Off Campus star Ella Bright has defended the age gap between her and Belmont Cameli, revealing they couldn’t be more professional on set.
Taking to the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Bright, now 19, has addressed discussions surrounding the 10-year age gap between her and her co-star, admitting that she understands “people’s concern”.
“I get people’s concern. Not once did I feel, one, left out for being younger than everybody. We’re all just such a family, and everyone was just more than perfect, and I couldn’t be more comfortable on set with these people. So it is funny when they said that. I’m good,” she said, revealing she booked and filmed the beloved series at 18 alongside Cameli, who is 28.
“I came into this job and during the chemistry reads with more than enough information and knowledge and understanding of what this role required and the show,” Bright continued.
“And I just fell in love with Hannah and these scripts immediately. There was never a question that I wouldn’t want to do this.”
Bright went on to explain that all cast members “knew what they were getting into” ahead of producing the viral series.
“That was always from the beginning, the idea all [of] Hannah’s auditioning knew it was just going to be partial, and for Allie it was going to be full, so everyone had a full understanding of what we were going into. So I don’t get it,” she added.
Off Campus‘ showrunner, Louisa Levy, also addressed concerns about the co-stars’ age gap, revealing to Variety that she had a discussion with Bright ahead of filming.
“She’d read the book, so she already understood, but I walked her through everything and made sure she was comfortable and confident,” Levy told the publication.
“If I had felt she wasn’t ready, I would have pumped the brakes immediately.
“But she was so game. And we have an extraordinary intimacy coordinator, Kathy Kadler, who had conversations with not just Belmont and Ella but with all the actors who had any intimacy work. [It was about] really understanding what made everyone comfortable, what they felt good about, what they didn’t. We never did anything that made anyone uncomfortable before we ever rolled a frame of the camera.”
Levy also admitted she’s changed the ages of some of the characters, but most notably Tucker, played by Jalen Thomas Brooks.
“Each season is a semester, so two seasons cover a full year — slowing down that timeline opens things up considerably,” she said.
“The biggest change was Tucker being younger rather than the oldest, because he’s the last book, and we need to make sure he’s still at Briar by the time we get there. It’s also just about building a cohesive group where everyone has their role.”
For those who’ve yet to feast their eyes on the steamy hockey romance, Off Campus is based on Elle Kennedy‘s bestselling books that follow the love lives of the men’s ice hockey team at Briar University. Season one follows the first book, The Deal, which sees Hannah (Bright) and Garret (Cameli) make a deal that eventually leads to them falling ~love~.
@pedestriantv I need a crossover, stat! #offcampus #heatedrivalry
♬ original sound – PEDESTRIAN.TV
The show has skyrocketed across social media, with the show garnering a plethora of fans who are making steamy edits of their fave stars.
All eight episodes are available on Prime Video, with a second season confirmed waaaaay before it premiered. A huge win for those who are into hockey romance (big shouts out to Heated Rivalry).
The post Off Campus’ Ella Bright Defends 10-Year Age Gap Between Her & Co-Star Belmont Cameli appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
