from Kidzworld:
Interview - Degrassi's Cassie Steele
By: Sindy
Sindy: I just wanted to congratulate you on the new album coming out!
Cassie: Thank you very much.
Sindy: How was the recording process - was it what you expected?
Cassie: Yeah, it was actually a lot more fun than I expected. The first time around when I was doing a demo, I didn't have the same producer that I have now and I didn't have a very good connection with him, and he was also a co-writer. But the co-writer and producer I'm with now were really creatively in tune so it's a lot easier than it was.
Sindy: Are you going to be touring once the CD comes out?
Cassie: I think so. But probably during the summer cuz we have to get sponsors and stuff and it's really short notice.
Sindy: So will you be touring in North America?
Cassie: North America I think first. Cuz my CD is only sold in North America. But you can buy it online in the US or wherever you are.
Sindy: What do you enjoy more - acting or singing?
Cassie: Uhhh, actually I enjoy both equally. I don't think I could choose.
Sindy: Who are your musical influences? What kind of music are you listening to now?
Cassie: A lot of punk rock. I listen to various stuff just cuz my friends now listen to a lot of different bands. I listen to a lot of underground stuff like jungle music.
Sindy: If you had the opportunity to collaborate with someone musically, who would that be?
Cassie: Brodie Dalle from The Distillers. He's so hot!
Sindy: You've been working on Degrassi for a while now and you guys deal with some pretty intense situations on the show sometimes. Are you ever uncomfortable with any of the material you cover?
Cassie: No. There's always that feeling, like when I did the slutty episode when Manny turned bad, I was kind of like, 'Oh, what are my friends going to say about this?' Cuz when I'm in the mall or walking down the street, there are the occassional times when I get recognized. And you kind of worry about what people are saying about you. But, other than that, it's good.
Sindy: What was it like to meet Kevin Smith?
Cassie: He is a really funny guy. Him and Jason Mews are such a pair, they're so funny and witty. And Kevin Smith you wouldn't think just because of his characters, cuz a lot of people know him from his character Silent Bob and Silent Bob is obviously silent, but when Kevin Smith opens his mouth, people are drawn to him. He is so smart and witty and everything he says has this ironic twist. So it's really cool being around him.
Sindy: Were you a fan of Kevin Smith's before the show?
Cassie: Not really. I'm going to be honest.
Sindy: How about now?
Cassie: Yeah, when I found out he was going to be on the show I rented like, all his movies. I think Clerks is my favorite.
Sindy: What was your favorite Degrassi episode to work on?
Cassie: Probably, U Got the Look. Which is the episode where Manny gets to dress all scandalous - probably the most scandalous she's ever dressed. I got to wear this thong that was totally showing and this little, tiny top, it was like this little halter top. It was pretty cool.
Sindy: I was reading that you used to be very active in gymanastics. Do you ever miss that?
Cassie: Yeah I used to be an elite gymnast. I do miss it, but it's weird going back to it. I would always try to go back, but I used to be with this group when I was in gymnastics and they would always be ahead of me, and you just don't feel the same motivation as you used to.
Sindy: Are you working on any other projects right now?
Cassie: No, I think basically right now I am just focusing on music. We are starting rehersals soon for my release party. And, I'm really scared cuz I've never really performed live, and especially my own stuff, you know? I've been to singing contests and I've performed with people before but not my own stuff, with just me. It's going to be my band and stuff and we're all really close but still. I'm going to be like, 'I'm singing... and I don't know what to do on the guitar solo.' What if I'm just standing there? What if I can't vibe out to the music? I can't just be dancing around all the time.
Sindy: You could always just pull an Ashlee Simpson.
Cassie: Oh yeah - just walk off the stage.
Sindy: Do you attend regular school still?
Cassie: Uhh, yeah kind of. I go to school, but I'm not really a school person. I hate school. I think the system doesn't work at all. They say that tutoring on set helps and it works for some people. But it doesn't work for me. I go to this alternative school for kids with outside activities, and it's really easy and stuff but it's like, you're never there. And it's hard to motiviate yourself to contact them and give them your work when you're so busy. And on set you're working all the time and you do a scene and then you have a break and you're tutoring. And you don't want to have to work and then work again. You want down time for your next scene. I think next year I'm going to try and be home-schooled, but that'll probably bomb.
Sindy: Okay - now, what's your favorite food?
Cassie: Chips or ice cream.
Sindy: Favorite TV Shows?
Cassie: Family Guy and That '70s Show.
Sindy: Favorite Movie?
Cassie: Leon the Professional by Luc Besson and La Femme Nikita. Like, all his films I think are amazing.
Sindy: Item of clothing you could not live without?
Cassie: I just got these ripped jeans on sale on Kensington Market. I used to wear black baggy pants all the time, but I think these are like my new ones that I am going to wear everyday of my life. Like, I'm going to wear them in the shower.
Sindy: Do you have any advice for kids wanting to get into the industry?
Cassie: I don't know, cuz it's really hard. It's really all about luck. It's luck to get there but really hard work to stay there. It's hard to find your place first of all. And then it's hard work cuz you miss out on a lot of things. Friends are a major part of your life when you're a teenager so it's really hard to live without that sort of thing.
Sindy: How have your friends reacted to your fame?
Cassie: They think it's cool. But if I go to a party and stuff I hate it cuz like the buzz is killed when someone's like, 'Oh, it's the Degrassi chick. Oh she's doing this and Manny doesn't do that sort of thing'. They are so in tuned with your character that they don't see the actual person. But a lot of my closer friends are really cool with it, they don't really mention it.