How ‘Off Campus’ actor Charlie Evans kept the biggest secret of Season 1

After the cliffhanger finale of “Off Campus” Season 1, questions united longtime fans of the books, new viewers and several of the show’s characters: Who is Hunter Davenport? And what’s he doing here?

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Played by “Paradise” actor Charlie Evans, Hunter is initially introduced in Episode 7 as a stranger in a bar, Carter St. James, though this turns out to be an alias for his fake ID. He and Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) share a kiss as she tries to prove she can embrace a single, unattached life amid her post-breakup fling with Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn).

“Carter” crops up again in Episode 8 running shirtless past Allie after she and Dean agree to an “assignment” to prove the casual nature of their relationship. She completes that “assignment” (sleeping with someone else) with “Carter.”

But in the final moments of Season 1, we learn — in rapid succession — that Dean did not sleep with someone else; Dean and Hunter Davenport have a longstanding, intense feud; and “Carter St. James” is Hunter Davenport.

“I signed on for Carter St. James, so even in the audition process, I didn’t know who he was, really,” Evans tells TODAY.com. “Then when I found out, they’re like, ‘But we’re going to do this whole thing, it’s going to be revealed, so we’ve got to really stay on top of keeping it a secret.’

“That was the whole year for me, just keeping my lips sealed,” he adds. “Anytime anyone asked, ‘Why are you in Canada?’ … I was like, ‘Oh, just shooting a thing.’”

When “Off Campus” author Elle Kennedy heard about the Hunter Davenport twist, she had some reservations.

“I was a little worried, because for new people who have not read the books, I was like, they’re going to be like, ‘Who’s Hunter Davenport?’” Kennedy tells TODAY.com. “But for people who have read the books it was like … jaw-dropping.”

Hunter is a Briar University hockey player who’s younger than the core group at the center of “Off Campus.” While he appears in several books of the first series, he doesn’t step into the spotlight until Kennedy’s spinoff series, “Briar U,” specifically Book 3, “The Play.”

But he’s shaping up to play a big role in Season 2, with questions still lingering: What’s his potential connection to Dean’s sister? What will his and Allie’s hookup mean for her and Dean? And how will he fit into Briar’s starting hockey lineup?

Below, Evans opens up about the casting process, keeping his character’s identity a secret and what’s ahead for the sophomore season.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Within the cast, how was the identity of Carter St. James revealed?

Once I’d been cast, we kind of had to let everyone know that the plan was to keep me a secret. So no following anyone on social media, no pictures together, no posting that I was in Vancouver, or that I was near the set. Stuff like that, because people are quite diligent in their research, and they can piece together things really quickly. These fans are quite smart. Frighteningly so.

We had to cover all our bases in that way, and everyone was on board, and everyone was super supportive. I didn’t feel left out, which was very helpful. Even though I was hiding, it was still quite collaborative, which was nice.

The reveal of Hunter was so shocking because while Hunter’s present in “Off Campus,” his book isn’t until “Briar U’s” “The Play.” Have you read that book? How familiar are you with Hunter’s story?

I did a lot of research on the character. I’m currently reading the book. I’m not done yet, so I can’t speak too much about that, but I tried to glean as much as I could from (showrunner) Louisa (Levy) and from online, and just sort of collect as much as I could on the character before going in. But not completely done with the book yet.

What are your thoughts so far?

I like it. I like Hunter. I think it’s cool that we get to see a different side of Hunter. At least in the show, we get a couple moments where he’s more vulnerable, or, I guess — that scene with Mika (Abdalla, who plays Allie) has some signs that he’s not as staunch as he lets on, but obviously that’s explored a lot more in the books. So I’m very excited to read more about that.

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I feel like there were two experiences with the reveal of Hunter’s identity. People who haven’t read the books probably thought, “Oh, that’s crazy, that’s the guy Allie just slept with.” But for readers, it’s like, “That’s a main character of one of the books.” How was the twist and its significance explained to you and the cast?

I was aware that Hunter has his own story. And I think because the way Louisa set up the show is more like a network of these stories. Kind of setting up a continuity in the universe, where these people just exist, and they live, and they can come in at random times and meet people that they may not have expected to meet. It makes it feel alive and moving and natural, you know, like a real college campus. It’s not as organized, the people aren’t as separated, and there is crossover. And I think it was really brilliant to feed that in at the end and kind of shed light on this larger world that exists within “Off Campus.”

You said you always felt included on set even though it was so secretive. How did the set environment compare to the campus feeling emulated in the show?

Oh, it was beautiful. It was so, so collaborative because, you know, we’re a bunch of kids, pretty much. Everyone gets along so well, but there’s also a real sense of, like, we’re doing something really special that we all care about. So everyone’s so invested every day on set. There’s no weak links in this cast, and there’s no, you know, potholes for us to fall through. Everyone’s on the same track. We all want the same thing for the show, we all want the same thing for each other, and there’s support for that every day on set. And it’s such a family, it really is.

There’s such a fervent “Off Campus” fan base because the books have been out for so long. How did the experience of the show coming out compare to what you expected?

I knew it was going to be popular just based on Louisa’s writing and the cast chemistry. I mean, it was kind of a perfect storm in terms of just seeing movies get made. Sometimes you see red flags or green flags of how they’re going to come out, and I always knew it was going to be good. But I’m really astonished by the support for the show, and how much people are enjoying it.

And, you know, I go to my other work to shoot my other show, and people are talking about it and asking questions, and I’m really, really grateful that people are enjoying it as much as they have. It’s really nice.

Back to that scene with Allie at the bar. There are flashes of vulnerability you mentioned — what can you say about what Hunter’s like on campus? We know he’s not on the hockey team. We don’t necessarily know why. Is he a ladies man? Also what year is he?

He’s a sophomore, I believe. So he’s younger than everyone else, that was very clear.

On campus, I’d say he’s — I think Hunter wants to appear maybe more of a ladies man than he is. I think his true passion and his real time commitment is hockey. I think it is the sport, and I think he is quite diligent because he has a lot of history and trauma surrounding it, and so I feel like he has this — kind of how Garrett had, he was very wrapped up in it in more ways than just, we’re playing in college, we’re having fun.

I think Hunter has a lot to prove in that realm, and I think that’s what makes him and Dean’s relationship so much more interesting than just the social aspects, because there is this competition, on and off the ice. (They) talked about it in that final scene, I think, like, “You’re scared I’m going to dust your a– again?”You know, stuff like that. He has a lot to prove, and I can’t wait to prove it. (Laughs.) I guess.

We haven’t seen hockey scenes with you yet. What’s your skating background? Have you played hockey before?

I’ve been on the ice before. It’s not something I’m completely new to. I’m not any Stephen Kalyn. But yeah, I went and I did the two-week hockey camp with the boys in Vancouver, which was a lot of fun and transformative for my hockey skills — which isn’t saying a lot, but it is to me. And I’m not falling over anymore, which is nice.

Was that before Season 1, or while filming Season 1?

We did it a few months ago. This was in preparation for Season 2. I think there’s going to be another one, but we’re really just cracking down on the hockey, want to make sure everyone’s on point. Because everyone wants to do their own stuff. We have, obviously, stuntmen but it’s surprising how much us actors are actually doing that stuff on the ice, and want to for Season 2.

We’ll see how it goes, but everyone’s gotten exceptionally good. I mean, like, really, really exceptionally good. They’ve leveled up incredibly. It’s really cool to see.

The last line of Season 1 is Jules saying, “That’s our new starting line.” How’s the team chemistry? How do you all work together?

Outside of the characters, whether they like each other or not, we all get along very well on the ice. I mean, it’s just a bunch of boys who have nothing better to do on a 7 a.m. morning for two weeks, just running into walls and each other, and learning. We just had the most gracious, supportive, kind coaches and support from “Off Campus” production team, in terms of just the help that we needed to get where we needed to be on the ice.

I would say that Stephen’s there, Antonio’s there, Jalen’s there, Belmont’s there — and I’m getting there.

Is there anything you’re most excited about for Season 2 since we haven’t seen a ton of your character yet?

The vulnerability. I’m excited to see a different side of Hunter and break down those walls, and maybe see reasons why he has become the way he is. Why he’s so protective of himself and of his image, and hopefully explore an arc where he kind of breaks that down a bit, and you see a more real, more vulnerable side of Hunter. I’m hoping for that.

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