“What a little link. What a little Easter egg that would be,” Reinhart said
The Love Hypothesis stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman have addressed a possible Easter egg in the Prime Video adaptation that could reference author Ali Hazelwood’s fan fiction roots.
Before Hazelwood published The Love Hypothesis as a novel in 2021, the story originated as a “Reylo” fan fiction featuring Star Wars characters Rey and Kylo Ren. The original story was titled Head Over Feet and was published on Archive of Our Own.
The film adaptation includes a romantic montage featuring the Go-Go’s song “Head Over Heels”. Given the similarity between the song title and the original fanfic’s title, fans have wondered whether the music choice was an intentional nod to Hazelwood’s early writing.
Reinhart, who plays Olive Smith in the film, was asked by Entertainment Weekly whether the song was an Easter egg for fans familiar with Hazelwood’s fanfic history. “It’s a good question,” she said, before suggesting that director Claire Scanlon would be the person to answer it.
Reinhart explained that music supervisor Julia Michels worked closely and intentionally with Scanlon on the film’s music. She also recalled that Scanlon had already selected “Head Over Heels” while they were filming the montage.
Bateman, who plays Dr. Adam Carlsen, similarly remembered Scanlon being very certain that the Go-Go’s track would accompany the scene. He said she played the song for the actors while they were shooting.
Reinhart acknowledged that the connection would make for a fitting Easter egg, saying, “What a little link. What a little Easter egg that would be.” Neither actor, however, confirmed that the song was deliberately chosen as a reference to Head Over Feet.
The actors also discussed their own potential fan fiction interests during the interview, with both joking that they would be interested in Shrek and Donkey fan fiction. Bateman, who is married to Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley, has previously discussed the fan fiction origins of The Love Hypothesis.
The Love Hypothesis is now streaming on Prime Video.
