Imagining Drake's Filmography If He Never Became A Rapper

What if Drake never became a hip-hop giant? From 2001 to 2009, Aubrey “Drake” Graham was a star on a Canadian soap opera for teens, Degrassi: The Next Generation. Since then he’s basically put his acting days behind him. Save for a voice acting role in Ice Age: Continental Drift and an upcoming cameo in December’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Drake's acting days are pretty much a distant memory. It seems like ever since he met Lil Wayne nothing was the same. (Don’t give up on this, that was so necessary. Cutesy meta jokes will be a bare minimum from this point forward.)

In a 2004 episode of Degrassi Unscripted, Drake took us through his Toronto home (the clip has been removed but you can read our original post here), and in adorable Drake fashion he exhibits his hip-hop fanaticism by showing off a stack of spiral bound notebooks with old rhymes. He says he’ll never use the books and only keeps them around for “nostalgia purposes.” At one point he reads a bit of a letter penned by a fan named Jason. According to Jason, Drake has the talent to complete what he calls a “trifecta of great black actors.” Drake would join the ranks of legendary actors Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington.

“If it happens, it happens man,” Drake says.

Well...what if it did happen? What would’ve Drake’s career been like if he became an actor instead of a rapper? What roles would he have taken on and/or stolen from other actors? Complex is about to take you to an alternate universe where Jason’s dream comes true. So, from this point on, there is no Drake. Only Aubrey Graham, the actor.

Written by H. Drew Blackburn (@hdrewblackburn)

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Written and Directed by: Judd Apatow

Starring: Aubrey Graham, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel

US Box Office Gross: $109,547,822

Rotten Tomatoes: 79%

Plot: Three high school seniors—a popular jock (Aubrey Graham), a nerd (Jay Baruchel), and a bad boy (Jason Segel)—attempt to orchestrate an elaborate senior prank that will have them remembered for years to come.

Trivia: After being cast in Senioritis, Graham scraps Comeback Season—which would've been his second mixtape—in order to focus on an acting career. "I've always been a fan of making music, rapping and singing. It was a tough decision," he says at the film's premiere. "It was a bittersweet thing, but at the end of the day, it is what it is, taking up the opportunity to work with Mr. Apatow isn't rocket science."

Noteworthy Awards: Best Comedy at MTV Movie Awards

Written and Directed by: Tyler Perry

Starring: Tyler Perry, Blair Underwood, Lynn Whitfield, Keke Palmer, Aubrey Graham

US Box Office Gross: $55,061,822

Rotten Tomatoes: 22%

Trivia: Madea’s Family Reunion is widely panned, but Graham’s performance is revered by critics. “In an otherwise stale, formulaic film rife with cliches and harsh depictions of African-American stereotypes Aubrey Graham carries Madea’s Family Reunion and makes it somewhat bearable,” writes Scott Tobias in the A.V. Club.

Noteworthy Awards: N/A

Written by: Diablo Cody

Directed by: Jason Reitman

Starring: Ellen Page and Aubrey Graham

US Box Office Gross: $231,411,584

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Trivia: Since she had already been cast as the lead in Juno, Ellen Page had a say in who would play Paulie Bleeker. Michael Cera and Aubrey Graham were neck and neck after the first few auditions and Graham ultimately wins the role despite Cera being an early favorite. Reitman preferred Graham’s "stunningly emotive" take on Paulie Bleeker as opposed to Cera’s quieter, more restrained reading.

In an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, screenwriter Diablo Cody recalls, “What I liked about him is that he really understood the character. He's got the underdog aspect down and he just nailed some of the more dramatic scenes during auditions. He's a goofy kid, Aubrey. When he was so happy to get the roll. We called him to let him know he was chosen and we could hear him choking up. He sent me a dozen pink roses and a thank you note. Sweet kid."

Noteworthy Awards: Winner of Best Original Screenplay at The Academy Awards. Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress

Written and Directed by: Richard Linklater

Starring: Natalie Portman and Aubrey Graham

US Box Office Gross: $57,366,011

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

Plot: An army private (Aubrey Graham) and his fiancee (Natalie Portman) spend their last 24 hours together before the soldier deploys to Iraq for 18 months.

Trivia: Farewell, My Love was filmed in Austin, Texas. Graham becomes a fixture in the hipster Austin scene playing open mic nights mostly covering Aaliyah and Janet Jackson songs and frequently appearing at craft beer brewpubs. Rubbing shoulders with the students of The University of Texas inspires him to get his GED.

Noteworthy Awards: Official Sundance Film Festival Selection, Palme d'Or or winner at Cannes Film Festival, Academy Awards Best Picture nominee.

Written and Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz, Aubrey Graham

US Box Office Gross: $321,455,689

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Trivia: Graham plays one of the Basterds, Benjamin "The Mulatto Jew" David. The Mulatto Jew takes to hanging Nazis. While at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards to promote the film Graham meets pop star Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty and is captivated by her. They begin dating for six months and after a harsh break up (Graham tweets, "Kanye's 808s and Heartbreak and a glass of wine can be so clutch when heartbreak strikes.") Graham takes a break from acting, moves back to Canada, and writes his first feature film, Battle of Broken Hearts.

Noteworthy Awards: Best Supporting Actor Winner (Christoph Waltz), Nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound

Written and directed by: Aubrey Graham

Starring: Aubrey Graham and Scarlett Johansson

US Box Office Gross: $115,547,822

Rotten Tomatoes: 84%

Plot: After 10 years apart, two high school sweethearts reunite as teachers at the same high school they attended as teenagers. The star crossed lovers try to rekindle their old flame while fighting the memory of complicated relationships of the from past—with one another and with other lovers.

Trivia: Sparked by rumors that the film was wholly inspired by Rihanna, Graham pens a letter on his Tumblr, misformelancholy.tumblr.com: "Rihanna wasn't my first love. I did love her, but she wasn't my first love. But, that break up really hit me because it made me do some thinking. 'What is this about? How do people get here?' The film isn't about her. It mostly draws from experiences from earlier in my life. I still love some of those women because when it's that strong, it doesn't fade."

Noteworthy Awards: Winner of Best Picture Musical or Comedy, Best Actor Musical or Comedy and Actress Golden Globes, Nominated for Best Screenplay Golden Globe

US Box Office Gross: $58,408,652

Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

Written and Directed by: Woody Allen

Starring: Aubrey Graham and Emma Stone

Plot: In an attempt to cure writer’s block, a successful New York-based author visits his hometown of Atlanta, GA in an attempt to strike inspiration. He meets a graduate student at Emory University named Serenity (Emma Stone) who becomes his muse.

Trivia: Graham earns the distinction of being the first African-American to star in a Woody Allen film. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter why he chose Graham for the role, Allen says, "He's a Jew and he's black. It's the Super Bowl of ancestry misfortune."

Noteworthy Awards: Academy Awards Best Original Screenplay Nominee, Best Actor Musical or Comedy, and Actress Golden Globes

Written and Directed by: James Franco

Starring: Aubrey Graham, Rooney Mara, James Franco, Taylor Kitsch

US Box Office Gross: $128,037,263

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Plot: Hollywood workhorse James Franco enlists Aubrey Graham (Othello), Rooney Mara (Desdemona), Taylor Kitsch (Cassio) and obviously himself (Iago) in an on screen adaption of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy of jealousy, betrayal, honor, racism, and love.

Trivia: When Graham wins Best Actor at the Academy Awards, he gives a memorable and abrupt teary-eyed speech. “Wow. I just, I just can’t believe I’m up here right now," he says, sniffling and crying. "Just thank you to everyone who helped me get up here. I don't wanna miss a name, but you know who you are. This is so great. We're getting so turnt tonight!" The press lauds Graham's speech with numerous publications calling it one of the best and most authentic Oscar moments of all time.

Noteworthy Awards: Winner of Best Picture, Best Actor (Aubrey Graham), Best Supporting Actor (James Franco) and Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Costume Design at the Academy Awards

Written by: Shia Labeouf

Directed by: Michael Bay

Starring: Aubrey Graham, Peter Sarsgaard, Angelina Jolie

US Box Office Gross: $542,047,465

Rotten Tomatoes: 43%

Plot: A rookie (Aubrey Graham) and veteran cop (Peter Sarsgaard) work together—despite their vast differences and the disapproval of their commissioner (Angelina Jolie)—to topple a prostitution ring in Los Angeles in this ultra-mega-super blockbuster.

Trivia: Much to the disdain of his similarly brooding fan base Graham stars in his first major blockbuster summer film. Vanity Fair, pens an extensive profile on Graham in their annual Hollywood issue, an outstanding achievement for actors in Hollywood. “I knew what I was doing. It’s not going to be a recurring thing, you know, these big budget films. I’m still the same guy who wants to dig from within and find some substance in a role. I still want to be a vessel—to share the world’s pain as best I can through acting,” Graham says, stroking his cliche actor-in-between-roles-beard. He stares contemplatively out of his opulent gazebo at the orange hue in the sky as the day turns to dusk. He takes a sip from his glass of white wine begins to chuckle. “Honestly, I just wanted to make some money. Right now, I’m 26. sitting on 26 mil.”

Noteworthy Awards: MTV Movie Awards Movie of the Year