Stephen Kalyn's Fiancée Picked Dean, He Booked the Role

When Victoria Lovatsis read Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus book series, she didn’t just enjoy Dean Heyward-DiLaurentis—she became convinced that actor Stephen Kalyn was the only person who could bring the character to life on screen. And she wasn’t shy about telling him so.

“My fiancée read the books a long time ago, and her favorite character was Dean,”Kalyn explained in a May 2026 interview with Elite Daily.“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.'”It’s the kind of vote of confidence that could either inspire you or psych you out completely—but for Kalyn, it landed somewhere in between.“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 said. Lovatsis got her wish. Kalyn landed the role, dyed his hair blond, and stepped into Dean’s world on the Prime Video adaptation.

The support system behind the scenes has clearly been crucial. Lovatsis has been reading Kennedy’s books long before the show was greenlit, and she’s remained Kalyn’s biggest cheerleader throughout the process. During an interview with Pedestrian TV, Kalyn shared a sweet memory of watching his fiancée flip through The Score—the third Off Campus novel that centers on Dean and Allie’s love story.“I remember I kept looking at her and she’d read the book, but she’d always be [glancing over at me]. I’m like,‘What are you reading?’She’s like,‘Oh, nothing,'”he recalled with clear affection.“She’s been a huge player and motivating me to get there and get here right now.”

The couple have been together since 2012—they made their Instagram debut in January 2017 to mark their fifth anniversary as a couple. On screen, Kalyn’s character Dean and Mika Abdalla’s Allie are just beginning their arc in season 1, which aired based on The Deal, the first book in the series. Their romantic tension is already teasing audiences, even if the full payoff won’t come until later seasons. Off Campus has already been renewed for season 2, though it’s unclear which character’s story will take center stage next—whether it’ll be Dean again, Logan (Antonio Cipriano), or Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks).

Sometimes the best casting choices come straight from the source material’s biggest fans. Victoria Lovatsis proved that when she insisted her fiancée audition for Dean. And sometimes that leap of faith pays off in the best possible way.