Stephen Kalyn’s – Stephen Kalyn plays Dean on Prime Video’s Off Campus, and he credits his real-life fiancée, Victoria Lovatsis, for inspiring his audition. Their relationship dates back to a 2017 Instagram debut, and Lovatsis even guided how he understood the books behind the
Stephen Kalyn’s character on Off Campus may have his eyes on Allie Hayes, but in real life, the actor says the person most wrapped up in his world is his fiancée, Victoria Lovatsis.
In a May 2026 interview with Pedestrian TV. Kalyn shared that Lovatsis has read the Off Campus books—down to specific titles.. “My fiancée has read all the books. so she actually kind of told me about them when she read them.. I actually remember her reading, specifically, The Score one time,” he said.. Kalyn described catching her reading and then pretending she wasn’t. saying he watched her glance his way as she replied. “Oh. nothing.”
He added that Lovatsis has been “a huge player and motivating me to get there and get here right now. ” calling it “really. really. really. really cool.” While Dean and Allie’s story moves through the Prime Video series. Kalyn says his own start in that same universe was pushed by Lovatsis’ knowledge of the books—and the character she wanted him to embody.
Kalyn and Lovatsis made their Instagram debut in 2017, marking their fifth anniversary as a couple. In January 2017, Lovatsis posted a throwback photo of the two kissing and wrote, “Five years later and I still love you more than ever 😌.”
That longtime fan perspective carried into Kalyn’s casting.. In a May 2026 interview with Elite Daily, Kalyn said the audition felt personal from the beginning.. “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,” he explained.. He then pointed back to his fiancée’s role in his journey: “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 landed the part, bringing Dean to life on Off Campus, the Prime Video series adapted from author Elle Kennedy’s hockey romance series.
Dean and Allie’s arc lands in Kennedy’s third Off Campus book. The Score. and the show’s season 1 also introduces their relationship.. It’s based on The Deal. the book starring Briar University hockey captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) and music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright).. Because Dean and Allie are Garrett and Hannah’s best friends. Mika Abdalla—who plays Allie—told Us Weekly in May 2026 that the season naturally centered Dean and Allie’s storylines alongside the connected world of the earlier books.
Abdalla said there’s more teasing than immediate payoff: “Even though we do tease Dean and Allie a lot earlier than people expect. you are still left wanting a lot more. ” she said.. “That’s something I’m really excited about.. You just want to see more.” She also explained that season 1 made room for interconnected story beats. noting. “Allie and Hannah’s story lines are so connected to one another that it just made a lot of sense to touch on that this season.”
Continuing, Abdalla said, “All the books, they build off of each other and they’re all connected. It didn’t really make sense to not include certain elements from the other books in this season.”
The timing of those choices comes into focus when you look at how season 1 ends: it finishes with Dean asking to monogamously date Allie.. But just when viewers are left with that emotional turning point. the show also includes a jolt—Allie has recently hooked up with Dean’s high school nemesis. Hunter Davenport (Charlie Evans).
Off Campus season 1 is currently streaming on Prime Video, and the series has already been renewed for a second season.. What isn’t settled is who will take center stage next.. The show has Dean. Logan (Antonio Cipriano). and Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks) in the mix. but it’s not known whether any of them will be the lead in season 2.
A pattern runs through what Kalyn. Lovatsis. and Abdalla each highlight: Lovatsis’ book knowledge becomes a direct nudge into Kalyn’s audition for Dean. and Abdalla’s description of season 1 echoes how the books “build off of each other” with connected storylines—then season 1 closes by pushing Dean and Allie’s relationship forward while still keeping the larger network of characters and conflicts alive.
Kalyn’s role in Off Campus is therefore shaped by two kinds of momentum at once—real-life inspiration from a fiancée who’s read the books closely, and on-screen momentum that season 1 ends by locking into a monogamy conversation even as Allie’s past connection with Hunter hangs in the air.
Off Campus Stephen Kalyn Victoria Lovatsis Dean Allie Hayes Prime Video Elle Kennedy The Score The Deal Mika Abdalla Pedestrian TV Elite Daily Us Weekly Hunter Davenport Garrett Graham Hannah Wells