Editor’s Note: Trigger & Content Warning – This piece also mentions rape and physical abuse/domestic violence as part of the main characters’ storylines.
For Off Campus actresses Ella Bright and Mika Abdalla, who portray best friends and roommates Hannah Wells and Allie Hayes in Season 1 of the Prime Video adaptation based on Elle Kennedy’s books, a key scene in the finale served as their chemistry read.
Hannah, a survivor of sexual assault, keeps that part of her past a secret until she meets hockey captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) and falls in love with him after they make a fake dating arrangement. She shares this trauma with him, which she hasn’t even disclosed to Allie by that point in the show, though in Kennedy’s The Deal, Allie knows from the start.
“That [scene] was obviously really important for both of us to take very seriously, and it was our chemistry read scene, so the first thing I ever did with Ella was that scene,” Abdalla told Deadline. “By the time we got to that point in production, it just felt very different because we had built that relationship with each other, and we’ve talked about it a lot. We all had a lot of fun on set, but in those moments that were a little more serious, we really just gave each other space and time to do what we needed to do.”
Instead of telling Allie outright at the beginning, Hannah references a friend who got roofied in high school, but Allie reveals in the finale that she’s known it was actually Hannah the whole time and that she just figured Hannah would tell her when she was ready.
“That being the chemistry read scene, it was definitely an intense scene, but I think was so important because that is such an integral part of Hannah’s healing journey and also their friendship, I find,” Bright said. “[Mika and I] always say that it was one of our favorite scenes to film. We honestly didn’t do a take where we weren’t crying even if the other one was on camera and we were behind. We were both just in tears. It was a really special moment. And doing the chemistry read just meant that we were really connected, because we had shared that vulnerability together from the very beginning, literally during the audition process, where neither one of us knew if the other was going to be in the role.”
The revelation is tied to a breakthrough Hannah has in her songwriting for the Pop Music Showcase at their college, Briar University, where Hannah hopes to win a scholarship since the funding for her previous one has run out.
“At that point in production, Ella, she’s such a pro, she just did all the prep, and she did all the work, and she came in, and my work was just being there for her as a friend, Allie, for Hannah, Mika for Ella,” Abdalla added. “It was a tough day. It was a really brutal scene, but it was also one of my favorite scenes to shoot, because again, Ella’s just so incredible, and I just love her so much. She blows my mind. She’s so amazing in that scene.”
Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) in OFF CAMPUS
Liane Hentscher / Prime
The heart to heart chat played a big role in Hannah’s composition for the Pop Music Showcase, which stemmed from a specific phrase Allie used to describe Hannah. Written by Amy Allen and Ethan Gruska, “Girl That I Am” stems from, according to Louisa Levy, the dialogue in this moment in the finale, with the title referencing Hannah’s search for her former self.
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“It’s such a cathartic moment for the season and [Hannah’s] storyline, and it’s so beautiful. I think a lot of what Allie talks about to Hannah about — all these broken pieces of Hannah’s life make who she is — that is such a beautiful moment,” Bright said. “I think she really uses that in the song and the lyrics. It was a really emotional day. A lot of training went into it. Me and my music teacher were recording ad practicing for three weeks leading up to it. So it was really fun to be able to do that on the day.”
Allie, who is a theater and performance art major at Briar U, had her own karaoke scene, and she bonds with Beau Maxwell (Khobe Clarke) over showtunes because his sister Joanna (Lauren Patten) is an actress on Broadway. Another scene early on in the show involves Allie dressing up as Jennifer Lopez in her green silk chiffon Versace dress that she wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards and catching Dean’s (Stephen Kalyn) eye. Set, of course, to Lopez’s “On the Floor (feat. Pitbull),” this important moment foreshadows their eventual relationship that unfolds in Kennedy’s third novel, The Score.
Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) in OFF CAMPUS
Prime Video
“I knew that we were going to do that from the beginning because they had to build that dress from scratch. One of my first fittings was starting from the leotard down, draping fabrics, pinning,” Abdalla said. “That felt like a bajillion ittings, but it was really great. It was so much fun. I was so taped into that thing. It was unbelievable. The whole day, it was just me dancing around, hanging out, having fun. That was also super early on. And it was one of those days the whole cast was together, which isn’t super common.”
Abdalla listened to a lot of female artists to prepare for the role of Allie, and she wanted some ABBA in the show, but that may have to wait for when she takes lead.
The RAINN Hotline for survivors of sexual assault is 800.656.HOPE or 800-656-4673. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is 988 for those who may be seeking to speak with someone. Help is available.