Actress Daisy Ridley is a well-known figure in the Star Wars universe, playing the powerful Rey, first introduced in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In a 2021 interview with Tatler, Ridley explained that the role changed how she approaches sharing her private and romantic life, saying, “When I signed on to Star Wars, there was nothing in my contract that said, ‘Your life will be talked about.’”

“It got to the point where I realized so much of my life was out there,” she continued. “I thought it would be nice to have something that’s for me, that isn’t for everybody else. I just thought I would keep that separate.”

Ridley has stuck to her decision, keeping her relationship with husband Tom Bateman very private. But Bateman is an actor as well, and in July 2025 he was cast in the film adaptation of The Love Hypothesis.

Why is this role so relevant to Ridley? It’s based on former Star Wars fan fiction by Ali Hazelwood. Her original story published on Ao3 was about Rey and her antagonist/ally, Kylo Ren, played in The Force Awakens by Adam Driver. Driver and Ridley had chemistry on screen and many fans “shipped” them as a romantic couple. Bateman has been cast as Adam Carlsen, originally based on Driver’s character.

The story has changed significantly since its first online publication and is now set in the world of a university. In the story, Professor Carlsen embarks on a fake relationship with PhD candidate Olive Smith, to be played by Lili Reinhart. Reinhart shared a TikTok about the casting notice in which she and Bateman are shaking hands as they agree on their phony love story (that might become real).