Amanda Stepto

Amanda Stepto
Stepto at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Amanda Felicitas Stepto (1970-07-31) July 31, 1970 (age 51) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Education	Etobicoke School of the Arts
Alma mater	University of Toronto
Occupation	Actress, DJ
Years active	1986-2010
Known for	Playing Christine "Spike" Nelson in the Degrassi franchise
Television	Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, Degrassi: The Next Generation

Amanda Felicitas Stepto (born July 31, 1970) is a Canadian actress and DJ. She is best known for her role as Christine "Spike" Nelson in the Degrassi franchise. Born in Montreal, Stepto gained international fame when she appeared in Degrassi Junior High and its follow-up Degrassi High. Her character became known for her teenage pregnancy, which fans often conflated with the actress, sending her baby clothing and stuffed toys. A fan of punk rock music, Stepto sported a large spiked hairstyle, which became viewed as a trademark of both the actress and the character.

During her time on Degrassi, she was made a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF Ontario along with her co-stars and visited the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. Following Degrassi, Stepto was briefly involved with the organization Planned Parenthood, where she gave sex education talks across the province of Alberta. In 2001, she reprised her role as Spike in Degrassi: The Next Generation, in which she would appear sporadically for its first nine seasons. Stepto received two nominations for her role in Degrassi; once as part of an ensemble cast and once by herself.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Amanda Felicitas Stepto^[1] was born on July 31, 1970, in Montreal, Quebec.^[2] She was adopted at three months old.^[3][4] She spent her early years residing in Meadowvale, Mississauga.^[5] As a teenager, Stepto was a fan of punk rock music, having discovered the genre when attending a concert by The Police in Oakville, Ontario in August 1981, where she developed a fascination with the styles of the punks in the audience.^[6] In 1987, she cited her favorite bands and artists as being Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Sex Pistols, Platinum Blonde and The Cult.^[7] To identify with the punk movement, Stepto began to sport large spiked hair at age fourteen,^[8] citing Colin Abrahall, vocalist of the UK82 band GBH, as her chief stylistic inspiration.^[9] She attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts for three years, where she majored in dance and minored in drama.^[10] She later transferred to a school in Mississauga to finish her courses during her time on Degrassi.^[11]

Stepto in 1988, during the run of Degrassi Junior High, with the spiked hair that defined her character and her public image^[12][13], and resulted in real world scrutiny and harassment.^[11][14]

Acting career[]

At Etobicoke School of the Arts, her drama teacher notified her class about an open audition for the teen drama series Degrassi Junior High.^{[11][note 1]} She was the only student to act on it.^[11] Stepto did not have a resume or professional headshots,^[11][15] and so was required to send in a photo of herself, but her parents expressed doubt she would get the role with her spiked hairstyle.^[16] Stepto insisted her picture be taken with the spiked hair, telling her parents: "This is my hair! If they don't like me, fuck them!".^[16] She was ultimately accepted into the first series of acting workshops.^[15]

When her character became pregnant, fans mistook her for being pregnant in real life, and she would be sent products for the baby.^[17] She was also often asked for advice from parents and teenage mothers on sex and pregnancy as if she was a counselor.^[17][18] Shortly after filming of Degrassi High ended in 1990, she participated in the Degrassi Talks mini-series in early 1991, travelling with five other actors (as well as four more who sporadically appeared) from the show across Canada to interview teenagers about various issues. Stepto was the host of an episode that discussed teenage pregnancy, safe sex, and abortion. The episode saw her interview a woman who gave her baby up for adoption, which struck a chord with the adopted Stepto, as she noted in the episode's companion book.^[19]

Stepto expressed a desire to continue her acting career post-Degrassi, specifically wanting to portray "psychotic" characters.^[20] However, she later said that she suffered from typecasting as a result of her role on Degrassi.^[8][21][22] She claimed she would also sabotage her own auditions to avoid getting roles in series she disliked,^[22] including the CBC musical drama series Catwalk, which she derided as a "cheesy low-budget show",^[18] and felt this may have contributed to her difficulty in continuing her acting career.^[22] In the early 1990s, Stepto starred in the play Flesh and Blood, written by Colin Thomas, about several young adults dealing with AIDS.^[23][24] The play won a Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award for playwriting in 1991.^[23][25] She eventually left the acting business to concentrate on school.^[18] She returned to reprise the role of Spike in Degrassi: The Next Generation, which begins primarily centering around Spike's daughter Emma. She appears in a recurring role for the show's first nine seasons, appearing less frequently in later seasons and departing along with the original cast following the telemovie Degrassi Takes Manhattan in 2010. Stepto has said she still is "drawn back into the acting world every once in a while".^[22]

Other activities[]

Stepto was among the cast of Degrassi that were named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors by the Ontario branch of UNICEF Canada in 1989.^[26][27] Along with cast member Pat Mastroianni, Stepto visited the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City, and met with other ambassadors.^[26] She served as the narrator for the UNICEF video The Degrassi Kids Rap On Rights.^[28] In September 1992, she was hired as a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood in Alberta.^[29]

During the 1993 Alberta general election cycle, Stepto gave talks at schools across province with a health professional giving presentations on sex education, which also included viewings of her episode of Degrassi Talks.^[30][31] Three public schools were reported as refusing Stepto's presentation, though two schools later said that they were not aware of the program.^[32] She also appeared in television commercials, radio spots and print ads promoting the organization and the "Just Talk About It" slogan during September 1992.^[33] She served as a celebrity presenter at the 7th Gemini Awards in 1993.^[34]

During the 1990s, she was the manager of the clothing store Shakti, located in the Kensington Market,^[35][18] and operated a jewelry booth at Lollapalooza with co-star Cathy Keenan.^[18] In 2009, she began performing as a DJ in Toronto under the name "DJ Demanda" with former co-star Stacie Mistysyn, who went under the name "Mistylicious".^[1][36]

Public image[]

Stepto recalled the change in public perception of her as Degrassi became more popular: "I was always being stared at because of my hair, and then as the show became more popular, I realized I couldn’t tell people to fuck off and stop staring at me—they were staring at me because I was on the show."^[37] Her large spiked hairstyle, which she stated was the result of "lots of Final Net",^[38] was a significant part of her public image.^[39] The hairstyle was seen as a trademark of both the actress and the character she portrayed.^[39] Critic Bob Remington quipped that her hairstyle resembled "a science experiment in electromagnetism".^[40] She recalled being forced to leave various public places as a result of her hairstyle, including an incident in which she was kicked out of the Toronto Eaton Centre by a security guard for "lolling around" after purchasing an expensive dress for the upcoming Gemini Awards in which Degrassi was nominated.^[41] Stepto recalled that she was scrutinized for her hair by her ballet teacher at Etobicoke School of the Arts, as it "didn't go with the pink getup".^[11] The reactions to her hairstyle were incorporated into a plotline in Degrassi Junior High, in which Spike's job interview at a restaurant is unsuccessful when the manager mocks her hair.^[14]

Personal life[]

Stepto graduated from the University of Toronto with a bachelor's degree in history and political science.^[35] She briefly resided in Japan to teach English during the late 1990s.^[18][35] She is also a supporter of animal rights,^[38][20] and a vegetarian.^[42] She cites Morrissey, as well as the Smiths album Meat Is Murder, as a form of validation for her vegetarianism, noting: "I reveled in finding an artist that spoke to me in that way."^[43] As of 2017, Stepto resided in Ireland.^[44]

Award nominations[]

Stepto has been nominated twice for her role as Christine "Spike" Nelson in Degrassi. In 1990, along with her co-stars, she was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast for Degrassi Junior High.^[45] In 1992, she was nominated for the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for Degrassi High.^[46][47][48]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Television[]

Theater[]

Notes[]

References[]

Sources[]

• Sex. Toronto: Boardwalk Books. 1992. pp. 8–15. ISBN 1-895681-01-4. OCLC 25370148.
• 1955-, Ellis, Kathryn (2005). The official 411 Degrassi generations. Fenn Pub. Co. pp. 46–47. ISBN 1-55168-278-8. OCLC 59136593.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links[]

• Amanda Stepto at IMDb
• Amanda Stepto interview with Degrassi.ca