Off Campus’ Belmont Cameli has enthusiastically praised costar Ella Bright amid online rumors of a falling out.
“Everything about Ella makes the perfect Hannah [Wells],” Cameli, 28, said of Bright, who stars opposite him in the Prime Video series, during an E! News interview on Saturday, September 12. “I mean, she’s fantastic, she’s an incredible actress and she’s the best person for that character by far.”
The kind words come after unfounded rumors of a feud began circulating online amid production on season 2 of the romantic drama earlier this year. Social media users noted at the time that Cameli, who plays Garrett Graham, appeared to delete or archive several Instagram grid posts that featured Bright, 19.
During Cameli’s chat with the outlet, he stated that he’d maintained a fun-filled rapport with Bright after forming a firm friendship with her during the filming of season 1. “I’ve been calling her “Wellsy” a lot, which is really fun,” he said. “And she always rolls her eyes … ‘What’s up Wellsy?’”
Last week, Cameli made a rare comment about navigating his rising star, acknowledging that fans of the show are bound to have opinions on his private life. “Being an actor, everybody has something to say about your performance, but then they also have everything to say about what’s happening in your personal life, too,” he said in a joint interview with Macklin Celebrini for The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, September 10.
He continued, “Look, if you’re a fan of the show, the thing that I’m so proud of and pour my heart and soul into, then that’s f***ing awesome. But the way our show popped, there’s another level to fandom these days, especially with the internet. Sometimes there’s a real venom to the way people put you under microscopes. You feel constantly observed.”
Despite the negativity he’s picked up on, Cameli told the outlet that he’s learning how to deal with his growing public profile. “I’ve been pretty good with handling that. You can say whatever you want about me or people in my life, but it’s not going to affect me because I’m fully aware of what my reality looks like and feels like,” he explained, adding that “mean things” said about him are “just all noise.”
Both Cameli and Bright spoke to Us in May about their fondness for one another while filming the beginning of Off Campus. “Doing a job like this would be so miserable if you didn’t like your costar,” Cameli exclusively told Us at the time. “We are so lucky. Ella and I are really, really good friends. We get along so well and we spend a ton of time together on set.”
For Bright’s part, she said, “Honestly, we just have so much fun. It’s so cool to be able to go on this journey with everybody who just cares so much about this show and these characters. Everyone is here for the same reason. It definitely loosens the pressure a lot, because you’re sharing it with all these really great and talented people.”
