‘Degrassi’: Cassie Steele Wants Manny Santos to Come Back as a Drama Teacher
Actor Cassie Steele starred as Manny Santos in Degrassi: The Next Generation. The role remains her most prominent to this day. While she isn’t as focused on Hollywood these days, Steele shared her thoughts on where the character would be now and her idea for a new Degrassi series.
Cassie Steele starred in ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’ as Manny Santos
Cassie Steele may be best known for portraying Manuella “Manny” Santos for 10 seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation. When the series began, Manny entered as the best friend of Emma Nelson, the daughter of original Degrassi High student Spike.
The character started as a somewhat naive preteen who broke out of the mold and tested boundaries from a young age. Steele broke boundaries by portraying a Filipino character in the Canadian series. As a theatrical person both on and offstage, Manny got into a few brawls and generally contributed to Degrassi’s chaos.
The character’s most iconic moment is arguably the episode where she wears a blue thong to school. In the season 3 episode, Manny decides to change her look, as she wants a different image. This leads to the beginning of a major shift for the character. In 2021, Steele paid homage to the moment when she shared a video of herself in the “throwback outfit” doing the #BussItChallenge.
Steele thinks Manny could return as a drama teacher in the HBO revival
Degrassi, undoubtedly, influenced popular culture. In the 2020s, the impact falls on one show in particular — Euphoria. Steele recognized the comparisons between Manny and a character from the HBO hit, Alexa Demie’s Maddy.
While the shows have slightly different audiences, the actor recognized the upcoming Degrassi reboot on HBO could provide some competition. And if it’s headed in “more risky” territory, as Steele would like, she’s willing to return — for a price.
“I will always think about anything if there’s a lot of money to be made, I can be bought,” Steele told Nylon. She even came up with an idea for a 30-something Manny Santos: “drunk drama teacher.”
What has Cassie Steele been up to since ‘Degrassi?’
In the years since Cassie Steele left Degrassi, she’s tried out different avenues in entertainment. She appeared in TV movies like The Dorm, Shark Island, and Mississippi River Sharks. She was also set to voice the lead character in Raya and the Last Dragon before Kelly Marie Tran replaced her.
Most of Steele’s notable work remains on TV. She starred in the short-lived CW drama The L.A. Complex, which garnered a significant fan base. She also voices a character, Tammy, in the popular animated series Rick and Morty.
These days, Steele is working in an office, telling Nylon she’s “done [her] time in L.A.” But she’s interested in another kind of Degrassi reboot — one about the actors. “I feel like it would be more fun to make a series about the actual lives of the real cast,” Steele said, noting her former co-star, Drake, as a prime example.
