Lili Reinhart explains importance of ‘startling’ sexual harassment scene in “The Love Hypothesis”

Shelby StivaleWed, September 23, 2026 at 4:29 PM UTC

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Lili Reinhart attends ‘The Love Hypothesis’ screening on Sept. 22Credit: Chloe Kern/WireImageKey Points -

Lili Reinhart tells Entertainment Weekly why she and Arty Froushan didn’t want to “shy away” from bringing The Love Hypothesis’ sexual harassment scene to life.

The actress explains that they had an intimacy coordinator “on standby” while shooting.

“We handled it with as much care as possible,” Reinhart says.

Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Love Hypothesis.

Lili Reinhart and The Love Hypothesiscostar Arty Froushan wanted to make sure the movie’s sexual harassment scene felt grounded in reality.

“We handled it with as much care as possible while also knowing that it was incredibly important not to shy away from that,” Reinhart tells Entertainment Weekly of the pivotal moment in the film, featuring her character, Olive, being told she has to “f---” her superior, Dr. Benton (Froushan), in order to get a job.

She recalls there being an intimacy coordinator “on standby” in case either she or Froushan “felt uncomfortable” while on set.

“We didn’t want to shy away from a moment that’s so important in the book,” she explains. “It’s a real sense of what goes on in real life that we added into our film.”

Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman in ‘The Love Hypothesis’Credit: Prime Video

While the Prime Video adaptation changes a bit from Ali Hazelwood’s novel of the same name, it has the intended impact. (In the book, Benton confronts Olive after she makes a speech at a Boston science conference. In the movie, Benton corners Olive in her hotel room.)

“It’s a very startling moment in the book, and it does not hold back in the book. The language that’s used, it’s extremely —startling, is the word that feels right to me,” Reinhart continues. “We wanted it to feel that way, also, in the movie. I think it accomplishes that.”

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The Riverdale star was lucky enough to attend a fan screening and got a first-hand look at their “really strong” reaction to the scene. “I was really glad that they were so invested in Olive and what was happening to her,” she adds.

Throughout The Love Hypothesis press tour, Reinhart has discussed bringing the book’s famous two-chapter sex scene to life. She and costar Tom Bateman — who plays her love interest, Dr. Adam Carlsen — tell EW that the crew gave them “a safe space” to shoot the intimate moment.

“It was a small room and a very select few people were allowed in it,” Reinhart says. “We were weeks and weeks into filming the movie so, at that point, there was just a comfortability and a friendship that was there that made it easier to do.”

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Bateman recalls “checking in” with each other became their method of communication when working on that scene in particular. “Plus, McDonald’s,” Bateman adds. “We were shooting until 4:00 a.m.”

The Love Hypothesis is now streaming on Prime Video.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

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