Lili Reinhart Says “The Love Hypothesis” Keeps 'the Heart of the Book' Intact: 'We Wanted to Totally Respect That'

Lily BrownMon, June 29, 2026 at 9:03 PM UTC

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Lili Reinhart attends Prime Video's inaugural Obsessed Fest event at Nya Studios on June 27, 2026Credit: Vivien Killilea/Getty -

Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman were initially unsure about doing a romantic comedy but fell in love with the book

The Love Hypothesis explores romance and friendship, with Reinhart praising its focus on loyalty and fresh relationship dynamics

The cast and crew prioritized staying true to the beloved novel while creating a timeless romantic comedy for fans

When Lili Reinhart first received the script for The Love Hypothesis, she hadn't even read Ali Hazelwood's bestselling novel.

That quickly changed.

"The script was brought to me. I hadn't read the book yet, but as soon as I got the script, I read the script and then I went and read the book and then I felt convinced to do it,” Reinhart, 29, said during a June 27 Obsessed Fest panel promoting the upcoming romantic comedy. “I wasn't sure I wanted to do a romantic comedy, but then I was very quickly sold on the idea.”

Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman in 'The Love Hypothesis'Credit: Philippe Bosse/Prim

Her costar Tom Bateman had a similar experience.

“I got sent the script first. I had heard about the book, but I hadn't read it,” Bateman, 37, said. “Like Lili, I wasn't entirely sure a romantic comedy was in my future. But I read it and just fell in love with the characters and the world.”

The Love Hypothesis follows Olive Smith, a Ph.D. candidate who impulsively kisses notoriously intimidating professor Adam Carlsen to convince her best friend she's over her ex. The fake relationship soon spirals into an elaborate dating arrangement that begins as a mutually beneficial scheme but gradually turns into something real, as the pair discover they may have more in common than they ever expected.

For both stars, it wasn't just the central romance that made the story stand out.

“If you aren't familiar, the big, important part of The Love Hypothesis and sort of the engine of the story, is that these two come together because of Olive's loyalty to her best friend,” Reinhart explained. “I really enjoyed the friendship aspect. I think it's a romantic comedy. It's about two people falling in love, but it also stemming from a place of female friendship, which is really beautiful and lovely.”

She added that Olive and Adam's relationship also offered a fresh take on a familiar trope.

“I also just ended up falling in love with Olive and Adam as I read the script and as I read the book. I thought they were so charming,” Reinhart said. “It's not exactly an enemies-to-lovers trope because they're never quite enemies. They're just extremely opposite and that was obviously fun to play.”

Bateman agreed, saying he was drawn to two people who seemingly have nothing in common.

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“These are two people who, surely, shouldn't work,” he said. “But because they, as Lil said, they're doing something to help her friend and trying to do a beautiful thing, they really get to see each other for who they are.”

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Adapting a beloved novel for the screen inevitably means making changes, but Reinhart said preserving what readers loved most was always the priority.

“I think it felt, as much as it could, like a really timeless romantic comedy,” she said. “I think that's what the script was able to feel like for me while still keeping the integrity of both characters and doing the book justice. Obviously the importance of the book, it's the source material we wanted to totally respect, [which] I think our writer, Sarah, absolutely did. So yeah, the heart of the book is in the film.”

Tom Bateman and Lili Reinhart in 'The Love Hypothesis'Credit: Philippe Bosse/Prim

Bateman acknowledged that bringing a fan-favorite novel to life comes with high expectations, since every reader imagines the characters differently.

“I really think it's really hard when you're adapting something for film because every single one of you who loves the book has your own idea of what these characters are gonna be like,” he said. “Every single person involved with this had such a deep love for the book and for doing it justice for everyone that loves it.”

That love carried over onto set.

“People were really fanning over it. The book was around set all the time,” Bateman recalled. “I remember Lil gave me the book on set, and we'd be reading bits of it before shooting the scene. It was always front-and-center of what we were trying to do. We weren't trying to get away from it in any way. We were just trying to do our very best to give everyone what they want out of this story.”

As anticipation continues to build ahead of the film's release, Reinhart hopes both longtime readers and newcomers embrace the story.

“It's just been a year of hype buildup,” she said. “I hope that the book lovers are happy and I hope the people who haven't read the book are also happy.”

The Love Hypothesis in theaters on Sept. 23. The 2021 novel is also available now, wherever books are sold.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”