Stephen Kalyn Always Knew He’d Be The Perfect Dean In Off Campus

Dean Di Laurentis could have been your stereotypical college party boy in the first season of Off Campus, but Stephen Kalyn knew fans needed a glimpse beneath the seemingly carefree surface. In Elle Kennedy’s 2015 book The Deal, Dean is a side character whose real inner turmoil isn’t explored until a couple novels later. But Kalyn’s version of Dean in the Prime Video series is already more than meets the eye.

“I wanted to capture that energy of the ‘life of the party’ guy, who just wants to have fun, no limits. But you also see moments of vulnerability in this first season, which is nice,” Kalyn says. “I was really trying to dig into slight insecurities that you wouldn’t have necessarily gotten in the book.”

Despite the passionate fandom around Dean from the novels, Kalyn never felt pressured to portray him exactly as he comes off on the page. “From the moment I got the audition, I just felt like I knew this person. I was so confident in what I wanted to bring to this part,” Kalyn says. Fans can also thank his partner Victoria Lovatsis for making sure the actor was fully aware of Dean’s significance. “My fiancée read the books a long time ago, and her favorite character was Dean. So when they announced this show, she told me I had to audition. She said, ‘There’s no other option: You have to be Dean,’” Kalyn says.

The show’s structural change from the books also helped Kalyn bring his own flavor to Dean. Season 1 incorporated a hefty amount of plot from the Dean-centric third Off Campus book, The Score. While Garrett and Hannah’s romance is still the spotlight, Dean’s secret relationship with Allie starts to pull a lot of focus, especially toward the end of the season. That may lead fans to believe Season 2 could skip over Kennedy’s second book and adapt The Score next, but Kalyn cannot confirm or deny that speculation at this point.

“I’m still waiting on scripts right now,” the actor says, before adding a promising remark: “I’m sure fans are going to be really, really happy.”

He can’t confirm exactly when Dean will take center stage, but Kalyn does tease the storyline he’s most looking forward to portraying down the line. “I’m excited to dive into his family dynamics — learn more about his family and his life before stepping into college,” Kalyn says. “This season, we had fun Dean. So now, I want to see more of his personal life and where he came from. We’re going to expose what made him who he is, and why he’s that way.”

As Kalyn awaits the big score, he talks about his real-life hockey experience, and which of his Off Campus frat bros he’d actually want to live with.

Elite Daily: What’s your favorite college movie?

Stephen Kalyn: I just watched Accepted recently. I enjoyed that one. But I’d probably have to go with American Pie — oh, wait, that’s high school.

ED: I think they go to college in the sequels, so it can still count.

SK: OK, let’s count it.

ED: What’s on your workout or pump-up playlist?

SK: Disturbed’s “Down With the Sickness.” That gets me going.

ED: What’s your signature karaoke song?

SK: That’s easy — it would be “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. I can nail that song. I’m not going to do it now, but catch me in the moment and I’ll do a good job.

ED: Hopefully there will be another karaoke scene next season so you can bust it out.

SK: Yes, definitely.

ED: You’re the only main cast member who has real-life hockey experience. How is playing for the camera different from playing a real game?

SK: They slow things down quite a bit; it requires a lot of patience. But it’s still really fun to have grown up playing hockey my whole life, and now doing two things that I love in one. It’s been a real treat.

ED: What’s your favorite memory of hanging out with your castmates?

SK: We would go out in Vancouver together all the time. Anytime we went out together, it was always so much fun.

ED: If you had to choose a roommate in real life out of Dean, Garrett, Logan, or Tucker, who would you pick to live with?

SK: Tucker, because he’s always cooking. I’m a terrible cook, so I’d need him around to feed me. And he’s like the mom of the group, which you definitely need to have around.

ED: What are you manifesting for the rest of this year?

SK: I just want my friends and family to be healthy. That’s all, really. And obviously I hope Off Campus does well.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.