Prime Video's The Love Hypothesis made several changes from the original source material, and one of the most obvious alterations involves the character of Dr. Holden Rodriguez. Based on Ali Hazelwood's romance novel of the same name, The Love Hypothesis follows the fake relationship between Lili Reinhart's Olive Smith, a biology PhD student, and Tom Bateman's Dr. Adam Carlsen, Stanford's "Dr. Evil," known for being the campus's most feared young professor.
Prime Video's romance movie, which premiered on September 23, included many notable moments from the books, such as retaining Olive's academic circle, the memorable scenes between Olive and Adam from the book, such as their intimate time in the hotel and the sunscreen bit, and the kiss that started it all. However, there was one notable change that drastically altered the film's story from the novel.
Is Holden In The Love Hypothesis Movie?
Prime Video's The Love Hypothesis did not include Dr. Holden Rodrigues at all in the 2026 on-screen romance adaptation of Ali Hazelwood's novel. Aside from Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen, the movie featured only Olive's close friends Anh and Malcolm, Jeremy, and Dr. Tom Benton.
In the original source material, Holden is a pharmacology professor at Stanford University, the childhood best friend of Dr. Adam Carlsen, and Malcolm's love interest. He is more than just an extra from the book because he is the living proof that became instrumental in showcasing why Adam is more than the cold and calculating "Dr. Evil."
Holden grew up with Adam, and both attended high school, college, and graduate school together. At one point, Holden even became Adam's prom date in the 12th grade. While Holden is gay, his relationship with Adam remained platonic. Holden also knew Olive from afar because he served on her graduate advisory committee during her first year, which explained why he was well-versed in her pancreatic research.
Holden was crucial to Adam and Olive's love story because he was the one who gave Olive important information about Adam. As it turned out, Adam had wanted her since their first, accidental bathroom meeting years earlier. He was also the one who warned Olive about Tom Benton (played by Daredevil: Born Again star Arty Froushan), the associate professor who offered her a coveted spot in his Boston Lab. Holden clearly disliked Benton, telling Olive that he is a man with questionable intentions and who is untrustworthy.
In the movie, Tom Benton's malicious intentions were only revealed in the latter part when he directly confronted Olive and offered her sex in exchange for the spot in his Boston Lab. Olive confided only in Anh about this messy encounter, a spot that should've gone to Holden, given how significant his role was in catching Benton's twisted desires.
The novel revealed that Olive and Malcolm decided to tell Holden about Tom's sexual intentions after she actually captured his harassment on record while editing her presentation. Holden was the one who pushed Olive to tell Adam the truth, given that she already had evidence to back it up.
Speaking with TV Insider's Swoon, The Love Hypothesis director Claire Scanlon explained the decision to omit Holden, noting that she loved "the female-forward change:"
"Sarah Rothschild did such a wonderful adaptation, paying homage to such wonderful moments. For instance, the sunscreen moment, the kiss, the unicorn socks, everything was so very much on point. [In a movie,] you can’t have everything in the book in there. I love the female-forward change."
The book used Holden as the witness, warning system, and late-act translator for Olive. The movie completely abandoned it by giving that responsibility to Olive's best friend, Anh, and this female-forward shift changed the movie (and some fans didn't like it because it resulted in a story that wasn't book-accurate).
Why Holden's Absence Worsens the Love Hypothesis Movie
Prime Video's The Love Hypothesis' decision to not include Dr. Holden Rodrigues in the plot is a bad move and a huge missed opportunity. While it improved other characters like Anh within the new narrative, others, like Malcolm, suffered from the change. Moreover, the consequences of Tom Benton's actions weren't really showcased on-screen, leaving it as a dangling thread in the end.
The decision made it seem as though Holden was clutter, which was exactly the opposite, because he played a crucial role in the bigger picture of Olive and Adam's story. Holden served as the book's proof that Adam had a life, that Tom had a bad history, and that Olive was not inventing a crush out of proximity.
Without Holden, The Love Hypothesis loses the only person who knew Adam. The movie portrayed Adam as a clear-cut terror professor without a backstory. Having Holden there would've improved his character arc and would've shown the audience that Adam already has a sense of gentleness, even before Olive earned it over the course of the film.
Holden was the one who told Olive to watch her back against Tom Benton early in the story, but the movie delayed Tom's full reveal and only rushed the aftermath through Anh. Prime Video only showed a direct offer of sex for a lab spot, then a confession to one friend. It portrayed Tom as a late-act predator instead of a man who has been sabotaging Adam for years. Without Holden, The Love Hypothesis established Tom as a simpler villain whose consequences didn't even get featured on-screen, with the film rushing to the happy ending between Olive and Adam.
