Ella Bright on Hockey Romance Series ‘Off Campus’
Ella Bright stars in the new Prime Video hockey romance series, ‘Off Campus.’
Zackery Michael
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Ella Bright had all but prepared herself for a normal college experience.
After spending her adolescence on the British children’s series Malory Towers, the London teen found herself at a crossroads. Should she keep acting or take some time to focus on passing her A-level exams and the prospect of college?
Bright decided she’d go on a few auditions before taking her break, with a new Prime Video romance series, Off Campus, being the last. The then-18-year-old was reading for the lead character, college music student Hannah Wells. She never managed to take that break.
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“I did the audition, I got the part in this whirlwind month process,” Bright tells The Hollywood Reporter on a Zoom ahead of the show’s premiere. “It was like, OK, we only got two A-levels [done], and I’m not going to college anymore. Here we go.”
She adds, “It was just a really daunting experience, but I just feel like I went with it full force because this was just a dream come true for me in so many ways.”
Based on the Elle Kennedy books of the same name, Off Campus follows a college hockey team and the women in their lives at Briar University. The show tackles the typical college woes, along with some heavier topics. Taking a page out of Netflix’s Bridgerton strategy, Off Campus will focus its first season on Bright’s Hannah and Belmont Cameli’s Garrett Graham. Hannah and Garrett’s story encompasses the first book of Kennedy’s series, The Deal.
“When [the part] first came through, I did a skim read of the book, and I fell in love with it immediately,” the 19-year-old actress says. “Hannah is such a cool character that I feel so honored to be able to play her. She knows who she is. She’s not defined by her past.”
“I think they’re very different. Only the thing that they share is this sport,” Bright says of the comparisons to Heated Rivalry, which she says she’s a huge fan of.
Zackery Michael
Thanks to the success of BookTok and other online book-centered spaces, the romance genre, particularly sports romance, is booming. Kennedy’s considered the original hockey romance writer, and Off Campus her masterpiece in the genre — so it’s no surprise that the series has a dedicated fanbase.
“I wasn’t expecting or aware of how popular this book series was,” Bright admits. She recalls being on the Tube in London after the casting announcement hit, not even 24 hours since her role was announced, and being approached by a fan.
“This lovely girl comes up to me and says, ‘Oh my God, Ella, you’re going to be Hannah in Off Campus. I’m so excited,’” she says. “I was wondering, ‘What is going on?’ My friends were telling me how crazy it was. I was really not expecting that so early on in the process.”
Bright says that experience continued into filming: “It was very surreal to have people come up to us, but it was also so heartwarming to see people say they’re so excited.”
Off Campus was full of new experiences for Bright, not just on the fan front. The actress, who refers to herself as a “loud child,” doesn’t come from an entertainment family, so her career has been a learning experience for everyone. “I’ve been working ever since I was 8, which has been really random, for lack of a better word, but I’ve just fallen so in love with it. I couldn’t imagine my life without this job,” she explains.
“She knows who she is. She’s not defined by her past,” Bright says of her character Hannah.
Zackery Michael
Prior to Off Campus, Bright spent years on Malory Towers, set at a girls’ boarding school in post-World War II England. “I grew up on that show, from 12 to 18, my whole teenage years. I was with a cast of girls, who are all my age and they are, to this day, my sisters for life,” she explains. “It’s such a found family on that show, which I was so beyond lucky to find again on Off Campus. I went from one really strong ensemble to another.”
A strong ensemble they do have. Due to the evolving leading couple model, Off Campus has a solid cast of young, rising actors. “Everyone in this cast, particularly, I feel like we’re all in similar boats,” Bright says.
The actress says the actors would help each other and have been a major support system during the production and press tour. “We are always giving ea