Watch: "Degrassi: The Next Generation" Is Coming to HBO Max: EXCLUSIVELauren Collins wasn't too interested in this high school reunion. Indeed, while a new documentary about Degrassi premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival with alums like Drake and Miriam McDonald on Sept. 13, the actress shared why she decided not to participate. "It just didn't feel like the right move for me at the time," Lauren-who portrayed Paige Michalchuk in The Next Generation's first eight seasons until 2008-exclusively told E! News. "I'm so proud of my time on the show. I feel so grateful for it. I've been talking about it for 25 years and I'm happy to do it on my own terms." Although the 39-year-old didn't star in the documentary Degrassi: Whatever It Takes-which shared a deep dive into the show's nearly 40-year history-she added, "I've heard it's great and I'm excited to see it." For the My Dead Mom actress, her reunion with a few of her costars, including Nina Dobrev, Shane Kippel, Adamo Ruggiero, Stacey Farber, Cassie Steele and more Degrassi stars for Drake's "I'm Upset" music video in 2018 was the perfect conclusion.readDegrassi's Cassie Steele Reacts to Comparisons Between Her Character and Euphoria's Maddy"Coming back together to do the video was a really nice way to commemorate that," she reflected. "That really felt like a little closure that we all needed." She did, however, watch the trailer for the documentary, where Drake revealed that she was one of his first kisses. (The pair locked lips on season one episode six.) "I was like, 'I don't know if I knew that,'" she recalled. "I guess it's safe to assume because we were all so young when that happened. What's funny is, he was not one of mine." In fact, Lauren's was Degrassi star Daniel Clark, who played Sean Cameron, while they filmed I Was a Sixth Grade Alien from 1999 to 2000. George Pimentel/WireImage"That is where I had my first kiss on camera with Danny," she revealed, before playfully teasing, "I might have been his first kiss, but he wasn't mine. Sorry to this man!" Looking back at her time on set, Lauren-who shares sons Charlie, 5, and Leo, 2, with husband Jonathan Malen-emphasized that she will always have a special place in her heart for her costars. "You just have this mutual, shared experience that only so many of us on this earth share," she explained. "We're bonded for life, all of us. I have very warm, fond feelings for my original core cast." Lauren left Degrassi with more than just love for her costars. She helped blaze a trail for more queer storylines on the series after Paige became the first bisexual character.
Instagram"They found a really beautiful way to do it because ultimately, it was about the person," she said of the storyline. "It wasn't about the gender. It wasn't about the sex. This was even before we were really having these conversations about gender fluidity, sexual fluidity." Lauren emphasized she wanted Paige's relationship with Alex Nuñez (Deanna Casaluce)-who dated in seasons five to seven-to "be authentic to Paige." "It ended up working," she continued. "The relationship with Alex was a really sweet and beautiful one. It made sense for both of the characters at that moment where they were in their lives." For a closer look at the lives of more child stars, keep reading.
Getty Images; Splash NewsJonathan Taylor ThomasJTT rose to fame playing brainy and adorable middle child Randy Taylor on Home Improvement starting in 1991. His big-screen roles that decade included voicing young Simba in The Lion King (though that's not him singing) and starring with Brad Renfro in 1995's Tom and Huck and Devon Sawa in 1997's Wild America. He left Home Improvement in 1998 (Randy went to Costa Rica) to focus on school, but kept acting on his list of extracurriculars. He had a recurring role on 8 Simple Rules in 2004 and in 2013 reunited with TV dad Tim Allen to direct (and appear in ) several episodes of Last Man Standing. But though JTT backed away from the spotlight to live his life, which included graduating from Columbia in 2010, Thomas doesn't need to be onscreen to cause a splash: On the rare occasions the paparazzi snap him, the sightings go viral.
Columbia Tri Star/Kobal/Shutterstock; MediaPunch/ShutterstockJonathan LipnickiFew 6-year-olds have made splashier movie debuts than Lipnicki, who went toe-to-toe with Tom Cruise in the charm department in Jerry Maguire and got almost as many memorable lines. He went on to roles in the Stuart Little films, Doctor Dolittle (voicing Baby Tiger), The Little Vampire and Little Mike, and he guest-starred on Dawson's Creek, but took a break to have a normal high school experience. He's still in showbiz as an adult, starring in the 2023 Lifetime movie Secrets at the Museum. The L.A. native is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and in May 2021 he volunteered to provide additional security outside a mid-city synagogue amid a rise in anti-Semitic vandalism and harassment. In 2017, Lipnicki op