Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest Star in ‘My Oxford Year’ Trailer (Exclusive)

My Oxford Year is coming to life on the screen, and PEOPLE has the exclusive first look at the trailer. 

Based on a novel by Julia Whelan, the film stars Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest as two lovers, Anna and Jamie, whose lives are profoundly altered when their paths cross at school.

Though they have two very different approaches to life — Anna is a studious planner from New York City and Jamie is a charming and clever local who goes with the flow — they form a deep connection as they bond over their shared love of poetry. 

Speaking with PEOPLE about their roles, both Carson, 32, and Mylchreest, 27, agree their bond was instantaneous, making their onscreen chemistry effortless. 

Carson, also an executive producer on the film, says she was already a big fan of Mylchreest from his role as King George in Netflix’s Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, making him a top choice to play Jamie. 

“I just thought he was so magnetic and such an exciting actor,” she says. “Before he even walked into the room, I knew he would be our Jamie. And that’s exactly what happened. As soon as he walked in and we started reading our first scene together, it was just kind of instant. We just melted into the characters, and it was always that way.” 

Mylchreest says Carson was a “calming presence” during their first meeting, perfectly matching her character.

“She’s superior, she’s perfect,” he says of the actress. “In certain respects, it probably helps because there’s a little bit of that dynamic in Anna and Jamie. Jamie strives for messiness, and Anna wants to plan her life out to an Excel spreadsheet. It really helped because she was wonderful and put me straight at ease, and we had a laugh. Yeah, it clicked from day one, really.” 

Director Iain Morris says Carson and Mylchreest did a “fantastic job at bringing the characters to life” for the adaptation, while also adding “their own sparkle to the project” as well. 

“I had about as much fun as I’ve ever had on set with Sofia, Corey and the rest of the cast,” Morris continues. “They are fantastic people, as well as fantastic actors. They brought great vibes to the set every day.” 

The film’s cast also features Dougray Scott, Catherine McCormack, Harry Trevaldwyn, Esmé Kingdom, Nikhil Parmar, Poppy Gilbert, Romina Cocca, Yadier Fernández, Nia Anisah and Hugh Coles.

Having become Netflix’s unofficial “romance queen” in recent years, with roles in Purple Hearts and The Life List, Carson says what captivated her most about the film was its love story. 

“I have always been drawn to love stories,” she says. “There’s just something about them that are just so true to the human experience. The moment I read the script, I just fell in love with their love story and with the message of our movie.” 

Carson says she could see herself in Anna and how she meticulously plans every detail. “Anna has studied her whole life, and I think she considers herself a student of life,” she says of her character. “She has planned every inch of her life because that is her way of living deliberately. I very much am the same. Through falling in love with Jamie and through the story of My Oxford Year, she learns that sometimes the beauty of life is in the messiness of it all. I just relate so deeply to that.” 

Mylchreest says he also took a few life lessons from his character while filming. 

“Something that I learned from Jamie, something that I try to embrace as much as possible, it’s very, very easy to get addicted to planning and to get very stressed out when it doesn’t all go to plan,” he explains. “But I can just apply to Jamie’s words, some of the best moments in my life are things that I didn’t plan on. Some of the best things in my life are things that sort of struck me or surprised me in the past, and then I’m growing to be, continuing the best parts of my life.” 

Carson hopes fans get a new perspective on life as they tune into the film, quoting one of Anna and Jamie’s favorite poets, Alfred Tennyson. “He’s the one that said, ‘It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,’ which I think is one of the most beautiful sayings of all time and rings so true in the heart of this film.”

“I hope that when people watch this film, that’s what they take away, that life is too short to not live it in love and to not live it in joy, and to not live it in complete and utter fulfillment.” 

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My Oxford Year is on Netflix Aug. 1.