Romance novel lovers rejoice! Off Campus is finally out on Prime Video! The series based on the Elle Kennedy book series of the same name just released Season 1 and is already starting work on Season 2. The first season follows Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) as he makes an unlikely deal with his classmate Hannah Wells (Ella Bright). Hannah, who has a crush on musician Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston), is desperate to get his attention, and fake dating Garrett is the key that. Supported by her best friend Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla), Hannah jumps into her deal with Garrett with two feet, but of course, things don’t exactly go as planned.
Collider spoke to both Heuston and Abdalla about their parts in the Prime Video series, breaking down some of their major moments while also looking forward to the future where their characters will also play a larger role in the world of Off Campus. Abdalla discussed the show starting Allie’s romance early with Dean (Stephen Kalyn) and what it was like filming those scenes together. Heuston talks about the potential of more romance for Justin in the future while also teasing Season 2 of Dune: Prophecy, where he plays Constantine Corrino. Read the full interview below!
Mika Abdalla Reveals How She Met Stephen Kalyn for the First Time as Dean in ‘Off Campus’
“Getting to see the ways that they honored her in Season 1 and also changed a few things about who Allie is was really exciting.”
COLLIDER: Mika, I’m so glad that you’re in this season. Allie is one of my favorite characters in that whole book series. She’s such a girl’s girl, I love her. What was it like reading the script and realizing that you’d be jumping in earlier in the series to explore her story?
MIKA ABDALLA: Obviously, I was very excited for that. I knew before the original audition that Allie would be a little more involved, so I read The Score and loved her character. So yeah, getting to see the ways that they honored her in Season 1 and also changed a few things about who Allie is was really exciting.
What was it like acting across Stephen [Kalyn] for the first time and meeting him?
ABDALLA: Stephen and I, at first, didn’t talk to each other at all. Do you remember that?
JOSH HEUSTON: [Laughs] I do.
ABDALLA: We, like, didn’t talk to each other, really. And then, I don’t know, we just all started hanging out, and it was great. Honestly, Stephen’s a really great scene partner. We have very similar ways of approaching a scene or approaching characters. We both can be really hard on ourselves, so it was great to have each other to settle ourselves and be very supportive. We trust each other a lot. So, yeah, he’s amazing.
Great. Did you guys have any chemistry reads or anything like that leading up to it, or were you thrown in the deep end?
ABDALLA: Yeah, we did, but my chemistry with Stephen was over Zoom. All the rest of us were in a massive room with, like, a thousand people freaking out, in person. It was terrifying. And then we had to do the Dean chemistry reads over Zoom after the rest of us were cast. So I felt bad because Allie and Dean’s scenes are all very physical, and there’s just a proximity that helps to have in a chemistry read, but he did amazing. He obviously booked the role, so it was great.
Josh Heuston on Singing and Playing Justin in ‘Off Campus’
“They can have the ice. I’ll have the yodeling.”
Josh, out of all of the guys in this show, everybody is doing hockey, but you get to perform, and you get to sing. What was it like doing that aspect of it, and did you ever want to be on the ice? Did you ever take a ride on the ice?
HEUSTON: Well, I feel like everyone, after watching them, wants to take a ride on the ice. That sounded bad. I meant to say… [Laughs]
That was poor phrasing on my part.
HEUSTON: Oh, you set me up to fail then. Well played. No, jumping into the music, I just love that whole experience of learning. I had an amazing music team around me, everyone from Rosie for vocals, and then Michael for guitar. It was just a really enriching and nurturing experience you go through.
I don’t know, there’s something about singing that, like, it does feel super vulnerable and naked, and it’s a really, I guess, cathartic experience in a way, which I wasn’t expecting. But yeah, I’m glad it played out the way it did. Yeah, I wouldn’t change it. They can have the ice. I’ll have the yodeling.
ABDALLA: The naked singing.
HEUSTON: The naked singing! Taking a ride on the ice. I’m just going downhill.
I regret saying “ride on the ice,” I’m not gonna lie.
ABDALLA: He followed it up with naked singing, so you’re good.
HEUSTON: Well, it would have been fine in isolation, but here we are.
Heuston Ponders Justin’s Future Romance in ‘Off Campus’
“I think he’s definitely just trying to focus on his music…”
In the books, Justin finds a girlfriend later on. Is that something that you want to explore with your character or is that something that is being pursued as a question for the future?
HEUSTON: Yeah, at the time you find him in Season 1, I think he’s definitely just trying to focus on his music,and I think you can kind of see that he loves it and has a lot of ambition, but he’s also quite insecure about it and nervous in a way especially when he’s showing Hannah some of his music. There’s a scene in Hannah’s bedroom where he performs for her,and then she doesn't really say anything right away, and he’s like “Oh did you like it?” And I think for him he’s just focusing on that. In terms of a love story his first one didn’t go so well I guess so he’s just focusing on music for now.
Abdalla Reveals the Original Ending to ‘Off Campus’ Season 1 Was Changed
“I thought it was a really fun way to introduce Hunter as a character.”
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