Image Credit: Stephen Scott/Epitome Pictures
In the drama-filled halls of Degrassi Community School, it can be tough to find a lasting relationship. Especially if you make too many trips to the ravine.
Thankfully, seniors Fiona Coyne and Imogen Moreno have managed to stay paired for an impressive 35 episodes — despite the leering jocks, mean girls, and family tragedies that have threatened to tear them apart. The girls’ stable, realistic coupledom is one of the factors that helped Degrassi snag its 5th GLAAD Media Award nomination this year.
Can “Fimogen” keep their streak going, even as prom and graduation loom? We sat down with actresses Annie Clark and Cristine Prosperi — as well as Degrassi executive producers Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn — to find out. Also on the docket: The girls’ favorite old Degrassi characters, their love of Degrassi alum Drake, and season 12′s heart-wrenching suicide plotline.
Entertainment Weekly: Though your characters have been in a relationship for a while, both of them started out straight. Was it tough to wrap your head around being involved with a girl?
Annie Clark: I kind of equate myself finding out to how Fiona found out, when she finally realized that she was a lesbian. Fiona came out and didn’t really have much of a struggle, which I think was really important to portray. Of course it’s important to show the people who have had difficulty coming out — it’s equally as important to show the times when everyone’s cool with it.
Cristine Prosperi: And for me, with Imogen, I feel like it’s really cool that we don’t really know if she’s lesbian or bisexual. She’s just connected with someone. That’s what teenagers need sometimes, just to connect with someone.
Annie: To not have the labels.
Linda Schuyler: It’s interesting that you say you didn’t know your character was going to be gay, because neither did we. [laughter]
