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Ella Bright had prepared herself for a normal college experience.
After spending her teenage years in a British children’s series Mallory TowersThe London teenager found herself at a crossroads. Should you continue acting or take some time to focus on passing your A-level exams and potentially getting into university?
Bright decided that she would do some tests before taking her vacation, with a new romance series from Prime Video, Off campusbeing the last. The 18-year-old was reading for the main character, university music student Hannah Wells. And she was never able to catch that break.
“I auditioned and got the role in this whirlwind month-long process,” says Bright. Hollywood Reporter on Zoom before the show’s premiere. “It was like we only had two A-levels [done]And I won’t go to college anymore. “Here we are.”
“It was just a really daunting experience, but I feel like I went through it with all my energy because this was just a dream come true for me in so many ways,” she adds.
Based on Elle Kennedy’s books of the same name, Off campus It follows a college hockey team and the women in their lives at Breyer University. The show deals with typical college problems, along with some heavier topics. Taking a page from Netflix Bridgerton strategy, Off campus Its first season will focus on Bright’s Hannah and Belmont Camille’s Garrett Graham. Hannah and Garrett’s story includes the first book in the Kennedy series, The deal.
“when [the part] “She came for the first time, read the book quickly, and fell in love with it immediately,” says the 19-year-old actress. “Hannah is such an amazing character that I feel honored to be able to play her. She knows who she is. She’s not defined by her past.
Thanks to the success of BookTok and other book-focused online spaces, the romance genre, especially sports romance, is thriving. Kennedy is considered the original romantic writer of hockey, and Off campus Its masterpiece in the genre – so it’s no surprise that the series has a dedicated fanbase.
“I didn’t expect or realize how popular this book series would be,” Bright admits. She remembers being on the subway in London after the casting was announced, not even 24 hours after her role was announced, and a fan reached out to her.
“This beautiful girl comes up to me and says, ‘Oh my God, Ella, you’re going to be Hannah V.’ Off campus. “I’m so excited,” she says. “I was wondering: What’s going on?” My friends were telling me how crazy it was. I wasn’t really expecting it so early in the process.
That experience carried over into filming, Bright says: “It was very surreal to have people come up to us, but it was also very heartwarming to see people say they were so excited.”
Off campus It was full of new experiences for Bright, and not just on a fan level. The actress, who refers to herself as a “loud kid,” doesn’t come from an entertainment family, so her career has been a learning experience for everyone. “I’ve been working since I was eight years old, and it was really random, for lack of a better word, but I just fell in love with it. I couldn’t imagine my life without this job,” she explains.
Before that Off campusBright spent years Mallory TowersThe film takes place at a girls’ boarding school in post-World War II England. “I grew up on this show, from 12 to 18, all through my teenage years. I was with a group of girls, all the same age as me, who are, to this day, my sisters for life.” “Family was found on this show, and I was so lucky to find it again Off campus. I went from one really strong band to another.
They have a strong squad. Due to the development of the leading couple model, Off campus It has a strong cast of up-and-coming young actors. “Everyone on this crew, especially, I feel like we’re all in similar boats,” Bright says.
The actress says the actors will help each other out and have been a major support system during the production and press tour. “We always give each other advice,” she says. “Everyone is there to talk to each other and be there for each other.”
Much of Season 1 lives and dies by the chemistry between Bright and Camille (the Peacock series). Saved by the bell to update). “I met Belmont at chemistry readings, and the immediate and obvious answer was that it was him,” Bright says. “I think what really helped us build our teamwork is that we really and deeply care about each other’s personalities and our own.”
Since then the couple has become close. “Even in the more intimate moments, it was like any other day at work — we were laughing through the whole thing. We were eating cake and pizza afterward,” she says. “We share a true love and excitement for this show, where we can feed off of each other in a really special way.”
As a romantic hockey show, it’s no surprise that many people online are drawing comparisons to the sleeper hit series produced by Crave-HBO Max. Hot competition. Despite the show being directed by Jacob Tierney months ago Off campusthe Prime Video series has been in development for a long time Hot competitionand the shows were filmed around the same time – Hot competition In toronto and Off campus In vancouver.
Bright says she’s grateful that the world is so open to hockey romances. “I’m a big fan of Hot competition“, says the actress. “We have already met[[Hot competition [star]Connor Story at one of the parties we all went to, and he was like, ‘I can’t wait to see the show.’
The actress says she hopes fans of Storrie and Hudson Williams’ show enjoy Off campus also. “I think they are very different,” she says. “The only thing they have in common is the sport.” “I think I’m thankful that we filmed before that, and our show was in production before I even heard about it[[Hot competition].
“Even when people think [we’re] Copy or whatever, they’re very separate and different shows, which is really cool. Honestly, it was just exciting [to see them blow up]“I loved watching their story unfold and how people held our view in the same orbit was really cool,” she adds.
Looking ahead, Bright and the rest of the cast will return to Vancouver to film the second season of the series Off campus. The actress, who still lives with her family in London, had her first experience living alone while filming the first season.
“I’m looking forward to getting out maybe in the next year or so, but I’ve been really enjoying spending time with my family. Between filming and school, I don’t get a lot of time to be with my sisters, my parents and my dogs,” she says. “It was a really special moment for me.”
