LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
INSTANT ATTRACTION
In this romantic comedy, Haley Lu Richardson (28) plays Hadley Sullivan, a woman heading to London for her dad’s second wedding. On the flight she meets Oliver (Ben Hardy) whose company makes the flight easier to endure, but they go their separate ways at the airport.
Based on the book The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith, the book and film adaptation have been compared to the movie Before Sunrise (1995), in which Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy’s characters meet by chance and find love on a train.
Vanessa Caswill, the director of Love at First Sight, praised Haley and Ben’s chemistry.
“Haley and I joined the film together, but it was a long process to find someone to play Oliver.
Haley and Ben met on Zoom, and when they read a scene together, the attraction was evident.”
DANCER TO ACTRESS
Haley, who moved to Hollywood at 16 to pursue her dream, started out as a dancer, but has been acting for 10 years.
Her first TV role was a guest appearance in the drama series Ravenswood, but she soon landed bigger roles in romantic dramas like Five Feet Apart.
In that film Haley played a woman with cystic fibrosis. She almost turned down the role because she was afraid she wouldn’t do justice to people struggling with the disease.
“It’s a made-up story, but not a made-up world. Cystic fibrosis is a real disease that many people are not informed about. It was a great responsibility,” she said.
Earlier this year fans were divided over her character in The White Lotus – Portia, a directionless personal assistant with a quirky fashion sense. “I try not to think about what people will say about what I do.” Haley grew up in a creative household, the daughter of a graphic designer and a golf course designer. She attended a Montessori school where children were encouraged to think outside the box and independence was emphasised.
“I always got the smallest roles in school concerts. I only had two lines. I was the kid who came on stage, said one thing, and then my part in the performance was over.”
Haley had no formal training as an actress after she moved to Hollywood.
She was engaged to actor Brett Dier, who starred in Jane the Virgin, but they split up in 2020.
“Life goes on, and it’s going well for both of us. We shared a special part of our lives with each other.
“I’m glad we could keep the end of our relationship private for the past two years and that we could grow,” Haley said.