OMG, you WON’T believe what happened when the Maxton Hall cast tried to film THAT steamy pool kiss in Season 2…
Damian Hardung nearly drowned in laughter (and something else entirely) after Harriet Herbig-Matten’s epic flub left the entire crew in stitches! 😱😂 Is this the blooper that finally breaks the internet? Or is there an even wilder behind-the-scenes secret from the gala gone wrong? Click to uncover the hilarious chaos that almost derailed Ruby and James’s hottest moments – you NEED to see this before spoilers ruin it! 👀💦
The hallowed halls of Maxton Hall are no stranger to scandal, heartbreak, and pulse-pounding romance. But long before Ruby Bell and James Beaufort could shatter hearts with their on-screen betrayals and steamy reconciliations in Season 2 of Prime Video’s breakout German teen drama, the set was a hotbed of hilarious mishaps, unscripted giggles, and enough awkward chemistry to rival the show’s juiciest plot twists. As the series—adapted from Mona Kasten’s bestselling “Save Me” trilogy—returns with a vengeance just weeks after its November 7 premiere, insiders and cast members are spilling the tea on the funniest behind-the-scenes moments that almost derailed production. Spoiler alert: If you thought the scripted drama was wild, wait until you hear what went down off-camera.
From a pool scene gone hilariously awry to a gala prep that turned into an impromptu dance party, Season 2’s filming in the summer of 2024 wasn’t all brooding stares and whispered confessions. “It felt like coming home,” lead actress Harriet Herbig-Matten told Woman’s World during a recent reunion special, her eyes lighting up as she recounted the “pure chaos” that defined the shoot. But beneath the glamour of recreating the elite British boarding school’s opulent world—filmed at Germany’s stunning Marienburg Castle and Potsdam’s historic Old Market Square—lay a treasure trove of bloopers that humanized the cast and reminded everyone why this show has captured hearts in over 120 countries.
Let’s rewind to the beginning. Production kicked off in June 2024, mere weeks after Season 1’s record-breaking debut in May, which saw it top Prime Video charts globally and spawn over 85 million TikTok posts. The pressure was on: Fans were clamoring for more of Ruby (Herbig-Matten), the fierce scholarship student from a working-class family, and James (Damian Hardung), the brooding heir to a fashion empire whose arrogance masks deep vulnerabilities. Returning cast members like Sonja Weißer as the scheming Lydia Beaufort, Ben Felipe as the loyal Cyril Vega, and Fedja van Huêt as the icy headmaster Mortimer Fall awaited a fresh crop of newcomers, including Eli Riccardi as the enigmatic Elaine Ellington and Runa Greiner as Ruby’s supportive sister Ember Bell. New additions like Dagny Dewath, Proschat Madani, and Anna Lucia Gustmann brought even more layers to the Beaufort family intrigue, but it was the off-script antics that stole the show.
One of the earliest—and gut-bustingly funny—incidents occurred on Day 1 of filming, as captured in a behind-the-scenes video shared by Prime Video’s German Instagram. Hardung and Herbig-Matten, fresh off their Season 1 chemistry that had viewers shipping “RubyJames” harder than a tabloid frenzy, arrived on set buzzing with energy. But when director Martin Schreier called for a simple read-through of Ruby and James’s tense reunion at the school gates—Ruby’s excitement curdling into devastation upon James’s no-show—the pair couldn’t keep straight faces. “Harriet started improvising this over-the-top British accent for Ruby’s inner monologue, like she was channeling a posh ghost from Downton Abbey,” Hardung revealed in an Us Weekly interview, chuckling at the memory. “I’m thinking, ‘This is supposed to be heartbreaking,’ but she’s whispering lines like, ‘Oh, James, darling, wherefore art thou late?’ The whole crew lost it. We had to reshoot five times just to get through it without corpsing.”
The laughter didn’t stop there. As production ramped up, the cast’s camaraderie turned the set into a pressure valve for the emotional heavy-lifting ahead. Season 2 dives deeper into the trilogy’s second book, “Save You,” picking up after Ruby and James’s passionate Oxford fling. But back home at Maxton Hall, grief strikes: James’s mother dies suddenly, sending him spiraling and straining their fragile bond. Ruby, meanwhile, earns a shot at redemption by organizing the prestigious Campbell Gala—a glittering event that promises high society glamour but delivers gut-wrenching betrayals, including a poolside kiss between James and Elaine that leaves Ruby reeling. Off-camera, though, these intense scenes birthed some of the season’s most meme-worthy flubs.
Take the infamous pool sequence, teased in the October 2 trailer that racked up millions of views overnight. In the script, James (shirtless, naturally) shares a “steamy” moment with Elaine, only for Ruby to witness it from afar, her face crumpling in shock. But filming at a rented estate in Brandenburg proved slippery—literally. “Damian was supposed to dive in gracefully, but he slipped on the wet tiles and belly-flopped like a pro wrestler,” Andrea Guo, who plays Ruby’s bestie Lin Wang, dished during the August reunion special. “Harriet, who’s supposed to be heartbroken in the bushes, bursts out laughing so hard she snorts. We called cut, and the whole cast was howling. Damian comes up sputtering, ‘This is why James is the bad boy—no one’s teaching him synchronized swimming!'” The outtake, leaked on X (formerly Twitter) by a crew member, shows Hardung fake-wrestling with a pool floatie while Herbig-Matten doubles over, tears streaming—not from heartbreak, but hysterics. “It was the funniest day on set,” Guo added. “We turned it into a game: Who can make the biggest splash without breaking character? Spoiler: No one won.”
The gala scenes fared no better—or worse, depending on your love for chaos. Ruby’s big honor to helm the event meant weeks of filming lavish ballroom setups, complete with chandeliers, couture gowns, and a string quartet. But in one pivotal sequence, where Ruby confronts James amid swirling dancers, a prop mishap nearly toppled the production. “The fog machine for atmosphere malfunctioned and filled the room with this thick, cheesy smoke—like a bad ’80s music video,” Justus Riesner, who reprises his role as the smarmy Alistair, shared in a Teen Vogue profile. “Harriet’s in this stunning emerald dress, delivering her big speech about trust, and suddenly everyone’s coughing like chain-smokers. Damian ad-libs, ‘Ruby, if this is your idea of romance, I’m allergic!’ The director yelled cut, but we were all wheezing and cracking up. It took three hours to air out, and by then, the cast had choreographed an entire silly dance routine to kill time.”
That impromptu dance party became legendary among the crew. Photos from First for Women capture Herbig-Matten and Hardung goofing off between takes, striking exaggerated prom poses while Weißer and Felipe photobombed with silly faces. “We were supposed to be enemies-to-lovers, but off-camera, it was just… family,” Herbig-Matten reflected. “One night, after a 14-hour day, Damian starts blasting ’80s pop on his phone, and suddenly Sonja’s breakdancing in her ballgown. Pure magic.” Fans on X echoed the sentiment, with one viral post quipping, “Maxton Hall S2 BTS: Where the real romance is between the cast and zero dignity.”
Interviews with the cast reveal how these lighthearted moments were a lifeline amid the darker themes. Hardung, 26, opened up about channeling James’s grief in a poignant Deadline chat: “Losing his mom hits hard—it’s raw, it’s messy. But having Harriet there, cracking jokes during resets? That kept me sane.” Herbig-Matten, 21, whose star turn as Ruby earned her comparisons to a young Emma Watson, agreed. “Ruby’s arc this season is about reclaiming power after betrayal. But filming those vulnerable scenes—like the photobooth intimacy gone wrong—meant trusting the cast completely. We’d flub lines on purpose just to break the tension.” In one such blooper, during a heated argument in the school’s archives (a nod to the Beaufort fashion legacy), Hardung tripped over a rack of vintage gowns, sending sequins flying. “I looked like a disco ball exploded on me,” he laughed in a People exclusive. “Harriet’s line was supposed to be furious, but she goes, ‘James, if you ruin Dior, we’re done for real.’ Cut to us both on the floor, howling.”
Newcomers weren’t immune to the fun, either. Eli Riccardi, stepping into Elaine’s shoes as James’s tempting rival love interest, recounted a “disastrous” chemistry read with Hardung. “The script has this charged moment where Elaine corners James, but I kept forgetting my cue because Damian’s staring at me with those puppy eyes—wait, no, that’s James’s thing,” she joked to Entertainment Weekly. “We ended up role-reversing: I played James, he played Elaine. The crew was in tears.” Meanwhile, Runa Greiner’s Ember brought sibling warmth to Ruby’s storyline, but her debut scene—a heartfelt kitchen chat—descended into giggles when Greiner accidentally knocked over a prop vase. “Water everywhere, Ruby’s ‘supportive’ sister looking like a drowned rat. Harriet and I spent 20 minutes mopping up while quoting bad rom-coms,” Greiner shared on X.
Even the crew got in on the action. Cinematographer Tarek Roehlinger, returning from Season 1, admitted to Deadline that the “most unprofessional take ever” involved a drone shot over the gala crashing into a chandelier prop—mercifully empty. “Sparks flew, everyone screamed, then dead silence… followed by applause. It was like a fireworks show gone wrong.” Producer Markus Brunnemann called it “organized madness,” crediting the levity for the season’s authentic vibe. “These kids are pros, but they’re teens at heart. That energy bleeds into every frame.”
As Season 2 unfolds weekly—Episodes 1-3 dropped November 7, with Episode 5 hitting November 21—these stories have fueled a fresh wave of fandom frenzy. X is ablaze with fan edits splicing bloopers into montages, while TikTok challenges recreate the pool flop with hilarious results. “The cast’s real chemistry makes the fake drama hit harder,” one viewer tweeted, echoing the sentiment of millions. Herbig-Matten summed it up best in a recent interview: “Season 2 is passionate, spicy, and dramatic—on and off screen.”
With a third season already greenlit ahead of the premiere, the Maxton Hall machine shows no signs of slowing. But for now, as Ruby navigates galas, ghosts, and a love that refuses to die, fans can take solace in knowing the set was a riot. After all, in a world of scripted perfection, a little blooper magic is what keeps the heart beating.
What’s your favorite Maxton Hall moment so far? Sound off in the comments—and brace for more twists when the finale drops. Class dismissed… for now.
