Before Deanna Klymkiw (née Casaluce) began helping queer and BIPOC communities as a psychologist, many youth in Canada and beyond knew her for her role as Alex Nuñez on Degrassi: The Next Generation between 2003 and 2008.
When Alex first appeared in the show, both Klymkiw and viewers were unaware that she would become the franchise’s first out lesbian character. Introduced as a headstrong and defiant troublemaker, she eventually dated popular cheerleader Paige Michalchuk (Lauren Collins).
Their seasons-long on-and-off relationship left a legacy for LGBTQ2S+ viewers as a rare-for-the-time example of nuanced queer representation. While their storyline addressed queer issues such as conflicting feelings about labels (Paige hesitated to embrace bisexuality while Alex wore the lesbian label with pride), many of their relationship issues weren’t inherently tied to their queerness. Like many couples, they drifted apart due to clashes in mindsets and differences in their financial backgrounds. Queerness didn’t override the traits they showed before coming out; the two were characters with multifaceted perspectives.
As Alex studied hard with the goal of becoming a physical therapist in the show’s sixth season, Klymkiw dreamt of becoming a clinical therapist. Years after finishing her role on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Klymkiw began building a career in psychology that she says is “much more aligned” with herself. Late last year, she opened her own practice in Mississauga, Ontario, where she serves youth and adults with a focus on queer and BIPOC communities.
Klymkiw sat down with Xtra for her first interview in almost 20 years to speak about queer representation in media and how her past and present roles intersect.
Back in the 2000s, it was much more uncommon for queer characters to show up in mainstream TV. What was it like portraying a lesbian character, particularly for a Canadian young adult audience?
Alex was part of that first wave of emerging queer characters on television who actually had a story, who were more well-rounded characters. I didn’t think too much about that aspect, to be honest. I just approached her as a human falling in love. In hindsight, that probably worked in my favour, because I wasn’t getting caught up in perceived expectations of what this character should and shouldn’t be like.
People continue to discuss how much queerness in the Degrassi series has impacted their lives, years after those storylines have finished. What are your thoughts on the staying power of those narratives and representation?
Adolescence is a period of huge change and a lot of it is centred around identity development: gender identity, sexual identity, values, belonging and a sense of where one fits in the world. When a young person is navigating that identity development, they’re looking for cues, not just from their family and from their peers but also from the broader culture; and that includes the identities that exist out there in the media.
There’s more queer representation now than there was 20 years ago, but it is still relatively limited. So it would make sense that queer youth are looking to the past for some earlier representations; because that ultimately is part of what helps people understand what’s possible—what feels safe, what feels unsafe— and it could really shape how comfortable one feels to show up authentically in the world.
You were studying psychology in university while playing Alex. When did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in the field?
I always had a deep curiosity toward understanding human behaviour, thought and emotion, and that’s probably what drew me to acting in the first place. And then I learned about the field of psychology, which is the study of these things: human behaviours, thoughts, feelings. It seemed like a natural place for me to focus. I did want to be a psychologist at that time, but in my mind, that was a far-off, seemingly unattainable goal.
While I was at the University of Guelph, I found out that with the psychology program came statistics courses that I had to take, and I had such a deep math insecurity. It ran so deep that I just switched my focus entirely and started taking philosophy courses.
It wasn’t until I [dropped out of school after finishing my time on Degrassi: The Next Generation and] went to California for three years, came back and re-entered an undergraduate degree program that I really went on, as my brother calls it, this “academic warpath.” It wasn’t a linear trajectory. When I first went back to school, I thought I was going to be a special education teacher. In my experience, that was the pinnacle of what I could achieve.
But a teaching assistant came up to me after they marked one of my papers and asked if I had ever considered pursuing a clinical psychology degree. The rate of acceptance in these programs was really low, like 2 percent. I was like, “No, I wasn’t considering that.” But all it took was for someone to put some faith in me for me to really start considering that as a possibility. So then I re-taught myself a bunch of math.
What had led you to drop out of university to move to California?
In those times, you had to go to the States if you wanted to pursue a sustainable acting career. I had my toe in two worlds: I was still really interested in doing school, but then this opportunity presented itself in California. There was a management company out there that, at the time, represented some very successful Canadian talent, including an Oscar nominee. So, it was a very attractive proposition to go down to the United States and try my hand there.
You can’t foresee these things, but I ended up going in the middle of a writer’s strike. There was also a major economic recession during [2008]. The industry didn’t come to a halt, but it really slowed down. So there wasn’t a ton of opportunity at that time. It wasn’t the best timing from an actor’s perspective to go, but that’s the time I went, and that’s the time it made sense for me.
Tell us about the clinic you opened last year. What inspired you to open your own practice, and what do you hope to accomplish with it?
The Casaluce Collective grew from a desire to create something that felt really psychologically rigorous, but also deeply human. Casaluce was my birth name, and it means “house of light” in Italian. For me, it reflects an intention to build a space oriented toward understanding, clarity and compassionate care.
The idea is that therapy should be a place of healing, but also illumination. It’s that light metaphor where people can come to better understand themselves, strengthen what’s already there and build a life that’s ultimately aligned with their values.
What demographic is the Casaluce Collective hoping to serve?
I’m registered to work with both adolescents and adults, and I usually treat issues related to anxiety, depression and trauma.
When I was doing my residency at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH), I did a rotation in the forensic in-patient unit, because I’m also registered as a forensics correctional psychologist. I also did a rotation at [SJHH’s] Youth Wellness Centre, which is an amazing space that targets youth. The psychologist and others working at that clinic developed a protocol to work with trans youth who were experiencing low mood, anxiety and any psychological symptoms that can develop from chronic minority stressors. Due to my interest in working with trans youth, when I did that rotation, I got specific training working with those populations.
That’s why I have clients that continue to come to me seeking support in those areas, and I’m so happy to provide it. It’s a real honour and privilege to be able to provide that kind of support.
By virtue of my interest in working with oppressed and marginalized populations, I’ve also worked quite extensively with youth justice populations. Through that work, I tend to see a lot of BIPOC individuals, because they’re overrepresented in our criminal populations.
On Degrassi: The Next Generation, Alex is more than just a teenager navigating queerness for the first time. Her character arc shows her fighting against homophobia, financial hardship, classism and toxic family dynamics. Is there anything from Alex’s storylines and identities that guides you in your work now?
When I played Alex, queer representation was present but it was still relatively limited. Characters carried a great deal of symbolic weight. Over time, we’ve seen a shift from “Are they visible?” being the primary achievement to questions like “Do they have multiplicity?” and “Do they have a wider range of identity, experiences and narratives?” I think that evolution reflects something really important psychologically.
Young people benefit not just from being seen and represented but from seeing diversity within that representation. Earlier representations had to stand as entire identities. Now there’s a lot more room for complexity, contradiction and diversity of experience, which is ultimately much more real and closer to human psychology.
It’s undeniable that there’s a parallel between the work I’m doing now and that early experience of playing somebody who had multiple aspects to her identities. I’m working with people like Alex who often do experience a multitude of minority stressors.
It’s interesting that life turned out that way, that you’re still helping people even though it’s in a different career.
I think this place is so much more aligned with who I am. I never felt really comfortable as an actor in the film and television world, and with all the elements that came with it. For me to quite literally put my head in a book felt much more aligned with who I am and my interests.
I certainly didn’t expect to have the success that I had on Degrassi, so it wasn’t a huge disappointment or pivot when I moved back to academia; it was something that I felt was kind of naturally going to happen. I knew when I went down to L.A., I was only going to give it three years. Once that visa was up, I was going to move on.
But, to your point, Alex was such an honour to play. I knew that if I stayed in acting, the odds of me getting the roles that felt meaningful to me, that I wanted to perform and to build a sustainable career out of, would be so few and far between. I knew I wanted to continue to give back, and doing that through a helping profession just seemed like a much more likely way that I’d be able to achieve that and live a life in line with my values.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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