There are many Degrassi superfans in the world, but the one who’s arguably made the most noise about his fanatical obsession with the teen drama—or, more specifically, one of its characters—is actor-director Kevin Smith (Clerks). The man who gave the world Silent Bob has had it bad for Stacie Mistysyn’s fictional firebrand Caitlin Ryan since the show first aired, although the feeling wasn’t entirely mutual. Mistysyn came face to face with her biggest fan around the time her character graduated from high school. Here’s how it played out:
“I was actually waitressing at a restaurant, and I got a call around one in the morning, after I’d staggered home completely drunk from our Christmas party. A friend of mine was having a party [and Kevin was there]. She put Kevin on the phone, and they were trying to convince me to come to the party. I actually had to work a morning shift, so I was like, ‘There’s no way. I can’t.’ He said he desperately wanted to meet me, and he was gonna come to my restaurant, and asked me what time I started work.
“Anyhow, the next morning, I show up for my shift completely hung over. I had no recollection of the phone conversation. And there he is, with his friend. They’re sitting in a booth and I’m in my stupid little Joe Badali’s outfit, with my nametag. I made coffee for them and sat down with them. We had a good conversation, and Kevin told me about wanting to put me in Mallrats, and all the various projects he had planned. I had numerous run-ins with him when I lived in L.A., and we were were supposed to work on so many things together, but, y’know, it just neeeever happened.”
Eventually, Smith starred as (a slightly stylized version of) himself in a special multi-episode arc during the fourth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. In addition to featuring a cameo by Alanis Morissette, the episodes were notable for blurring the lines between Smith’s real-life and fictional fantasies: The actor-director’s “character” made out with a drunk Caitlin Ryan.
“Yes,” Mistysyn sighs, “he finally had his way with me, with Caitlin. He finally got what he wanted…on his own terms.”
