Haley Lu Richardson and Ben Hardy will enchant you in their new Netflix rom-com
Caswill says there are a few things that screenwriter Katie Lovejoy updated for the film, including the addition of Jameela Jamil’s character. “She’s kind of a Cupid character, and that’s really fun,” notes Caswill. “And the book is mostly set in west London, around Paddington and Notting Hill. The film is set much more in East London, South East London, around Shoreditch, Peckham and Greenwich.”
Who is in the cast?
As mentioned, love at first sight Stars Haley Lu Richardson (white lotus, Five feet apart) as Hadley and Ben Hardy (Bohemian Rhapsody, X-Men: Apocalypse) as Oliver. Rob Delaney (black mirror, catastrophe) plays Hadley’s father Andrew Sally Phillips (How to please a woman, hit the pony) plays Oliver’s mother Tess. Dexter Fletcher (gang of brothers) plays Oliver’s father, Val. (Fletcher and Hardy have previously worked together Bohemian Rhapsody after Fletcher replaced Bryan Singer as the film’s director.) And of course Jameela Jamil (She-Hulk: Lawyer, The good place) appears as the narrator.
As for the casting process, Caswill says she and Richardson came on board around the same time, although it took producers some time to cast Oliver. “But when I spoke to Ben,” Caswill recalls, “I couldn’t wait to get the two of them together.” Due to Covid restrictions, they couldn’t do a chemistry reading in the same room, so Richardson and Hardy met for the first Time via zoom.
“They were great together right away. Haley Lu loved him. And as soon as we got out, she texted me and said, ‘He’s just great.’ He’s really down to earth and sweet and gentle and she’s so warm and quirky. The combination harmonizes wonderfully.”
