Drake who started his career as an actor on “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” is foraying into the film and television world both behind-the-scenes and on-camera. In a cover story for The Hollywood Reporter, Drizzy opens up about his upcoming projects, including the 2019 revival of “Top Boy” on Netflix, which he will co-executive produce with manager/business partner Adel “Future the Prince” Nur and SpringHill Entertainment, the company run by LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
Outside of “Top Boy,” Drizzy and James are also collaborating on The Carter Effect, a documentary about NBA great Vince Carter, which may also end up at Netflix. Beyond that, the 6 God is teaming up with A24 and Steve Golin, who runs the production house Anonymous Content. He’s also continuing his long-running partnership with Apple, who has given him clearance to produce whatever he chooses.
All of this doesn’t mean that Drake will be leaving music behind in the foreseeable future. “I’m sure I’ll stop [making music] one day,” he said. “When it starts to feel like I’m making it up. Hopefully I’ll catch it before I ever get there, right? But right now it feels like we just started, so I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. But I do plan on expanding — to take six months or a year to myself and do some great films. Music’s always there.”
He’s also careful about the roles he picks and who he works with. Future reveals that Drake turned down the opportunity to work with Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexually assaulting and harassing many of the women he’s worked with in the past, and that he’s also rejected projects like a Barbershop reboot and superhero films.
“Being a young black guy, I think there’s definitely the chance to get typecast,” he says. “But I also have been pretty adamant about showing range. I try to show it through different outlets, like ‘Saturday Night Live,’ showing people that I can be funny. When I get back into acting, I want to do things that make people go, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect that.’”
During the interview, Drake also shares his favorite TV show (Netflix’s “Ozark”) and his love for Harry Potter. Apparently, he’s such a big fan of J.K. Rowling’s books that he’s looking to purchase a first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which could cost up to $160,000. “I should get it,” he says. “My birthday’s coming up. Maybe I’ll buy it for myself as a treat.”
Elsewhere in the candid conversation, Drizzy opens up about his collection of Birkin bags. “I started collecting for the woman I end up with one day,” he said. “I have a fairly vast collection of Hermès to offer somebody at some point in life.”
