Galen Thomas Brooks sympathizes with book fans who want to see faithful adaptations on screen. He is an avid book reader himself.
Being a fan of the books, the 24-year-old actor knew how devoted the fanbase was to the new Prime Video series Off campus It will be. Brooks plays John Tucker, a member of Briar University’s elite hockey team and one of the closest friends to the season’s main character, Garrett Graham, portrayed by Belmont Camilli.
Off campus However, this isn’t Brooks’ only foray into dedicated fanbases. The actor has scored a recurring role as nurse Mateo Diaz on the HBO Max series the houseHe appears in every episode of the award-winning first season. His character was switched to the night shift in season 2 – one has to assume that Brooks himself could pursue some academic and athletic endeavors at Prayer U.
“I saw social media as being like a merger Off campus And the house is the craziest [thing]”, He says Hollywood Reporter On zoom. It’s the calm before the storm of chaos Off campus“The press tour that took the cast from trips to red carpets in Los Angeles all the way to Brazil for the premiere in São Paulo.
Brooks’ character Tucker is, by his definition, a kind of “gentle giant” who loves to cook. Much like Netflix’s winning formula with Bridgerton, Off campus It will center around different couples each season, based on the books in the Elle Kennedy series. Tucker is the hero of the author’s fourth book in the series. the goal.
Below, Brooks speaks with THR About his favorite books, and his experience in making them Off campus How did his mother help him in detention? the house.
Let’s start with the house. I saw you say elsewhere that you don’t know if they’ll bring Matteo back for next season. Noah [Wylie] He noted that there was a desire to keep the night shift in the narrative. Can you tell me about the transformation?
The shift to night shifts and everything, of course, has a lot of opportunities for stories, and I know there are creatives out there who would really love to see that explored. I know it’s ringing in people’s ears, but we’ll see what that entails in the future. Matteo fits perfectly into the aura of Night Shifts. If that is explored, it’s money, and that’s amazing. Aisha [Harris] – She’s from the night shift – She’ll be a regular next season. There will be a little bit of information about the night shift character next season, which will be nice.
What does the offer mean to you?
It was my first role after the actors’ strike. I had to move back home, and my mom works as a front desk lady, like Lupe (Tracy Vilar) at The Pitt. She was working in a hospital. My mom is my reader for all my auditions, and I read this with her, with the scene from Season 1 with me and Doug Driscoll (Drew Powell), where he tells me to hurry, and I say to him, “I’ll be watching you.” My mom gave me a note and said, “You have to be kinder but also more assertive and meaner at the same time. Because you wouldn’t let a sick person talk to you like that.” We did that once, we sent that out and that’s how I met John [Wells] And Noah [Wylie]. They booked me from that.
the house It was the first time I felt part of something that was so curated by a creator. Coming out of the strike, and what that means for a lot of people going back to work, and then being able to go back to work on these kind of sets, has been a privilege and very humbling. As the show went on and the bubble burst, the reception became larger than life.
the Off campus Books are very loved in this romantic space. There are a lot of people who have been waiting for this series and feel really protective of it. Does this ever give you pause?
I am an avid book reader. I read all the time, and there are books I can’t wait to be adapted for the screen. I understand the passion you feel as a book reader, “Don’t get this the wrong way. I hope this actor understands,” and there’s a responsibility here. The great thing about Tucker – he’s not seasonal it’s that he has this ability to be now. There are variations of him that are in the book, and that appear on screen. But the core of Tucker’s identity internally, and I think what people fell in love with, is very present and very illuminating. I love a good slow burn, and the things that are set up for Tucker, like him becoming this gentle giant, I think fans will love. It’s something that, as a book reader, I’m licking my fingers, oh my gosh, you see a character stumble and become this guy, which is great.
What books do you like to read?
I read everything. I’m big Narnia orange. I love C.S. Lewis. I have read all game of thrones books. The strange thing is that I didn’t read Harry Potterwhich everyone thinks is funny, but I’m a big James Baldwin guy. My friends were trying to get me in Fourth ward Because they think I will like it because I like it game of thrones And the dragon.
you will.
I dabble in all things fantasy, it doesn’t matter if it’s for a young adult audience or for an older audience. My favorite authors of all time are James Baldwin and then Frederick Bachman, who wrote Anxious people and A man named Ovi. It’s cool.
How familiar are you with this subgenre of hockey romance?
In a really humble way, I knew nothing about the hockey romance subgenre from BookTok. When the casting announcement came out, a lot of people, when we were auditioning for it, a lot of people on the business side were like, “This show has a lot of legs.” It’s like there’s a fan base, there’s all this stuff. As an actor, everyone says, “Okay, that’s great. Great. But is it really?” Then you get selected, and it’s this onslaught of Reddit posts, tweets, and Instagram Reels, and you’re just like, “Wow, this is crazy.” I posted a story that my friend screenshot because she thought it was the most worthy of a time capsule. You searched for “what is smut?” Because I didn’t know what smut was. I posted [that] In my Instagram story, my friend told me, “You’re going to find out what smut is in the next four years.”
I imagine bringing this show to life feels like you’re actually on a team. You’re filming and spending all your time with these other actors on this hockey team.
definitely. I have a very athletic background. I’ve always been part of sports teams, and that’s something I’ve always strived for, that camaraderie in everything. I have to meet Elle [Kennedy] Many times, and it was something she always said: They come to the books for their own reasons, but they stay for the brotherhood. They love the way the characters support each other, how they support each other and how their lives intertwine. It’s something that, as a young man, I always wanted and longed for – to have a brotherhood. It’s fun to photograph that, but it was even better to find that in Belmont, Antonio [Cipriano] And Stephen [Kalyn]. It really bleeds onto the screen, and the audience will really feel the chemistry we all have. The team dynamic we have is not just because we’re on the hockey team, but because we actually support each other during the act and off set. We only have each other’s interests in mind. It’s something really special and doesn’t happen all the time. But it’s a lot of fun to photograph. Just like when you’re a little kid playing on a real sports team, it’s like locker room etiquette and jokes, and this happens 24/7 on set, and it’s the best time.
Have you read any of the books preparing for the show?
I read the first book, The deal. I didn’t want to read any books after that because I didn’t want to have preconceived ideas about who Tucker is, what happens, and where he is, because that might get in the way of my opinions or something that’s not in the text. Tucker specifically is somewhat different. He’ll end up in the same place And that’s the point of it all – oh, that’s a pun (He laughs). This is the ultimate goal. How you get there is completely different. Louisa, all the producers and writers are dropping little hints that these sprinkles of John Tucker’s identity are going to snowball. This is one of the nice things that people will notice about the show as it goes on, even into season two. You’ll go back to Season 1 and say, wait, they said that there.
You’ve already been renewed for a second season. It’s clear that the studio has confidence in all of you and the show, and there’s a lot of anticipation. Does this increase pressure on you and others?
It’s something we’ve all been asking ourselves a lot actually – how do we feel about all this anticipation? We’ve all been on projects that don’t have that. The funny thing is, it was a nice little learning curve, where you can loosely control it, and focus your attention on what you can control. You won’t be able to control what people will or won’t like about it, and that will come with the amount of anticipation that lies behind it. There will be people who don’t like it, there will be people who like it, and there are people in the middle.
For me, I enjoy the pressure and the anticipation because I’m confident in what we did. Man, I hate to associate everything with sports, but it’s like game time, I’m confident in it and I can’t wait for people to watch it. The more eyes the better. Everyone wants eyes on their work.
