Off Campus<\/em> creator Louisa Levy<\/strong> broke her silence on the criticism surrounding the cast\u2019s age differences.<\/a><\/p>\n Levy was recently asked by Variety<\/em><\/a> about Ella Bright<\/strong> joining the show as Hannah at age 18, to which she replied, \u201cI had a conversation with Ella before we closed her deal to make sure she knew what was coming. She\u2019d read the book, so she already understood, but I walked her through everything and made sure she was comfortable and confident.\u201d<\/p>\n The screenwriter acknowledged that Bright, now 19, had a nearly nine-year age gap with onscreen love interest Belmont Cameli<\/strong>, now 28.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I had felt she wasn\u2019t ready, I would have pumped the brakes immediately. But she was so game,\u201d Levy continued. \u201cAnd we have an extraordinary intimacy coordinator, Kathy Kadler, who had conversations with not just Belmont and Ella but with all the actors who had any intimacy work.\u201d<\/p>\n Levy added: \u201c[It was about] really understanding what made everyone comfortable, what they felt good about, what they didn\u2019t. We never did anything that made anyone uncomfortable before we ever rolled a frame of camera.\u201d<\/p>\n Levy also defended making some<\/a> of the guys older than the others, which was a change from the books.<\/p>\n \u201cEach season is a semester, so two seasons covers a full year \u2014 slowing down that timeline opens things up considerably,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe biggest change was Tucker being younger rather than the oldest, because he\u2019s the last book, and we need to make sure he\u2019s still at Briar by the time we get there. It\u2019s also just about building a cohesive group where everyone has their role.\u201d<\/p>\n Based on the Off-Campus<\/em> book series by Elle Kennedy<\/strong>, the show follows an elite ice hockey team and the women in their lives as they \u201cgrapple with love, heartbreak and self-discovery \u2014 forging deep friendships and enduring bonds while navigating the complexities that come with transitioning into adulthood,\u201d read the official synopsis.<\/p>\n Hannah (Bright) and Garrett\u2019s (Cameli) love story took center stage<\/a> in season 1 \u2014 with several key moments from their book, The Deal<\/em>, swapped for an updated version. At the same time, the show set up Allie (Mika Abdalla<\/strong>) and Dean (Stephen Kalyn<\/strong>) as the next possible leads despite them being featured in the third book in the series.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely great to have the blueprint of this fabulous book series to start with, but adapting for a TV show is a little bit different,\u201d Levy told Us<\/em>. \u201cWe need to keep the audience\u2019s focus in a different way.\u201d<\/p>\n Levy broke down the<\/a> approach from page to screen.<\/p>\n
\n John Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks), Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli), Hannah Wells (Ella Bright), Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Thomas Kalyn) and John Logan (Antonio Cipriano) in \u2018Off Campus.\u2019<\/span> Liane Hentscher \/ Prime<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-narrow.jpg\")
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