Truth behind Off Campus pay gap row after actor disparity claims lodged
The creator behind Off Campus has slammed rumors that the female lead got paid less than her male co-star in the hockey romance, as she pressed that the 'numbers are far from correct'.
It's safe to say the American romance series has gone down a treat with viewers, after officially becoming Prime Video's number-one most-watched debut of all time among women aged 18 to 34.
But creator Louisa Levy has faced backlash in recent days, after rumors ciruclated that Ella Bright, who plays Hannah Wells, made significantly less money than her on-screen love interest Belmont Cameli, who portrays Garrett Graham, during season one of the show.
"Check your sources," she wrote in the comments of an Instagram post circulating the pay disparity myth.
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She added: "These numbers are far from correct.
"While this is absolutely an issue in the industry, as a female showrunner, I fight for gender pay parity in my cast."
During an episode of the In the Vault podcast, hosts Ali Gray and Shane Sutherland claimed that Cameli earned $30,000 per episode, while his female co-star took home just $20,000.
"That’s an $80,000 difference," co-host Gray concluded.
But the presenters failed to include where they had sourced the figures from during the clip.
Fans of the series will be pleased to learn that Prime Video have officially renewed Off Campus for another season, but the creator noted that Hannah and Garrett's love story would 'not be the thing that's driving the second season'.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly earlier this year, Levy said: "Sometimes you fall in love with a couple and then you get their happily ever after, and you're like, 'What are they gonna do next season? I don't wanna break them up. But I still wanna watch them.' And we will.
"Hannah and Garrett are still in season two, they're still going to be part of it, but their love story is not the thing that's driving the season anymore."
The series follows music major Hannah and star hockey player Garrett, who strike a fake dating deal: she agrees to tutor him, while he pretends to be her boyfriend to make her crush jealous.
The plot is derived from bestselling novel The Deal by Elle Kennedy, who worked as a producer on the show to help the project bring her characters to life on screen.
Off Campus is available to stream now on Prime Video.
Topics: Film and TV, Amazon Prime, Money, Celebrity
Mia Williams