Kit Hood Interview Part 2 by Natalie Earl.

NE: How does it feel to know that Degrassi has a large cult following six years later?

KH: All these Degrassi websites have revitalized my interest in Degrassi. Since you informed me about the Degrassi community, I've visited most of the websites in the Degrassi Web Ring. For years I chose to not think about the show, but now I occasionally watch reruns on Showcase with a new appreciation. I realized that the data is still valid today, and the [dramatic and moralistic impact] has not lost its punch.

NE: Back in junior high and high school I used to watch the Degrassi series and think that you and Linda Schuyler had the best jobs in the world.

KH: I too felt that I was the luckiest man in the world. I would wake up in the morning and be astonished that Degrassi was really happening. I never dreamed it would be such a big success. However, Degrassi was always a small show [referring to the budget, technology, crew size, and resources]. Were never referred to the actors as stars, it was a team effort. Anybody that was around was used as an extra: Sari Friedland, Judy Shiner, Eve Jennings, and Kit Hood. Look in the backgrounds carefully and you will see us.

KH: There were certain benefits to having a small film crew. Phillip Earnshaw, the Director of Photography was so tuned-in. He could read my mind. Most cameramen don't give a damn about an actor's performance. But with Phillip I could whisper an idea and he would know exactly what I was talking about and exactly why. Sometimes in the middle of filming I would want to change the emotional or artistic direction of the scene. Completely abandoning how we rehearsed it. I could not have been so impulsive if the film crew was big. Last minute changes would have thrown everyone off track, resulting in complications.

NE: I understand that you dedicate a lot time to the Internet.

KH: The last few years I have been heavily involved with the Internet. I am still amazed at how it connects people with similar interests and ideas. The Internet allows us to be very democratic. The Degrassi Web Ring is democratic, it allows fans to band together to keep the Degrassi series alive.

NE: I feel cheated that there was never a Degrassi Reunion show, so many of us Generation X-ers grew up with Degrassi.

KH: The idea of a Degrassi reunion was not entirely neglected. CBC did talk about a reunion about 5 years ago. But it was hard to develop the right environment. We are all older now, and have gone onto different projects. The actors cannot pass for students anymore, it would have to be under a different frame. The problem would be how to present it.

NE: If there were to be a reunion, it would not have to be a fictional drama. It could be like Degrassi Legacy, with information about the cast and crew's real lives. We want to know who is married, who has kids, their education, and career experience.

KH: I can tell you that Maureen McKay (Michelle) is now a lawyer. Playing With Time Foundation began during the early years of DJH and continues today. 20 or 30 kids are still with the program. The Foundation meetings are sometimes held in Epitome's Boardroom, and Heather Easton, who looks after a lot of PWTF business, now works for Epitome. Each year Degrassi Allumni apply for funding for their individual ambitions, such as for their careers or college.

NE: The Canadian government or television commission should preserve the set locations as historical landmarks such as Degrassi Grocery, Vincent Massey Junior School, and Centennial College

KH: Well, Centennial College looks much different now that it has been renovated. One of the problems was maintaining a reliable location to film Degrassi High. Since Centennial College was being renovated, we were granted a 2-year contract to use the building. Luckily we secured a one-year extension, however we could not go on year by year with such uncertainty. I still own a piece of Degrassi history: the original alarm clock that is shown on the opening credits of Degrassi. It still sits on my shelf.

NE: Why was Degrassi merchandise available in Canada but not the United States?

KH: Most merchandise was given as freebies for promotion. The 2nd year we made calendars as Christmas gifts to our clients and suppliers. Most of the photos were still frames from the series but some were candid shots. I noticed that some of the Degrassi website have rare photos, they must have been given to you by an insider because they were never released to the general public.

NE: I am dying to know what the term Narbos actually means

KH: The term N.A.R.B.O.S. is an acronym for "No Acting Required, Bowl of Soup". Although the meaning has been mistranslated by the cast and crew. I coined the term from a Russian film director who produced a film about an old man looking sad and desperate. In the editing the director juxtaposed a bowl of soup, creating the illusion that the man appeared hungry for the bowl of soup. The NARBOS statement was directed at the background players. I wanted the students to act natural, to just be themselves. The hardest thing is to tell a bunch of anxious teenager to relax and ignore the camera. I didn't want them appearing hungry for bowls of soup.

NE: What can the Degrassi fans do to KEEP The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and Degrassi High on the air?

KH: You can pester the television stations that serve your areas: WGBH Boston, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Showcase, Nickelodeon, Disney, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Now that you have the Degrassi Internet community you have created a resurgence of interest. TV stations are impressed with Web Rings that tie-in to television shows.

NE: Tell me about the fan mail that Degrassi received.

KH: It was the touching fan letters that gave me the motivation to get though rough days. There were times that the pressure would escalate, especially when the kids were being rowdy and noncompliant. The fan letters prevented me from exploding at everybody. It was encouraging to read how we touched their lives. Teenagers would actually make major decisions based on our show. For that reason we tried to cover as many issues as possible. One letter was from a boy who wanted to kill himself but the episode where Claude commits suicide motivated him to seek help. He realized that he was angry with other people and was seeking a way to end his frustration.

KH: One of the things that I admire about you Natalie is that you are paying tribute to Degrassi because it brought you happiness as a teenager. I believe that you have to give back to the community. You have to dedicate a percentage of your life to helping others. If you don't your karma catches up with you.

NE: Is there any chance of a Degrassi spin-off series?

KH: There is a Canadian series that is gritty and raw edged, it is called Straight Up, it is similar to Degrassi but updated for the1990's. Degrassi was right for the 1980's because that era were very selfish. The 1990s are a different mentality, teenagers are more involved with political and social issues, Degrassi wouldn't fit in. I would love to invent another Degrassi type series. The message of Degrassi and the need for morality has not changed. The issues [abortion, suicide, drugs, and homosexuality] are still highly relevant. But for a reincarnated Degrassi to work, it would have to be under the right circumstances with modernized material. Maybe in ten years Degrassi will become cool again.

NE: Can you clarify the rumour regarding Beverly Hills 90210 and Degrassi Junior High?

KH: The Beverly Hills 90210 rumour blew out of proportion. The producers of 90120 did approach us for information and advice in regards to the development 90210. However they never offered to buy the rights to Degrassi Junior High. 90210 premiered in September 1990 but it was not a deliberate mimic of Degrassi.

I truly hate it when people compare 90210 to Degrassi. We had entirety different concepts and appealed to different audiences. Aaron Spelling knew how to market 90210. Linda and I were not experienced in marketing. Our emphasis was providing moralsitic integrity. The Degrassi series was never about making money. Toronto is not Hollywood, we do not have the same mentality or resources. Degrassi succeeded because were had support from television stations around the world. Thanks to British Broadcasting Corporation my grandfather in England was able to watch Degrassi.

Note: See Mark's paper on Degrassi vs. Beverly Hills 90210

http://www.degrassi.org/paper.htm

NE: Why did the Degrassi series end?

KH: I got tired of the Degrassi Series two years before it ended. To please the network and fans I held out for one more season, but it was a tedious task. I was getting tired of the television series treadmill: getting up at 6:30 a.m. for 14 day filming schedules. I did not have a life. Linda and I would eat, sleep, breath, and dream Degrassi. However we could not abandon the project because the fans had become addicted, they needed their weekly fix of Degrassi, as if it were a drug.

KH: I wanted to end Degrassi so I could do feature films. But also I wanted to keep the show honest. The kids were getting older and we had covered every conceivable topic. The most prominent characters were graduating and we didn't feel comfortable with introducing a new class. We could have used Joey, as it was established that he had flunked a grade, (we could have kept on flunking him, I guess,,) but what were we supposed to with the other actors? What was the point, other than to drag out the show? The show had run it's course. We wanted to get out while it was still hot. We didn't want to reach the point where the viewers could predict that show's formula and outcomes.

NE: What happened after Degrassi High ended?

KH: After Degrassi High ended we did Degrassi Talks and the made-for-television movie X-Rated, which was the pilot to the Liberty Street series. However, I wanted to crossover to films. A half-hour time slot is not enough to tell an elaborate story. I feel more satisfied with projects such as Dancing on the Moon.

KH: When we finished producing the Degrassi series, all the Playing With Time people went their different ways. Linda temporarily assumed the name Time to Play and later developed Epitome Pictures. I called my company Timeless Pictures. I still own the Playing With Time building (the name is still on the window) but it is rented out to another company. I now operate out of Page Active in Toronto and from my home office.

Find out more about Playing With Time at http://www.degrassi.org/History

NE: I understand that you are developing a new television show based on the Internet.

KH: I'm working on a bunch of projects that involve the 'net. I've been very interested in the convergence of computers and broadcast Television since1984. When our first Macintosh arrived at PWT, I looked for ways to introduce it to its cousin, the TV. I hoped an incestuous relationship would develop. It has, and I'm excited by what's possible now.

I've spent a lot of time visiting web-sites and discovering what people are doing on the 'net . I'm associated with a company that develops some very exciting web-based sofware 'tools' and they encourage me play along with some of their more way-out ideas.

It's funny, suddenly it seems that many of my projects are Converging. Right now I am compiling research for a 'net/TV series based around an interactive web community. Participants from around the world can reach out to one another for advice. I hope that someone who has experienced personal growth through adversity will want to share their knowlage, and help other people. It will be family oriented with a teen emphasis. If anything is going to get us through the 1990's it will be a re-evaluation of family values. Other programs are later down the road, perhaps 2-5 years.

My favorite project is a show similar to the fairy tales Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz but situated in cyberspace. It's an adventure story, full of wierd and wonderful characters. It is very entertaining and poses an important question about the effect the 20th Century will have on the evolution of the human race.

ie: What will happen if mankind's explosive love-affair with scientific/technological invention continues long enough for mankind to forget that global survival really relies on something else. It's exciting to be able to work on ideas like this. I guess I do still have the best job in the world