Logo text
Off campus Superstar Steven Kalin is no stranger to the hockey world.
The 28-year-old actor has spent most of his life on the hockey rink, playing the sport since he was 6 years old and finishing his minor hockey career in Class AA. “This is what I wanted to do when I was a kid and throughout my adolescence, this is the kind of life I wanted,” he says. Hollywood Reporter In the last zoom.
The actor manages to exude levels of charm through a computer screen that would put him in his place Off campus Dean De Laurentiis’ character is ashamed. He seems really excited to talk about his character and is always ready to shower love towards his fellow actors.
Toward the end of high school, it became clear to Kalin that hockey wasn’t going to work out. “I could have kept playing and trying, but I knew it wouldn’t happen,” he says.
“I can still love the game no matter what, whether I’m playing it or not,” Kalin says. “And fortunately, I found acting.” He has been able to integrate hockey throughout his career. But it still feels like a touch of fate that he’s found himself in the new Prime Video series Off campusthe latest romantic hockey series to be released online.
The Markham, Ontario native found acting through casting for his high school production fat -He played Danny Zuko, of course. “When the school day ended at 2:30, I would spend the next two hours rehearsing with my drama teacher,” he says. “I fell in love with the whole process.”
“I was always interested in the game as a kid, but I never really cared about it. I put more of my focus and energy into hockey,” Kalin says. “It was then that moment where I decided I was going to do this. I don’t know how I was going to do it, but I was going to do it.”
He’s been steadily building credits over the past several years, including stints at Prime Video’s Boys spin off Fifth Gen and Engine heads. Kalin has always considered himself an actor, but it wasn’t until 2023 or 2024 that he was able to consider it his career. He realized that during this conversation Amazon must have become familiar with him and enjoyed his performance because he started getting bigger parts. Of course, all roads lead to Off campus.
In the TV show created by Louisa Levy, based on Elle Kennedy’s book series, Callen plays Dean, a popular boy and member of the Briar University hockey team. Off campusThe first season centers around Kennedy’s first book in the series, The dealwith future seasons focusing on different couples, just like the books.
Callen originally auditioned for the role of John Logan, portrayed by Antonio Cipriano – auditioning for other roles within the show seems to be a common thread among the large cast. He sent out his tape, felt good about it, and then didn’t get much of a response.
“I thought: Oh, I guess that’s not going to happen.” And then a few months later, I think it was April, they sent Dean something. The actor was answering another call and things were chaotic, so he told his manager he wasn’t sure if he would be able to take and complete the audition. “My manager said, ‘You have to do it,’” Kallen adds. Do a Zoom. Do not self-tape. “We’re going to have an American cast, and it’s going to be great.”
Obviously it was great and things started moving quickly. He remembers taking the tryout on Wednesday and getting a phone call on Thursday that the team wanted to meet on Friday. “I was at the gym on the treadmill and I was listening to Chappelle Rowan’s ‘Pink Pony Club.’ I thought, ‘Okay, let’s close up here,'” he said as he set the scene.
After a meeting and chemistry readings that lasted for hours, he booked the part. “I was hyperventilating a little bit and feeling a little dizzy, but I ended up catching myself,” he says. “To this day, this is one of the greatest days and one of the greatest moments of my life.”
Hockey, of course, became a big part of Kaline’s preparation for the series. Unlike him Off campus The stars, this was something he already knew. Amazon put their four key guys — Kaline, Belmont Camelli, Cipriano and Jalen Thomas-Brooks — into hockey training camp for two weeks. He believes this is where he and the other men, whose dynamic served as the main throughline of the series, strengthened their chemistry and bond.
“It was definitely fun for me because I knew what I was doing, but for them, I could see it was very frustrating because it’s very difficult to learn this sport, especially when you’re older,” he says.
Callen was able to get back into things. “I was there every day to help support my teammates. I was helping them as much as I could. I would even tie their skates sometimes,” he says.
The actor jokes that he will do what his father used to do for him. “if [the skate] It was very loose, and I saw them walking up there, and I saw that their ankles were a little wobbly. I’ll say, “Jalen, come here.”
In the same way that it seemed by fate that Kallen, a lifelong hockey player, found an offer that could allow him to fulfill two of his dreams in one, Dean’s role was also a bit of a revelation. Not just from the actor himself. As a fan of Kennedy’s book series, Callen’s fiancée may have unwittingly sealed his fate as Brigadier General. “I knew[[Off campus]was popular across Victoria [his fiancée]. She read these books a long time ago, and they were her favorite Result“, he says.
“I actually commented on Goodreads years ago. I wrote something like ‘Lean, mean, and all about Dean,'” says Callen. “I just loved Dean. What a privilege to step into those shoes. Not only can I make it happen [the role of Dean] For the fans, but most importantly for my fiancée.
Fortunately, she told Kalin that he succeeded in portraying her favorite character. “I just needed approval,” he says. Worth it to say the least.
Callen clearly loves Dean. He can relate to the character in some ways – he’s trying to have fun; He loves hockey. He has a bit of a goofy side – and can’t communicate in other ways. “I’m not impulsive. I can’t say I’m confident. Also, I’ve been in a relationship my whole life, so I don’t know what it’s like to be single and go out there and chase a lot of women,” he says.
“I would say with me and Dean, it’s very 50-50,” Kalyn sits down. “We’re similar in some ways, but we’re really not similar at all at the same time.”
Dean takes the center ice inside ResultThe third book in the series alongside his love interest Allie Hayes, played by Micah Abdullah. Fans latched on to the pair immediately, and it’s no surprise that they were chosen to lead season two. The duo knew from the beginning that they would lead Season 2, but their story became a big part of Season 1 as the next installment approached.
Kaline and Abdullah worked on getting that chemistry going early. “Louisa had the brilliant idea that she and I would go out to dinner,” he says. Instead, the duo chose to have Kalyn join Abdullah in a Pilates class because the actor thought it would be funny and then they would go to dinner afterward. Unfortunately for Kalin, it didn’t go as planned.
“I was late for Pilates class, and they wouldn’t let me in. Apparently when you’re two minutes late, they won’t let you in Pilates class,” he says.
The actor remembers seeing Abdullah inside the classroom. “I was like a worried mother watching her child through the window and saying, ‘Hi.’” Mika rolled her eyes and then grabbed her stuff and walked out, Callen says.
Callen apologized profusely. “I just went, ‘Let’s go,'” he says, getting a laugh from Al Incident: “I felt like a child in trouble.” It ended up working out for the best. The couple went to eat across the street from the Pilates studio. He adds, “We ended up talking for hours and getting to know each other. That was a very good start and preparation for the scenes we had together this season.”
As Kallen continues his Off campus Throughout his journey, there are certain messages that he hopes will reach viewers. As his actors and the show’s creator pointed out, Off campus It aims to address the toxic masculinity in this world.
“I hope that girlfriends end up dragging their boyfriends to watch this show, especially if they’re athletes, because I know a lot of guys can be very guarded and protective of how they feel,” Kalin says. “I hope we can connect with the entire audience to show that it’s okay to feel what you feel. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone and lean on them, whether it’s a partner, friend or family member.”
He took that message to heart. “One of the key takeaways I also learned is to not be afraid to express those feelings,” says the actor.
“I think the series has a lot of layers and a lot of emotions and feelings. It’s a huge game-changer in the world of youth television, and that’s what immediately attracted me to read the scripts,” he says. “I cry when I read some of the scenes between Hannah and Garrett. It’s so special.”
Looking to the future, Kalin knows this Off campus It’s a great starting point and something he’s always seen first hand. Ryan Gosling is a reference point for the type of career he would like to have – it is diverse. But for now, he’s focusing on season two, which he’s about to start filming. “It’s going to be so sweet and loving and heartbreaking,” he says of what’s to come. “I only see great things.”
