Belmont Cameli on His Curls, Being Cozy, and the Many Smells of the Off-Campus Set

What happens Off-Campus stays off-campus—at least, when it comes to Belmont Cameli’s blonde hair. The actor tells Allure about the “15 minutes” when he traded his character’s signature dark curls for that of blonde, shaggy Dean De Laurentis (played by Stephen Kalyn). “Everybody has [an extra] wig for doubles or stand-ins, and they’re all on little foam heads in the hair-and-makeup trailer,” Cameli says. “I put his wig on, and I was just doing his character to him.”

The mirror selfie Cameli took on set with swoopy blonde hair had all corners of the internet chatting. At no point in the novels does his character, Garrett Graham, dye his hair blonde—leaving fans of the book-to-screen romance adaptation wondering what prompted the hair change. Cameli says that Kalyn also tried on one of Cameli’s dark curly wigs, admitting that those photos exist, and “honestly, [they] should come out too.”

The chances of the blonde moment making it into season two of Prime Video’s hit show, though, are unlikely. “I was just messing with Stephen, as I usually am,” Cameli says.

Hair and makeup on the set of Off-Campus is intentionally kept simple for the Briar Hawks hockey team. “These boys are college athletes, so we keep hair and makeup pretty minimal,” says Cameli. “We don’t do anything too crazy for Garrett on the show because we want him to feel like an authentically college-aged athlete, a dude living in a house with other dudes. None of the characters would have too long of a routine.” However, if there’s one cast member that takes more time to get ready to film than others, Cameli jokes that it’s Kalyn. “I don’t know what the hell he’s doing in there, but he takes so long to get ready,” he says. “I would say I’m pretty quick.”

Cameli says he shares that desire for simplicity with his character. “I’m somebody who cannot spend too much time on my hair,” he says, explaining that it’s what made his partnership with Tresemmé feel particularly kismet. He stars in the brand’s “Hot Curl Summer” campaign, spotlighting his routine with three of their Bouncy Curls products. “With the defining cream, mousse, and air-dry foam—using those in succession—it doesn’t take very long just to get your hair right… They smell good, too.”

Tresemmé

Bouncy Curls Defining Cream

With all the action on set, products that smell good only help. “We stink when we’re playing hockey; but I mean ultimately there’s nothing you can do about that. The [skaters] that come to fill out our teams, as well as our doubles, usually come in their own gear, which they’ve been wearing for years and stink to high heaven.”