A piece of early-2000s television history has resurfaced, featuring two familiar faces at very different stages of their careers. Footage from 2005 shows a young Keke Palmer interviewing Drake on the set of Degrassi: The Next Generation, years before either became the stars audiences know today.
According to TheGrio, eTalk brought the old footage back online this week, prompting Palmer to repost it and laugh at how seriously she approached the assignment. “Whyyyy am I acting like I’m on 20/20 with these questions,” she joked on Instagram, adding that she sounded like an older woman discussing a soap opera. Drake replied to her comment, joking that she was "frying" him over plotlines that he didn't have anything to do with.
Palmer appeared in the segment alongside fellow child actor Malcolm David Kelley, while Drake was still primarily known as Aubrey Graham, the actor who played Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian teen drama. Palmer clearly knew the show well. She pressed him about specific characters, including Manny Santos, whom she declared she was “very disappointed” in.
Read More: Drake Stars In New Trailer For "Degrassi: Whatever It Takes" Documentary
Keke Palmer Eventually Made Her Own Degrassi Appearance
The clip is even better in hindsight because Palmer eventually got her own moment at Degrassi Community School. Six years later, she guest-starred as herself in the Season 11 premiere after previously telling Nickelodeon that she wanted a role on the series.
Palmer told TV Guide in 2011 that she had asked about appearing on Degrassi after beginning her Nickelodeon run. Her episode paired her with Sav Bhandari, played by Raymond Ablack, who meets Palmer without initially realizing she is the singer headlining a concert. She also performed during the episode.
The resurfaced interview catches Palmer before 2006’s Akeelah and the Bee pushed her career into another gear, while Drake was still years away from leaving Degrassi behind for Rap.
