+ Melissa McIntyre & Jake Epstein

Crash would not be the power couple that they are without Melissa McIntyre and Jake Epstein behind the characters.
They bring life, emotion, and talent to the roles, and we couldn't be more thankful for the casting choices of Craig and Ashley.

Melissa Erin McIntyre is "a fantastic actress. unbelievably talented. very sweet. nice, genuine person. down to earth. very spontaneous. a really fun girl."

Biography: Melissa explored her talents from a very young age. She went from singing in her crib to singing in front of an audience at the age of 7 as a contestant in a beauty contest. This helped to bring her out of her shell and led to Melissa’s love of the stage. She soon began exercising her acting and singing talents through musical theatre performances. It was during her stint as the lead character in The Secret Garden that an agent was informed of Melissa’s role and came to sign her to their agency. Not long after this move into the professional field of acting, Melissa received the word that she was going to audition for Degrassi: The Next Generation. Originally Melissa auditioned for the role of Paige Michalchuk, but it became very clear to the producers that there was another role that Melissa fit perfectly, which happened to be the role of Ashley Kerwin. Upon hearing the news that she had been cast in the part, Melissa cried tears of joy.

Melissa McIntyre has now been an integral part of Degrassi: TNG for 5 seasons. As one of the lead characters from the very first season, Ashley was introduced as a popular, intelligent and overachieving 8th grader. Her character has gone on a tremendous journey from that first season, not to mention more hair and style changes than any other character, and Melissa has made the transitions and storylines completely believable. More than believable, Melissa adds a touch of mystery and intrigue to the character that makes fans want to know more about her. Throughout this journey Melissa’s acting has been showcased through various storylines and many ups and downs. The challenging storylines truly began when Ashley experimented with drugs during the first season. This offset a series of dramatic events including being outcast from her friends, falling into a depressed state after being cheated on and dealing with Craig’s bipolarity. Melissa is able to handle these challenging storylines with ease, charisma, and an overall likeability. Not only do they showcase her strengths in acting, but the producers and writers made sure to focus on the musical talents of Ashley. Melissa was so excited when she found out she was going to sing on Degrassi. It not only allowed her to showcase these talents, but it allowed her to work collaboratively with the producers and music executives. Melissa has said that the most therapeutic thing that she can do is to shut herself off in a room and sing. The passion that she has for music adds so much depth to the artistic elements within Ashley. Because of this musical talent, a knack for the dramatics and a very relatable personality, Ashley Kerwin is one of the most interesting and entertaining characters on Degrassi: TNG. It is because of Melissa, though, that the character of Ashley really comes to life.

Jacob Lee Epstein is "so funny. so talented. very sincere. amazing musician. so relaxed. gifted. great person to hang out with. chillin’."

Biography: Jake also became active with the arts at a young age. He developed an acting bug by becoming involved with plays and local drama productions. Jake then moved from the stage to in front of the camera. His first large acting gig preceding a couple small film roles was on a TV show called The Zack Files. After finishing a couple seasons of The Zack Files came the call for a Degrassi audition. When Jake heard the news that they were casting a role for a brooding teen bad boy with an interesting background, he decided that he really wanted to audition for it. After some callbacks and auditions with the current cast members, Jake was able to dance with joy at the news of being cast.

Jake joined Degrassi: TNG during the second season of the show and fans immediately welcomed him into the Degrassi family. It didn’t hurt that he had the looks and charm of an absolute heartthrob. There was so much more behind him though, than just his heartthrob status. The very first episode that Jake was a part of, he was given the lead storyline, which focused on the subject matter of parental abuse. The challenging storylines that Jake was given didn’t end there. Throughout the years, Craig has had to deal with the death of his father, the fallout from his cheating ways, discovering his bipolarity, and most recently an addiction to cocaine. With each of these issues, Jake has handled the serious topics believably and with heart. He performed these storylines so well that it even won him a Gemini award in 2003. Not only does Jake have a knack for the dramatics, but his talent for making his character loveable is pretty remarkable. Jake’s acting is so heartfelt that he makes fans want to root for Craig, no matter how much of a jerk he is being. Among these artistic gifts, Jake is a fantastic musician. He plays many different instruments, though his instrument of choice is the guitar, and is overall very involved with music. The producers decided to use these talents in the show and slowly developed an interest of music in Craig. Throughout the years Jake has been able to sing, play guitar and perform in plenty of episodes. His talent is obvious and it lies in many areas. The writers have been smart enough showcase his talents and because of this, Craig’s popularity only continues to grow. There is no doubt that Craig would not be the leading man that he is today without Jake's talent, charm and charisma.

As individuals, Melissa and Jake are two of the most talented actors to ever be a part of the Degrassi franchise. As on-screen partners, the chemistry and realism that they project are off the charts. There is a natural ease between these two that could be observed from the moment they started having scenes together. A comfort level like theirs seems as though it would only be developed after a long period of time, but a similar wavelength was established from the very beginning of their character’s interactions. These two characters connected and through Degrassi specials and off-screen interviews, it’s easy to see why. Melissa and Jake’s close friendship is one of the greatest reasons as to why the Crash relationship comes across as so believable on screen. Melissa has described herself and Jake as “really good friends” and this is shown through their characters. Not only are these two actors’ good friends, but their respect for each other’s craft is so completely apparent. To have such an enormous amount of respect for your scene partner helps push both actors so that their best work comes across on-screen. This also helps the audience to believe in what they are seeing when they know that the actors are getting caught up in their scenes. As Jake has said, there’s something between them that is so real. The realism that Melissa and Jake bring to the Crash relationship is a huge reason as to why the coupling is so popular. Melissa and Jake also share a similar range within their acting styles. Both actors have been given material that allows them to showcase various emotions; from happy to sad to furious and everything in between, they’ve done it all. Their acting abilities are so strong that the writers were never afraid to give them material that showed off the depth of these emotions. It’s no mystery as to why Jake and Melissa were paired together for so many years. They provide a perfect balance for each other’s characters and positively enhance the other’s work so well, that they are an unbeatable combination.