Entertainment

Is Drake Getting Back Into Acting?

by Daniela Cabrera

Thanks to Drake and fervent celebrity culture, I'm 100 percent sure that it's possible to pretty much know everything about the television series Degrassi without ever having actually watched it. I mean, I know I've probably seen a Jimmy Brooks meme more than I have of any other television character, and in this meme-obsessed age, that's saying a lot. Drake has had unimaginable, record-breaking success as a solo artist in the music world, but it seems like his roots behind the screen have never fully left him. In fact, in a recent interview with W Art magazine, Drake shared that he is ready to get back to acting. He said, according to the

I can’t wait to get back into acting...No one ever asks me to do movies, and, although music is my focal point now, I’d love to do a film. That was the life that I lived before, and it would be interesting to live it again.

This is great news, as I'm sure you know if you've ever seen Drake's excellent acting on Degrassi . And, even if you haven't, just trust me. After all, Drake is probably the most sensitive rapper out there, meaning he's a bit more in touch with his emotions. He already has obvious experience on a television show, and Drake actually has talked about his acting return for quite a few years now.

Way back in 2010, Drake already started hinting to the industry that he was hoping to step back behind the screen. In a May cover story for XXL , he talked about his future goals:

That’s probably my biggest goal, is to get back into acting and really pick the right projects...I’ve been reading different scripts, but I know what I want to do and what type of project I want to be involved in, and I’ve just been getting the typical projects that they’d offer to a new rapper, and it’s like, ’Ehh, that’s not really what I want to do or how I see myself.’ I can actually act...I've studied acting. I've studied the craft and I'm also very open to receiving a role and committing my time whether it's two weeks, a month, two months, before the movie starts shooting to really get into that role.

I love a man with confidence. Only a few months later, in a story for Paper Mag in July 2010, Drake drove the point home again. He said, "I have an extreme desire to get back into acting and I've been in conversations non-stop about what kind of projects I'm going to pick, who I'd like to work with and things of that nature. I really have to gauge it off of how well this album does and what the demand is for Drake after this album, and I've gotta see how much time I can afford to take off before people hear from me again." Well, in hindsight, I think we can say that the demand for Drake is huge.

After the release of his second album, Take Care, Drake was faced again with the acting question. As he told XXL , “I actually just signed with William Morris... I’m not gonna play a rapper or a basketball player or something that’s easy or predictable. I want to do something that will allow me to do something else. I might have to flex some skills.” Naturally, if he is going to get a role, it needs to meet his standards.

Drake actually flexed some of his skills again when he released the cinematic video for "Hold On, We're Going Home," featuring A$AP Rocky and direction by The Matrix director, Bill Pope. In speaking to MTV News about the video, Drake pointblank said, "I’m dying to get back into acting." Alright, who is listening to the man?

In January of 2014, Drake made his Saturday Night Live debut and showcased his acting in hilarious skits — which was eventually followed up by another major milestone: A hosting gig at the 2014 ESPYS. He would join fellow musician Justin Timberlake in the honor, and he has obviously has some success in the film world. This brings us to 2015, when Drake released another short film, "Jungle," which featured a LOT of acting Drake.

If all these signs prove anything, it's that Drake is finally serious about his acting career and if the good roles aren't coming to him, he will just have to write them himself...or maybe just drop some more hints. Either way, now that he's recorded and is ready to drop Views From the 6 fairly soon, I have a feeling Drake is about to have some time on his hands for a new acting project.