Long before he was the biggest star in hip-hop, Drake was putting food on the table as an actor. He was famously “Wheelchair Jimmy” on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Admittedly though, it wasn’t the glamorous job any of us might envision.
“My mother was very sick. We were very poor, like broke. The only money I had coming in was off of Canadian TV, which isn’t that much money when you break it down. A season of Canadian television is under a teacher’s salary, I’ll tell you that much. It’s definitely not something to go f**king get,” he told Complex in 2011.
Clearly, rapping worked out more for Drake in the long run, signing under Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment label. But he was still interested in pursuing both early in his career. Back in 2011, he initially signed on to join the cast of Nicholas Jarecki’s Arbitrage. The film was described as a “financial thriller” where a hedge fund tycoon tries to sell his shady business while also having an affair.
At the time, it was reported that Susan Sarandon and Eva Green were officially slated for the film. Eventually, the cast was filled out with Richard Gere as the main character and Tim Roth and Nate Parker in supporting roles.
Arbitrage had its fair share of positive reviews, and maybe the rapper born Aubrey Graham could’ve leveraged the role into even bigger films. However, there was one problem: he still had to finish Take Care.
Drake Dropped Out of a Film With Legendary Actors in Order To Finish His Classic Album ‘Take Care’
The gamble clearly worked out in the end. Take Care cemented him as the biggest star in hip-hop, the rare talent that could rap with the best of them and sing undeniable hooks. Some of his biggest songs were spawned from the album, like “The Motto”, “Headlines”, and “Marvin’s Room”.
At this point in his career, it’s unclear if Drake would ever return to acting. He’s tried his hand at streaming various times. Moreover, some of his music videos allow him to flex his silly comedic chops as an actor. But there have been no clear attempts at wanting to hang it up in hip-hop and return to the acting side of things.
It’s a clear contrast from his outlook back in 2010. In an interview at the time, Drake teased that the only thing holding him back from retreating from the spotlight was finding the love of his life. Moreover, he said that he wanted to ideally leave music behind at around 35 years old.
“There are artists that are 35 and upwards who still make rap and it still works for them. I don’t know if I’ll be that guy. A lot of my music is about being young and figuring it all out. So I don’t know if I can still make my brand of music when I’m up there. Maybe I’ll be acting, or whatever it is,” Drake said.
(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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