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Everyone knows this complete cutie as Paige from The N’s Degrassi: The Next Generation.  The show is becoming a huge hit and so are its stars.  Curious about Lauren Collins?  Look no further!  You’ve found the place to learn it all.  Lauren Collins talks to us about Degrassi and everything else.

Photos by Pierre Gautreau

THE STAR SCOOP:
Degrassi has become a huge hit. And, you’ve become a major star. Have there been a lot of changes in your life?

LAUREN COLLINS:
I don’t know, I still feel the same. I think, working with the cast, like we have, we’re all sort of going through it together. It’s made it a lot easier. I don’t really feel like I’ve changed that much. It just seems like everything around me is changing.

THE STAR SCOOP:
You’ve said a common misconception is that you’re exactly like your Degrassi character, Paige. So what are the differences between you?

LAUREN COLLINS:
Well, she’s really mean (laughs), basically. And I’m just not like that at all. She’s so confrontation and up front and I’m so not like that. I think I’m much more passive than her. She’s just speaks what’s on her mind and I probably don’t speak what’s on my mind enough (laughs).

THE STAR SCOOP:
The 4th season premiere of Degrassi was mostly focused on your character. It was probably one of the more an emotional episode, because it deals with issues like rape. How were you able to get into character for all the emotional scenes you had to do?

COLLINS:
It’s pretty hard, because obviously nothing, well thank god nothing like that has ever happened to me personally. So you just have to deal from experiences that have happened to you, like even a family member or stuff like that. I tried to read up a little bit on the issue of rape to try to understand where people in that situation are coming from. But it’s tough. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

THE STAR SCOOP:
If you didn’t play Paige on Degrassi, which character would you like to have the opportunity to play [on Degrassi]?

LAUREN COLLINS:
I think Ellie would be a really fun character to play. Just because it’s so different from the type of person that I am. Like she’s really sort of alternative and kind of dark, so I think that would really cool – it’d be a big acting challenge for me.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Mostly everyone who watches Degrassi has a character they identify with – that they can say, oh that’s me. So which one best fits who you are?

LAUREN COLLINS:
That’s a really hard question. That’s a really tough question. I mean, even though I’m so different from Paige, I guess I want to say her just because I sort of feel that special connection to her. Over the years I have sort of found smaller things that are kind of similar, minus the whole mean part (laughs). I don’t know. I’ve never been asked that question before. I think for me there are parts of everyone – parts of Manny, parts of Emma, parts of Paige that it’s kind of like a mixture of them all.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Why do you think Degrassi has become such a hit with the teen audience?

LAUREN COLLINS:
I think it’s because it’s really easy for teens to relate to. We’re all very realistic looking. I think that’s why I feel good about being a role model for kids, because we’re not some unattainable, gorgeous, perfect skin, perfect teeth, like disgustingly skinny – you know what I’m saying? I think it’s that we’re real looking that’s one of the major draws it has. And also the story lines are real and we deal with them in a realistic way – we’re not afraid to tackle tough issues.

THE STAR SCOOP:
You also did Girls vs. Boys: Hawaii. What was that like for you?

LAUREN COLLINS:
That was probably one of the weirdest experiences of my life. Like I was on a reality show. I’m totally addicted to watching them on TV but I never thought that I would actually be in one. So to sort of be thrown into that was just a crazy experience. But obviously, going to Hawaii – who could pass that up, so that was amazing. And I got to go with Jake [Epstein] who’s one of my really good friends and I met some really cool people. So I think in the end it was a good experience but I was definitely scared going into it.

THE STAR SCOOP:
You did an entire photo shoot for your official website. [www.laurencollins.ca]

LAUREN COLLINS:
It was so fun because I’ve never really done anything like that. Like obviously I’ve done photo shoots for the show before, but that’s just a few hours and I’m with the entire cast and we have each other to kind of depend on. And also, I’m sort of portraying a character for that, but for this I was totally myself and it was an eight or ten hour day with all these different looks. It was so fun. I felt like a fashion model or something (laughs).

THE STAR SCOOP:
You and Shane [Kippel] – anything going on?

LAUREN COLLINS:
No, we’re just friends. Just friends in real life. But we’ve become really close, because we have so many scenes together. I think it’s weird to date someone – especially someone who plays your boyfriend on the show. What if you break up in real life?

THE STAR SCOOP:
Are you single? What do you look for in a boyfriend?

LAUREN COLLINS:
[Laughs] Well I’m not single right now. I do have a boyfriend. Just someone that gets me. Someone that’s willing to deal with the whole acting thing because it can be really, really, really weird. And my boyfriend now is kind of adjusting to that and it’s been kind of strange for him. I need a funny guy, because I love to laugh. Just an honest person, and it wouldn’t hurt if they’re good looking (laughs), not to sound shallow.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What is one question you would like to answer?

LAUREN COLLINS:
I guess about my personal style and clothes and all that – extremely important to me. I don’t really dress like Paige at all. Sort of my style icons that I really look up to: I love how like Mary-Kate and Ashley dress, Kate Hudson, Kirsten Dunst. I’m really into that sort of like bohemian chic kind of look. Paige is always so put together and I guess I’m a little more casual than that.

THE STAR SCOOP:
In acting, do you find that you often become good friends with your costars or are there conflict?

LAUREN COLLINS:
Oh, the people I work with are some of my best friends in the world. Like Stacey [Farber] who plays Ellie, Andrea [Lewis] who plays Hazel, Adamo [Ruggerio] who plays Marco, Aubrey [Graham] who plays Jimmy are all probably some of my best friends. I think it’s just because they’re my only friends that really know everything I’m going through and all the changes, and as much as I love my friends from high school, they don’t totally get everything that’s going on with me so it’s really great to have someone to talk to about all that stuff. I mean, we have so much fun on set. I can’t believe that it’s work and I’m getting paid to do it because I love it so much?

THE STAR SCOOP:
Do you have any interesting fan stories you could share?

LAUREN COLLINS:
Once, I was shopping in a mall in downtown Toronto, which is where we film the show. And there was a school trip from Quebec, which is another province of Canada and they speak French. And the show was dubbed over there in French. So, this swarm of girls – there must have been like 30 girls all come into the store and see me and start yelling at me in French because they I guess, assumed I spoke French because the show was dubbed over in French and I had no idea what they were saying and I had to like kind of try and explain to them that I don’t speak French. It was really funny and it was really confusing for them (laughs).

THE STAR SCOOP:
What was the best birthday present you’ve ever gotten?

LAUREN COLLINS:
The best birthday present I’ve ever gotten, wow. I got an I-Pod this year, which was really awesome. What else? I don’t know. That’s a really good question. Oh! For my 16th birthday my friends made me this poster thing that had like a bunch of memories and pictures and inside jokes on it so that was a really special gift for me.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Complete this sentence. The weekend is finally here and I can’t wait to…

LAUREN COLLINS:
Hang out with my friends and just party. And go shopping on Saturday.

THE STAR SCOOP:
For the fans who don’t live in Canada, what’s it like living there for you?

LAUREN COLLINS:
I love it here. It’s just such a friendly place to live. You’re walking out on the street and everyone’s really, really nice. And yes it’s cold, but it’s not like the arctic like everyone makes it out to be. We don’t live in igloos (laughs). It’s a really great place to live. It’s a lot like New York, I think – not quite as crazy and busy. I love New York. I think that’s probably if I lived in the states where I’d want to live.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Do you have any Degrassi secrets you can share?

LAUREN COLLINS:
Everything is pretty top secret. But I think it’s pretty well known that there’s a big episode coming up airing in the states – it already aired in Canada that deals with bullying, very serious bullying, though. And it really takes it to a very dark level. So that one I know is highly anticipated. What else can I say? There’s a lot of very controversial stuff coming up this year.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What is one thing that you think the fans don’t know about you but that they should?

LAUREN COLLINS:
I guess it’s that I’m really just a normal teenager and I’m not living like a glamorous lifestyle at all. I guess it’s really important to me that everyone out there knows that.