‘Off Campus’: Who Is Beau Maxwell? Meet the Character & Actor Khobe Clarke
What To Know
- Beau Maxwell is a beloved side character from Elle Kennedy’s book series.
- In Prime Video’s TV show adaptation, Beau is portrayed by actor Khobe Clarke.
- Beau’s book storyline has a significant impact on the Off Campus characters.
If you utter the name Beau Maxwell to anyone familiar with Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus books, we can pretty much guarantee that you’re going to get a substantial reaction out of them. Beau may not be one of the main four guys — Garrett, Logan, Dean, and Tucker — in the series, but he’s a beloved member of their friend group at Briar U. He’s only on the periphery of Kennedy’s first two books, The Deal and The Mistake, but he becomes a more major player in the third and fourth ones, The Score and The Goal.
Beau will make his screen debut in Prime Video’s Off Campus TV adaptation, brought to life by actor Khobe Clarke. When we found out Beau had been cast in Season 1, we were curious just how involved he’d be, since he only interacts with the others at his birthday party. So you can imagine our surprise when we saw him in the teaser trailer, sitting next to Garrett in (what we presume to be) his philosophy class. Then, Off Campus star Jalen Thomas Brooks told Swooon that he was most excited for fans to see his Tucker interact with Clarke’s Beau.
So, we figured it was about time we created a nifty guide to both the character and the actor. Get the full rundown on Clarke’s past roles, what happens to Beau in the books, and more below.
Who is Beau Maxwell in Off Campus?
Beau, as Garrett says in The Deal, is every bit “the typical college quarterback. He had it all – the looks, the swagger, and most importantly, the talent.” Despite his popularity, Beau’s actually a nice guy. He’s a history major at Briar U like Garrett, but out of all the hockey guys, Beau’s tightest with Dean (who’s played by Stephen Kalyn in the show). Beau’s also close to his older sister, Joanna, who recently graduated from Briar and landed a role on Broadway.
Beau doesn’t get a real love interest of his own, but he does date Sabrina, who eventually becomes Tucker’s love interest, briefly. It doesn’t get serious, so he gives Tucker the go-ahead to pursue Sabrina when he asks.
Prime Video
Who plays Beau in Off Campus?
Readers are well-acquainted with Beau, but what about the actor playing him? Born in 2000, Clarke grew up in downtown Calgary, a city in the Canadian province of Alberta. He’s the son of Jamie Clarke, who summited Mount Everest twice, per the Calgary Herald. He joined his dad on one of his adventures in 2019, spending over a month riding motorbikes across Mongolia and climbing mountains in the Altai Mountains.
“I like to be outside,” Clarke told Numero Netherlands. “Golf, hike, climb, and ski. I love going to the movie theatre. Fish with my dad, walk dogs with my mom, cook with my grandma, listen to loud music in the car, and drink beer with my friends. I like traveling places that put me out of my comfort zone and experience new cultures that grant me new perspectives.”
Even though he’s playing a football star, Clarke actually played hockey growing up, in addition to taking theater classes and acting in local productions. “Other than a stint of thinking I could be a professional hockey player, acting is the only thing I have ever wanted to do,” he told Nerd Alert News. “My parents are entertainers in their own way and would always entertain with shows I would put on in the living room, whether it was my improvised stand-up routine or an equally improvised one-man play. I feel even though I get nervous in acting situations, I never feel afraid, and I think that is because my parents accepted my quirks and always let me take the stage in whatever light I wanted to step into.”
Clarke moved to Vancouver “kind of blind and alone” after high school, he told Pop Culturalist in 2023. There, he found two acting coaches and his agent. “I’m very appreciative of them,” he said. “Also, the young actors’ community here. Everyone roots for each other. We see each other’s successes, and we’re cheering for one another. It’s less competitive in nature. It’s one big movement of wanting to see everyone succeed.”
What has Khobe Clarke been in before?
Clarke’s first role was in Yellowjackets, playing minor character Kyle in Seasons 1 and 2. He went on to star in Firefly Lane, in which he portrays yet another jock. His character, Coop, explores his sensitive side as young Kate’s love interest in Season 2. After appearing in 2023’s VC Andrews’ Dawn, Clarke landed his biggest role to date in Prime Video’s 2024 Cruel Intentions reboot show. His character, Scott, is a “personified golden retriever,” as Clarke told Numero Netherlands, and a frat bro. He’s got a few things in common with Beau, too!
What happens to Beau in the Off Campus books?
(Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Elle Kennedy’s The Score and The Goal.)
Remember when we said you’ll get a reaction from Off Campus fans if you mention Beau? Well, that reaction very well could involve some tears. Beau is a lovable side character who mostly exists as a friend to everyone in the book universe, so it comes completely out of left field when he dies during his senior year. In Dean’s book, The Score, the characters find out that Beau was in a car accident. He went home to Wisconsin for his grandma’s birthday, and his dad was behind the wheel when he swerved to avoid a deer. The roads were icy, so the car flipped, and Beau died on impact.
It’s easily the most devastating development in Kennedy’s series, and since The Score overlaps timelines with The Goal, we had to read about it twice. (Brutal.) Dean spirals badly after he loses his best friend, coping with alcohol and drugs and skipping practice before he pulls himself back together. Eventually, he names his son after Beau. Since it seems like Beau may play an even greater role in Season 1 than he does in The Deal, we have a feeling his onscreen fate will hit 10 times harder. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Off Campus, Season 1, May 13, 2026, Prime Video
