Tom Bateman Stays Offline for 'The Love Hypothesis' Role

Tom Bateman keeps off social media, and he says that choice protected him from the waves of fan reaction that often greet highly anticipated adaptations.

"I'm not online, which protects me from all kinds of feedback, but I'm sure there's plenty of stuff out there," Bateman told The Hollywood Reporter. The 37-year-old actor stars as Dr. Adam Carlsen opposite Lili Reinhart in Prime Video's film adaptation of Ali Hazelwood's romance novel "The Love Hypothesis."

Bateman had never done a romantic comedy before. When his agent asked if he'd be interested, he said yes. He loved the script so much that he didn't even know the book existed until his agent mentioned it. "I just read the script and loved the part. Once I became aware of the huge fan base that this book has, I don't know, maybe I'm just hopelessly naive. I didn't have any reservations about it. I just felt so excited that I got to be a part of bringing this thing to life that was already so important to people."

The character, not the genre

Bateman brought a dramatic actor's instincts to a genre that can trip up performers. "I'm of the belief, the character doesn't know they're in a comedy. They don't know they're in a romantic comedy. They shouldn't," he said. He built a list of how other characters perceive Dr. Carlsen and let that guide him. "Who's the real man? That was the work I was doing on my own before."

The result, he hopes, is a performance that plays the tension straight rather than winking at the audience. "There's always something to chew on and play with and different ways to approach the scene."

A sequel is coming

Prime Video confirmed a sequel shortly after the film dropped on Sept. 23. Bateman is currently shooting the Netflix series "The Woods," an adaptation of Harlan Coben's novel, in Liverpool. "It's very, very different," he told THR. "But it's such a pleasant, welcome gear shift to talk about 'The Love Hypothesis.'"

The film is streaming now on Prime Video.

• Ali Hazelwood
• Lili Reinhart
• Prime Video
• rom-com
• The Love Hypothesis
• Tom Bateman