The current lawsuit by Drake on UMG has people remembering his acting career.

Drake’s early acting career on Degrassi: The Next Generation brought him widespread recognition, but the rapper reportedly had serious reservations about one major plot twist involving his character.

On the show, Drake played Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star whose life takes a dramatic turn after he is paralyzed from the waist down in a school shooting during Season 4. This storyline saw Jimmy using a wheelchair, a representation of life-changing trauma that became a key element of the show’s authenticity. However, according to former Degrassi writer James Hurst, Drake—then credited as Aubrey Graham—strongly opposed this development.

TORONTO LAWFIRM

“There was a letter from a law firm in Toronto, and it was from Aubrey,” Hurst revealed in an interview with The A.V. Club. “The letter essentially said, ‘Aubrey Graham will not return to Degrassi Season 6 as Jimmy Brooks unless his injury is healed, and he’s out of the wheelchair.’”

Hurst recounted his reaction to the legal threat, which he found puzzling. “I said, ‘Get him down here,’” Hurst explained. When Drake came in for a discussion, he seemed to distance himself from the letter, claiming he wasn’t aware of it.

The underlying issue, according to Hurst, was Drake’s concern about how the storyline impacted his image, especially as he was beginning to establish his rap career. “He told me, ‘All my friends in the rap game say I’m soft because I’m in a wheelchair.’” Hurst countered by highlighting the strength in the narrative, saying, “Tell your friends you got shot. How much harder can you get? You got shot, and you’re in a wheelchair.”

Ultimately, Drake decided to move forward with the role and dropped any push to alter the storyline. TODAY reached out to Drake for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

This moment from behind the scenes illustrates the tension between authentic storytelling and the image an actor—especially one transitioning into music—seeks to cultivate.