MAP: How did you get hired for the role of Bartholomew Bond? Did PWT have a classified ad, and how come you only got hired for 3rd season? How did you find out about auditions for Degrassi Junior High?

TC: First of all, how I was hired: I was in grade seven, and strangely enough the librarian decided to tell us that he knew the producer and director of the show, Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler. I guess they had put the word out to him, and so he told just about everyone in the school. He told us this fantastic story of the actress who played Stephanie Kay, and how she was taken on an all-expenses promo trip to Switzerland. The fame was a magnet for all us 12 year olds, and so he concluded with, "If I think you'll make it, or if I think you have what it takes, I'll give you a good word." Well, suffice it to say, I never heard from him. My best friend at the time though, did. I was a little disappointed, and so I actually went to the office itself and asked for an audition form on my own. I must confess, I actually did carry around a black briefcase at the time (Michael J Fox on family ties was my hero), and so the rest is history. I was hired for the third season, because that's just the way it happened. The office was only about four blocks from my home, and ironically I was told about the office hiring for the original auditions, but I never went over. Besides, I would have been nine or ten years old anyway...

MAP: How different or similar are you to Bartholomew Bond?

TC: Well, back then I was kind of young, naive and immature, so I really was quite a match. I've grown a lot since then (it's been ten years) and so I don't think I retain much other than his stunningly good looks... :o)

MAP: What have you been doing since Degrassi ended? Education, career? Do you act, or have gone onto other things?

MAP:What education do you have?

TC: I just graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in economics. I now work for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Canada's second largest bank. I'm not exactly exec or anything, but I hope to one day be an investment advisor and or a broker of some sort. I acted for a short while after the show, but work in the field is quite sporadic. It was impossible to base an income on acting, and being a teenager and all I needed that weekly paycheque. So, I went to work as a stockboy in a pharmacy, making $12 a week. Humble beginnings...

MAP:How old are you now?

TC: I'm 23 almost, and no, no one really keeps in touch. We all did for a while, but everyone kind of went back to their normal lives. Some of us actually pursued acting as a career, but most of us went back to being kids, living out the dramas we had acted for TV.

MAP: Did any of the actors date each other? Was there any tension between any of the actors? Did you all get along?

TC: Yes, there were brief romances all over the place, (none here), but nothing significant, nothing lasting. Sorry I don't have any dirt for y'all!

MAP:Did you make any friends on Degrassi that you kept in touch with now, or have you all drifted off?

TC: Crew immediately moved on; for the grips and gaffers, assistants, other crew, this industry was their bread and butter, so I imagine they all work for different production companies now, earning a living.

MAP:How was working with Linda, Kit, Sari, & Yan?

TC: Working with Kit et al was fine. I was a child and they were adults, so there wasn't too much to 'chat' about. None of us keep in touch. I'm not too sure what happened, but PWT broke after the show, the show didn't break because of PWT. I think it was a sort of philosophical difference between Kit and Linda, and so Kit went to Europe to direct over there, and Linda continued to produce shows for Canadian TV.

TC: Acting on Degrassi was mondo-positive. It wasn't the defining characteristic of my existence, but it was my fifteen minutes of fame, nad I am grateful for that. I saved what I made, and got my trip to Switzerland after all.

MAP: Do people recognize you as Bart? Do you still look the same as when you were on Degrassi?

TC: People don't recognize me anymore, and that's okay. While the show was big, people did all the time. It was really flattering to be on vacation even, and have people come up to me. It was such a treat to have people approach you and want to know more about you, even though the two were complete strangers. That odd, 'TV connection' I guess.

TC: I look the same, I guess. I've lost the afro. I can actually look cool now, something I wasn't allowed to do back then. So, I got it goin on... or whatever.

TC: In terms of character development, it was no big thing. Everything went alright in that department. My role was sub-plot, there was never to be an, "all about Bart" episode. And that was okay.

MAP: What was your favourite episode, if you have one?

TC: All in all, the whole experience was something I'll never forget. Again, it didn't alter my lasting lifestyle or anything, but it was still something to be treasured. No fave episode. It was ALL GOOD!

Trevor Cummings