‘Over your shoulder! To your right!’ A frenzy of paparazzi flashes light up the red carpet, as a hum of anticipation fills the room. Lili Reinhart steps out in front of a sea of hungry eyes, all waiting for their chance to get the shot. She turns to pose, her long, blonde hair draping over a dazzling Valentino dress. In minutes, the photographs go viral with her 23 million Instagram followers. In hours, fan-edits of her appearance at the Gotham Television Awards rack up hundreds of thousands of views, declaring her that girl. And the following morning, she’s in the Cosmopolitan studio, shooting this cover story, ahead of the release of The Love Hypothesis, surrounded by racks of designer clothing and luxury makeup.
You might think it’s a regular week in the life of an award-winning A-list actor. And yet, ‘I’m genuinely on video and phone calls from nine to five every day,’ she tells me when we talk over Zoom. Lili is calling from her home in Los Angeles, hair pulled back into a bun, sporting a black crew neck jumper and grey sweats. Behind her, a printer balances precariously on a rattan dresser, while two bookcases are full to the brim. By her side, a Stanley cup, completing a background reminiscent of any 29-year-old’s work-from-home set-up.
But most twentysomethings don’t have their own production company, a skincare line and a famous boyfriend to boot. Though her life sounds straight out of a romcom, the past few years have been tough on Lili, who says she’s happiest at home with her dog, Milo, her phone on silent and, like the rest of us, avoiding the Sunday scaries. Because yes, celebrities get them too.
Being heard
Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, with two sisters, Lili’s love of acting began early, and her teenage years were filled with small appearances on shows such as Scientastic! and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Later came an array of independent films, before everything changed in 2016 when she landed the role of Betty Cooper in Riverdale. The show ran for seven series from 2017 to 2023, turning Lili and her co-stars, including KJ Apa and Camila Mendes, into household names.
Jumper, Hades. Shorts, Aknvas. Shoes, Roger Vivier. Ring, FoundRae
It was a time of mixed emotions for Lili, though, who was battling a whole host of undiagnosed chronic illnesses behind the scenes. ‘You either got super fit and were exercising every day, or you gained weight [during Covid]. I was one of those people who gained weight. Then I had to go back to work and I didn’t fit in any of the jeans that I had on Riverdale. It’s hard to go into a fitting room and every other girl on set was a size 2 [UK size 6] or smaller. You’re stuffing yourself into these clothes, in a horribly lit room, while three people stare at you, and you’re looking at yourself in the mirror while they either pin things to add fabric or try the next size up. I felt really bad about myself.’
In reality, there was much more going on inside her body than she initially realised. ‘I had these underlying issues that I didn’t know about. Now I’ve been diagnosed, I know that I have inflammatory disorders. It makes sense that I was super inflamed in my body. My face was a completely different shape. I had “moon face” and my cortisol was off the charts. I felt so deeply out of control of my own body.’
Last December, she shared a now viral Instagram post of herself in a hospital bed following laparoscopic surgery. She revealed she had been diagnosed with interstitial cystitis the year before and had been told there was no cure or relief for the pain she was in. What followed were multiple doctors’ appointments and an MRI scan, which eventually led to a diagnosis of adenomyosis (a condition where immune cells release too many chemicals, amplifying inflammation and pain). Still in pain, Lili underwent surgery to get more clarification and was then given an additional diagnosis of endometriosis (where cells similar to those in the lining of the uterus grow in other parts of the body). ‘I feel like every year I get diagnosed with something else […] mast cell activation syndrome [caused by abnormal mast cells or abnormal release of chemicals contained within them] is the newest diagnosis, which is common with endo,’ she shares, before pausing for a moment in what feels like frustration. ‘I’m very lucky that I live in LA and have access to really great doctors.’
Dress, Rodarte. Shoes, Roger Vivier. Earrings, Shana Cave
Lili spent years being dismissed by medical professionals while experiencing painful symptoms, a feeling many women will relate to. ‘I genuinely think that if it became illegal for doctors to blame women’s health symptoms on their anxiety, the world would change. It takes [some] women up to 10 years to get diagnosed with endometriosis because their symptoms aren’t taken seriously or it’s blamed on stress and anxiety. It’s an easy out for doctors to wipe their hands of you and not have to really do the hard work to dig deep to see what’s going on with you.’
But even with a diagnosis, Lili admits there’s no quick fix when it comes to health, self-confidence and body image. Particularly when you work in such an image-obsessed industry. ‘Stylists aren’t given racks of clothes for people who are above a size 4 [UK size 8]. I went to the Vanity Fair Oscars party one year wearing the only dress that fit me on the rack, and I was deeply unhappy with how I looked because I didn’t want to wear that,’ she says, an exasperated expression crossing her face. And, while there was a period of time where it felt like the tide was turning when it came to body positivity, Lili is frank about the reality. ‘As much as people want to pretend that that’s not true any more, it is. It’s all over my Instagram and TikTok – people commenting on the bodies of celebrities. Yeah, it’s just really difficult.’
She credits medical professionals that listen to her, new medication and ‘really beautiful creators on my [social] feeds trying to spread body positivity’ as things that have all helped. ‘I can still look very different on a day-to-day basis, depending on whether I’m going through a flare or not.’ But, Lili says, she is moving to a place where she judges her body less. ‘I’m living in my own body. I’m just trying to be present with it, I guess.’
Plus, she’s definitely found the fun in fashion again of late. Back in March, she set the internet alight for all the right reasons, after sporting an array of tongue-in-cheek slogan tees while promoting witchy-horror movie Forbidden Fruits (out now on digital release, in which she starred alongside Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti and Alexandra Shipp). One particularly viral top, a collaboration with stylist Ib Abdel Nasser, saw the words ‘I support a man’s right to shut the f**k up’ emblazoned across her chest. ‘Yeah… the incels were mad at me. I woke up and I was like, “Oops, I’ve pissed the men off.” And then I laughed. [It’s a] bummer you’re insulted by a woman’s T-shirt. Says a lot more about you than me, pal.’
A crossroads
Lili worked on movies alongside the Riverdale franchise, starring in Hustlers (2019) and Chemical Hearts (2020), but by the show’s close in 2023, she was faced with a dilemma. ‘I was afraid that if I did either a horror movie or a romcom, I was going to be pigeonholed into those two things,’ she explains, her French manicure hitting the light as she gestures with her hands.
Instead, Lili prioritised indie films and passion projects, rejecting romcom roles like the one we’re here to talk about – The Love Hypothesis – until her team convinced her that it was the wrong decision. ‘I pushed it away,’ she says of the adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s novel. ‘Then I read it on my way to the Venice Film Festival. It was juicy and fun and I was like, “Okay, I understand why people love this book, the charm it has and the slow burn between these two people who are falling in love.”’
For those who haven’t read it, the story focuses on protagonist Olive, a biology PhD student, who starts fake-dating moody professor Dr Adam Carlsen as a way to help her best friend Anh get a date with the guy of her dreams. Except, as you may have guessed… fake dating slowly becomes real romance.
‘So you’ve seen my boobs?’ Lili wryly asks, referencing (spoiler!) a sex scene that happens when Olive and Adam [played by Tom Bateman] finally get intimate for the first time. ‘It was a discussion between me and Clare [Scanlon, the movie’s director], like, “We want it to be a bit of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sort of nip slip, rather than full frontal,”’ she explains. ‘It was my first time signing a true nudity rider, where you specify exactly what the camera is allowed to see. It was kind of exciting. I’ve never been afraid of nudity. It was really important for the fans of the book to get a juicy sex scene.’
The sequence is most definitely sexy, with a heavy emphasis placed on the female gaze. However, unlike the book, which dedicates two whole chapters (and many explicit descriptions) to the intimate moment, the on-screen version is decidedly shorter. ‘It could have gone a little harder, but, to be honest, I think anything more than what it is wouldn’t have fit with the rest of the film. No movie was ever going to do a 10-minute-long sex scene.’
Keeping diehard fans of BookTok-viral novels happy is no mean feat, and when it comes to the entertainment industry, it’s something studios are considering now more than ever. When I mention the recent backlash to the casting of Patrick Schwarzenegger in the adaptation of Emily Henry’s Beach Read, Lili shares a knowing look and adds, ‘Oh, I’m aware.’ It’s something she had to go through when she was announced as Olive.
‘Some people weren’t happy with my casting. I think they just had in their head that Olive wasn’t white, or that I didn’t fit their vision of her in their heads, which is totally fine.’ That is, Lili acknowledges, one of the challenges of playing a beloved character. ‘The movie’s not going to satisfy everyone. Feel free to enjoy the version that you’ve crafted in your head – if that’s what you respond to, that’s great.’ But, she adds, there’s a big difference between who might look like the perfect fit to fans, and who wants to play the role, who’s available and, ultimately, who can actually embody the role. ‘There were a sh*tload of people in the comments trying to tell me who should play Adam, when we had already cast Tom [Bateman],’ who she is quick to praise for playing him brilliantly. ‘I mean, talk about someone who is incredibly different from their character. Tom is a golden retriever in real life. So happy, so much energy. He’s very present, very caring, just a kind human being – and that’s obviously not how Adam is described.’
The pair clearly built a bond, which has got to be a relief when you’re about to embark on a global press tour. ‘It was so lovely to work with him,’ she smiles, joking about their differing awareness of the online discourse of… pretty much anything and everything. ‘He literally doesn’t have a social media app on his phone, which I deeply admire. I really do think it’s funny. I am so chronically online and Tom is the most offline person of all time.’ But don’t panic if the promotional circuit doesn’t deliver quite as much of the pair physically together as we’d like – it’s just logistics. ‘We’re trying to work out our schedule because he’s working in London this fall [autumn]. But people want to see Olive and Adam together! We can’t do things separately.’
The big 3-0
By the time this issue finishes its on-sale window, Lili will have turned 30. It’s a statement that usually strikes fear into any late-twentysomething, but when I alert her to this fact, she’s calm, unclasping her hair from its claw clip. ‘At some point, you start getting sent scripts for women who are 29 and early 30s, and it’s like, “Oh wow, I’m becoming that.” And I hope and pray that my 30s are better than my 20s, because I don’t want to do that sh*t again,’ she says, hair now tied up once more. ‘I’m a very different person entering my 30s. I’ve been through so much. I had my entire Riverdale experience in my 20s and was in a relationship that began and ended very publicly. I went through the pandemic, as we all did, and then the past few years [I’ve been] seeing my industry get back on its feet. It’s been a wild decade.
Top; skirt, both Louis Vuitton. Earrings, Lili’s own
As for the next decade? For now, Lili wants to sit in the sense of contentment she’s found. ‘I’m in a really beautiful relationship [she’s been dating fellow actor Jack Martin since 2023]. I’ve never really given any details about my relationship for our own protection, but I am in the best relationship I’ve ever been in. And I have really wonderful friends. I’m glad I’m moving into my 30s with a really sturdy group of people who I genuinely love to be around.’ Just the same day as our interview, Martin gives a similarly small insight into their relationship, telling press, ‘I love her more than anything. She’s so empathetic and wonderful and sweet.’
Lili is also keen to focus on her work and her personal ‘why’ – one that’s less tied to external recognition. ‘It’s ingrained in actors to be competitive. There are people who are my age who have already won three Oscars. And it’s like, I have this poisonous idea that I need to be further along [in my career] than I currently am,’ she admits. ‘[But] it’s not why I got into this industry. I’ve wanted to act since I was 10. I’m not here on this earth to collect accolades. I really love to act and to connect to my emotions, and it just so happens to be on camera.’
After Forbidden Fruits and The Love Hypothesis, the actor is working on new thriller The Mannequin and also stars in a comedy, The Very Best People. And after that? ‘I always just really love playing someone who’s gay or bi or any type of queer,’ she adds. ‘Because I am, and I would love to see bisexuality represented without it being made fun of. I do often think if you’re not lesbian, if you’re not gay, and you’re anywhere else on the spectrum, you’re being seen as “other” – a generic queer person being added for the plot. So I would love to see more lead characters being bisexual – just having it be a part of their identity or journey and to see it normalised.’
Coat, Bode. Bag, Susan Alexandra. Shoes, Casadei
As for whether she’d step behind the camera to write or direct, that’s still to be determined. ‘I see how difficult it is to get anything made to begin with; I think I would be too frustrated to be a director right now,’ she acknowledges. ‘One day, if I can find the right words, I would love to tell, not my story, but a story.’
If the past few years have taught her anything, though, it’s that protecting her peace is absolutely essential when it comes to her health and happiness. ‘I feel like in the past two years, I’ve actually got into having the Sunday blues. I get anxious or sad that my work week is going to start, because I really enjoy when it’s the weekend and no one can talk to me. I really take my off-the-clock time quite seriously.’ Case in point: even when she was shooting The Love Hypothesis, Lili made sure to have a proper weekend every fortnight and ‘on the days when I would want to just literally not leave my little apartment and stay inside, it always p*ssed me off [when] I’d have to go do something! I love not leaving my house. It’s the best feeling in the world’. It’s good to know even celebs like to bed-rot, and pray their plans will get cancelled.
Top; skirt; tights, all Moschino. Shoes, Aquazzura. Rings: right hand, Bea Bongiasca. Left hand, FoundRae
So, looking back at her 20-year-old self, what would Lili tell her? ‘So many things. I would love to see myself less online. I have to find the time to freeze my eggs. But the biggest is, I would try to jumpstart my spiritual awakening earlier in life.’ In 2022, Lili became a reiki master [a form of energy healing using non- invasive touch], a process that she describes as ‘wonderful’. Since then, she has experimented with ISTDP, aka intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy, a process designed to uncover repressed emotions. For Lili, the therapy treatment was ‘really powerful – it unlocked me’, and is something she wants to try more of as she heads into her 30s.
‘I feel so lucky to have really good friends who have their feet on the ground. They are people who can tell me my sh*t when I need to hear it, who are always looking to grow and look inwards and become better people. That’s really important, I think, to surround yourself with people who also want to constantly shed their skin and become better versions of themselves. I’m starting to dive deeper into neuroplasticity work, too, which is genuinely working on rewiring your thought patterns. I think doing that right before I turn 30 is going to be really good for my brain.’
But right now? She’s just trying to make it out of her Saturn return in one piece. ‘Oh I’m in it, I am in it. [laughs] I definitely feel it. Can’t wait for that sh*t to end…’ You and us both, Lili.
The Love Hypothesis is out on Prime Video on 23 September
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Photographer: Caroline Tompkins; Words: Lydia Venn; Stylist: Rebecca Jane Hill; Art Director: Alex Hambis; Editor in Chief: Claire Hodgson; Entertainment Editor: Alicia Lansom; Make up Artist: Melissa Hernandez @ A-Frame Agency; Hair Stylist: Timothy Aylward @ The Wall Group; Nails: Ladypanda NYC; Fashion Assistants: Angel Cordova-Todd& Madison Cheng-Trpisovsky; Photo Assistants: Eva Alpert and Aaron Bledsoe; Video: Rosemary Wojtkowski; Production: Beverley Croucher
