Belmont Cameli isn't holding back when it comes to praising his Off Campus co-star Ella Bright, offering an enthusiastic defense amid unfounded online speculation about a falling-out between the two. "Everything about Ella makes the perfect Hannah [Wells]," Cameli, 28, told E! News 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 comments come after rumours of a rift began circulating earlier this year during Season 2 production, sparked by social media users noticing that Cameli, who plays Garrett Graham, had deleted or archived several Instagram posts featuring Bright, 19.
In his conversation with E!, Cameli pushed back on that narrative, describing an ongoing, playful rapport with Bright that's continued since the two bonded while filming 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?'" Cameli had already addressed the broader challenges of newfound fame in a joint interview with Macklin Celebrini for The Hollywood Reporter days earlier, on Thursday, September 10, acknowledging that public scrutiny now extends well beyond his performances.
"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. "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 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 that pressure, he said he's found ways to stay grounded.
"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, dismissing negative commentary as "just all noise." The genuine friendship between Cameli and Bright isn't new, both spoke fondly of their bond to Us Weekly back in May, early in the show's run. "Doing a job like this would be so miserable if you didn't like your costar," Cameli said 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." Bright echoed the sentiment, reflecting on the supportive atmosphere across the cast, "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."