to New York with her boyfriend and got an internship at an MTV-sort of studio. So she has spent the summer pursuing her dreams and in career mode and she’s with this really rich guy and stuff, so when school starts back it’s kind of like a big reality check for her that she’s back at Degrassi and her parents haven’t got a lot of money, and it’s not as glamorous as her summer has been. So she sort of has to start, not from scratch, but claw her way back up there to try and get where she wants to be.

Raymond: And then Season 10 comes right off the ending of that movie. So right as Holly J comes back to Degrassi, that’s where we start Season 10, which is nice. I am in the movie, but certainly not as focused on as much as Charlotte’s character is.

Charlotte: He’s got a rock show right at the beginning.

Raymond: That’s right. I do a sweet jump off the amp. It looks cool. So Season 10 starts with Holly J coming back and just expecting to take her school as the queen bee and in Grade 12 as well. But Sav, and I think this is true for a lot of kids going into rade 12, Sav was friends with all the Grade 12s from the year previous. So all those kids are gone..All his friends were seniors so he’s expected to be head honcho at the school, but it turns out that he has no real friends at the school anymore. So it’s a lot of him trying to discover some new friends and develop some new relationships and trying to grab this year by the reins and his struggle with that.

Charlotte: And where they collide is with this big election at the beginning of the school year because Holly J used to be president and Sav’s getting some ideas that he’s going to give her a run for his money….It gets a little crazy. Holly J tries to sabotage the race in a very complicated and unbelievable sort of way. But you’ll see.

Raymond: I feel like they draw some parallels to real life in that story line.

Charlotte: Holly J takes on the Hilary Clinton role and he’s Obama for sure.

Raymond: Barack!

What can we expect from your romantic relationships on the show this season?

Charlotte: Declan and Holly J’s relationship is still strong, but they kind of come to realize that the whole long distance thing –- as I think many kids do –- it’s just not realistic for a lot of people. So that distance kind of brings them apart, and money issues –- Holly J not having a lot and Declan obviously having money to spare, just kind of they’re at a different place in their lives. So they’re working on it. They’re trying to work it out.

Raymond: Sav came out of that relationship with Anya, and that was a long-standing relationship, I feel like, but I’m not positive, that it must have been one of the longest relationships on Degrassi – Sav and Anya. So it’s pretty monumental for him not to be with her anymore. But he’s grown out of that and I think he’s really enjoying just playing the field and enjoying the time to himself to discover himself. So I don’t know if he’s quite ready to jump into a relationship just yet with anyone. But this is Degrassi so anything can happen and anything always does happen…I think he’s like me, he falls in love with every girl that he sees. But I don’t think that he plays with every girl that he sees…he’s definitely a hopeless romantic but he’s not malicious, I don’t think. Or at least he doesn’t try to be.

Are there any scenes or story lines that you’ve had that you have felt really uncomfortable doing?

Charlotte: Without giving anything away, yeah. Holly J gets a little dirty this year. So for me, filming a certain scene at 6:30 in the morning was a little uncomfortable, in front of all the people who are like your family…Like a sex scene. But for the most part, I think we’re all really game for whatever. It all seems very in character, whatever you’re doing. And obviously Degrassi is a safe and loving environment, so we trust each other.

Raymond: As much as those scenes are a little uncomfortable, I think in retrospect, when you look back at them, that’s kind of like why you’re acting. You want to feel a little uncomfortable and be pushed, that helps you grow and stuff.

Charlotte: Often you’ve had to perform.

Raymond: Yeah, like, wearing that…

Charlotte: Yeah, you had to wear that funny costume and sing a song the other day.

Raymond: Yeah, and I didn’t like that. But after, when you look back at it later, that’s what helps you grow as an actor. So it’s enjoyable while it’s unenjoyable.

Charlotte: And, we like to keep the show exciting.

Do you sing your own songs?

Raymond: Yeah. But the thing is, I like to think that I’m a far better singer than Sav. My idea for Sav is that he thinks he’s a really great singer but he’s terrible. I guess he’s not very good. He can stay on pitch and stuff, but he’s not very good. And I like to think I’m a better singer than that.

What was it like for you guys to join a show like Degrassi that was already so established?

Charlotte: I was a huge fan. I remember trying out for the first season, for Liberty, and getting down to one of the final few for that. Because there was such a big buzz in Toronto at the time about the rebirth of the series, everyone was really curious. And I watched the first few seasons and was obviously really into it. And I auditioned again in Season 4 and again in Season 7 and that’s when I finally got a role. It was just a thrill to join a show, not only that has a built-in fan base that everyone is really passionate about, especially Canadians who kind of consider it really close to their heart. But just the way the studio is run, it’s this incredible machine and…it’s like clockwork. I was really intimidated at first, but pretty soon I was right in the mix.

Raymond: What better honor than joining this show? It feel like when we came on in Season 7 it was so established, the dinner table was already set and we just sat down and enjoyed. It was like a restaurant. We were just guests and we came in and we’re enjoying the amazing dinner right now.

Charlotte: That’s a very good metaphor. Or simile, I don’t know if you used the word like.

How do you feel about leaving the show, now that you’re Grade 12s?

Raymond: I don’t want to. I don’t know if I’ll ever find another family like the one here at Degrassi. It’s not something I’m looking forward to, leaving this show, but all good things must come to an end.

Charlotte: Yeah, me either. I mean, obviously starting as a Grade 10 you knew that it was going to come to an end eventually. They tried the university story lines and I think it’s better to keep it in school, so we’re all pretty realistic. And last year, a bunch of our cast mates left – five last year…every year everyone’s used to leaving and new kids come in, and that’s one good thing about it. But the other good thing about Degrassi is you can always come back. Oftentimes they write characters back. And I’m sure we’ll visit and see everyone. It will be sad.

Raymond: My best friend in the entire world…

Charlotte: In the entire world, they’re inseparable!

Raymond: Is Dalmar Abuzeid, who played Danny on the show. That’s like my little piece of Degrassi that I’m never going to lose because I’m going to be with him forever. I can guarantee that.

Do you have any crazy fan stories?

Raymond: We have devoted fans, but I don’t think we have crazy ones. Like we have one fan, Amanda – Amanda: this is a shout out to you from Raymond and Charlotte. She’s fantastic. She comes out to every event, she always says hi, we’ve sort of become friends, she comes to every Soundspeed show [Raymond's band with former Degrassi cast mates]. I never have to fear that we’re going on with no one in the audience because she’s always there and she’s got a smile on her face, first one there, last one to leave, and really enjoys herself.

Charlotte: But even that relationship is a little different because she’ll see us around Toronto and just going to school and riding the subway. I think there’s that feeling that if you’re just a regular kid in Toronto you’ve probably gone to school with someone from Degrassi, so it’s not really this untouchable thing. Whereas [in the U.S.] I feel like it’s so foreign and exciting for people. But it’s nice, coming here and seeing that enthusiasm.

So do you think your American fans are more enthusiastic?

Charlotte: For the most part, on a larger scale.

Raymond: But it’s justified, though, because they don’t get to see us on the streets. Whereas people in Toronto, are like, yeah, there’s Sav again.

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