Stephen Kalyn From Off Campus Originally Auditioned To Play Logan

Off Campus may be a hockey romance, but the platonic love story between the Briar University hockey teammates is just as vital to the Prime Video series.

In addition to Belmont Cameli (who plays Season 1 lead Garrett Graham), the ensemble comprises of Antonio Cipriano as John Logan, Stephen Kalyn as Dean Di Laurentis, and Jalen Thomas Brooks as John Tucker.

But the buzzy new show (streaming now) might have looked a little different. As Kalyn tells Bustle, he originally auditioned to play the role of Logan. “And I thought it was good. But then, it’s interesting how the casting process works because I see why I didn’t get the part,” he says. “And then Dean came along, and then I was like, OK, that seems more up my alley.”

Acknowledging Cipriano at his side, Kalyn admits: “Working with him, I’m like, OK, he’s the guy.”

Cipriano returns the love, adding: “And he’s the guy — he’s Dean.”

Indeed, if you’re already in the middle of your Off Campus marathon — or maybe a rewatch — you know it’s hard to picture any other lineup. “I think everybody ended up in the roles that they were supposed to do,” Brooks says. “It was funny; it was a really long casting process. We did chemistry reads and everything ... I can’t picture anybody else doing anything, especially after working with you guys.”

Much of that on-screen chemistry began behind the scenes — where the cast “found our rhythm as characters,” Kalyn says. “Just being dudes in the locker room, beating each other up, just throwing each other around and falling down on the ice. It was really, really nice.”

Things particularly clicked into place for Brooks while filming a raucous block-party scene. “Belmont, Antonio, [and] Stephen pick me up and start throwing me in there,” he recalls. “And it was kind of funny — as I’m in the air, I’m like, This is gonna be a good time!”

As Cipriano explains, it was rewarding to be part of an ensemble that challenges a stoic model of masculinity in sports. “To peel back the layers and to see the emotional intelligence of all these guys is really special,” he says. “You see it in Heated Rivalry so much, especially the Kip storyline. You’re like, I just want you to be happy! That’s all you want. And then you see that in the show a lot.”