Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman worked to bring the most beloved aspects of The Love Hypothesis’ steamy hotel sex scene to life for the big screen.
“[This] is arguably the heftiest sex scene I’ve ever done, and that might be misleading, actually, because I don’t want people to think they’re about to see Blue Is the Warmest Colour, because they’re not,” Reinhart, 29, told Elle in a profile published Wednesday, September 2. “Having a very explicit sex scene would not have fit within the confines of the rest of the film. It just wouldn’t have made sense.”
The Love Hypothesis, written by bestselling romance novelist Ali Hazelwood, follows biology grad student Olive (Reinhart) as she enters into a fake relationship with strict professor Dr. Adam Carlson (Bateman) after a friend asks permission to date her former fling. At one point, Olive stays with Adam in a hotel room during an out-of-town conference, where they notably hook up.
In addition to starring as Olive, Reinhart produced the Prime Video film adaptation.
“When you have a sex scene that’s two chapters long, some people could have expectations of what it will be. So, there was pressure,” the Riverdale alum noted to Elle of the romantic scene. “I actually probably felt the most pressure with the sex scene just because of how much people love it. That’s a very big draw to the book, and I understand that. Tom and I felt that, and I really pushed to be as sexy as possible while still making sense in the movie.”
The two actors also worked with an intimacy coordinator to feel comfortable bringing the steamy scene to life.
“There’s something that’s a little bit disconnected from brain and body. I was naked with someone in a room — actually, multiple people — for six hours,” she recalled of the filming experience. “And then, I go home and sleep by myself in my bed, and I wake up alone, and I’m like, ‘Am I OK?’ I was checking in with myself, and I totally was — I felt very emotionally OK.”
She continued, “It’s so paramount to do something like this with someone you trust, and that’s why I love Tom. I love him, and I’m so happy I got to do that [scene] with him. … It is a wild experience and something that not a lot of people can relate to, in terms of filming [sex scenes].”
According to Reinhart, her onscreen leading man is “one of [her] favorite scene partners” to date because he was “always game” and frequently arrived to set in “a great mood.”
“It was always incredibly comfortable, especially when you’re doing intimate things,” she said. “There was not an ounce of discomfort and there was complete trust. We’re both in relationships that were completely respected on- and off-camera.”
Reinhart is dating Not Suitable for Work star Jack Martin, while Bateman, 37, is married to Daisy Ridley. (Ridley, 34, famously portrays Rey in the Star Wars franchise, whose character’s onscreen romance with Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren inspired The Love Hypothesis novel.)
For Bateman, he felt a similar respect working with Reinhart on their steamy scenes that helps move the film arc along.
“When [a sex scene] is gratuitous, it can be an uncomfortable thing for both actors and audience members,” he told the outlet. “But, when it is so deeply necessary to the characters’ arc, and it really was [in The Love Hypothesis], it’s the moment where language stops being enough.”
The Love Hypothesis premieres on Prime Video Wednesday, September 23.
