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It’s a deal.
Move over, “Heated Rivalry” and “Bridgerton,” the latest TV romance sensation is here: “Off Campus.”
Based on a bestselling book series, the Prime Video show follows Hannah (Ella Bright), a music student at the fictional Briar University, as she makes a deal to “fake date” campus hockey star Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli), eventually leading to real love.
“It’s really cool to be in that same orbit of conversation. I’m a big fan of that show,” Bright told The Post, referring to “Heated Rivalry.”
She quipped, “the world is ready for ice hockey at the moment, which is so crazy!”
Prime Video is opaque about viewership numbers, but “Off Campus” is nearly guaranteed to be a hit: the trailer has nearly 9 million views, and the Hannah and Garrett’s book, “The Deal,” has over 140K reviews (twice as many as the “Heated Rivalry” novel).
When asked if he’s anticipating possible fame, Cameli told The Post, “I don’t really anticipate things like that…Whatever happens, bring it on.”
He had to learn hockey for the show, he said. “I was certainly familiar with hockey, but I had never played before. I grew up in Chicago, so I’m a Blackhawks fan.”
The show had “great trainers” for the actors, so “now, I can skate fast and stop hard. And I love it,” he told The Post. “We just went back for another [hockey] boot camp, and I get to keep progressing at the sport.”
“Off Campus” is mostly light in tone, but Hannah and Garrett both have trauma in their backstories.
“For both of us, that’s definitely what drew us to this show,” said Bright.
She added that she thinks that “Off Campus” reflects life because, “people are complex. You have these sexy, fun, entertaining moments, and then these deeper, important topics that are addressed in the show.”
The actress said she will “never forget” the emotional moments, and that filming the show was “just also a lot of fun.”
The show has plenty of steamy moments.
“During the intimate scenes, I don’t remember anything in particular [embarrassing] happening, everything feels embarrassing,” he joked.
He noted that the main behind-the-scenes snafu occured when Bright spilled a glass of wine, during a scene when Garrett brings Hannah home for Thanksgiving to meet his dad (Steve Howey).
“During the Thanksgiving scene… I just knocked it all over Steve Howey’s white costume and the white tablecloth,” Bright recalled.
The show has already been renewed for a Season 2. The book series on which “Off Campus” is based has one book per couple. Season 1 is Garrett and Hannah’s book, so they won’t be the main focus of Season 2.
Bright and Cameli will still return for future seasons.
“It’s such an ensemble based story,” Cameli told The Post. “So it’s really fun to watch other people shine and also watch Hannah and Garret in their new relationship.”
“At the end of the season, they’ve decided to be together. That will come with its own challenges. So, that’ll also be really fun to explore.”
“Off Campus” is now streaming on Prime Video.
English (US)