Ryan Cooley had starred as “J.T. Yorke” from day one of Degrassi: The Next Generation.  So when the producers let him know prior to Season 6 that his character would be the first ever to be killed off the series, it was a jolt, to say the least.  Ryan had to keep the deadly secret through the next ten episodes, and only during the initial table-read for his swan song did his castmates learn of his upcoming demise.  They freaked.  Some cried, others openly lobbied against it.  For viewers and fellow actors, there may not be a more popular guy in the show’s history.  But, as Ryan acknowledges, having thugs from a rival school stab one of Degrassi’s most-beloved students gave the storyline an emotional wallop.  The 19-year-old actor continues to help publicize the acclaimed drama, and sat down for some website Q & A’s when he visited WBNX recently.  You can watch his interview here, and also find a behind-the-scenes recap of his final day on Degrassi on YouTube.

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