Lili Reinhart Is Nearly Unrecognizable in New Hair Color for Romantic Comedy Role

The actress’s recent casting announcement has romance novel fans everywhere rejoicing.

Lili Reinhart / Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival

Lili Reinhart all but broke the bookish side of the internet this week when she took to her various social media accounts to share the exciting news of her latest role.

In case you’re not a member of the passionate BookTok community on TikTok, allow us to fill you in: Ali Hazelwood’s bestselling romantic comedy novel The Love Hypothesis is officially being adapted into a film by Amazon Studios. Following the story of a PhD candidate and a professor who fake being in a relationship until their ruse eventually transforms into real love, the novel has been a fan favorite online for years, making this announcement a win for romance readers everywhere.

This week, Reinhart confirmed she’ll be taking on the lead role of Olive Smith, the aforementioned PhD candidate, and she’s already been getting into character via one massive change to her personal style.

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Reinhart—who is known for her role as Betty Cooper on the CW smash hit show Riverdale—is also known for her signature blonde hair, which has now been dyed a beautiful brunette shade to match Olive’s depiction in the novel. In an Instagram photo further teasing the upcoming project, the actress looked almost unrecognizable, holding the book up to her face with the cover in full view to further display the likeness between herself and her character.

In the initial TikTok video announcing her casting, Reinhart casually walked around a bookstore looking at the covers of various novels before asking someone off-screen for “a book that could be turned into a really good romantic comedy that [she] could possibly be the lead of.” The unseen salesperson then handed her a copy of the cartoon-covered bestseller, to which the 28-year-old actress was grateful.

And the fun didn’t stop there, as Reinhart also posted another TikTok video of herself in full Olive mode while on the set, highlighting a line from the book before the camera zoomed out to reveal her transformation.

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A post shared by Lili Reinhart Source 🎀 (@reinhartssource)

But a rom-com casting announcement isn’t complete without a love interest, and many fans were quick to wonder who would take on the role of Adam Carlsen, the aforementioned professor with whom Olive (fake) dates. Well, fans got their answer on that not long after Reinhart’s casting confirmation—and you better believe it also came in the form of another adorable TikTok video.

For the clip, Reinhart shook hands with a man off-screen as the viral song “Illegal” by PinkPantheress played in the background. It was then revealed that the role went to Tom Bateman, an actor best known for his roles in the recent remakes of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.

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And fans of Hazelwood’s novel appeared to be very pleased with these casting choices, taking to the comment sections on TikTok and Instagram to share their excitement:

“Whoever did the casting did the lords work for BookTok,” one fan exclaimed.

“This is my Super Bowl,” another commenter joked.

“PERFECT CASTING,” another viewer concluded.

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