Olivia Holt Compares Her ‘Heart Eyes’ Role to This Cherished Character in a Classic Rom-Com

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Heart Eyes

With Heart Eyes slicing its way into theaters this weekend, the rebirth of the holiday horror genre takes another step forward following the impressive success of Eli Roth’s 2023 hit, Thanksgiving. Along with having its obvious ties to Valentine’s Day, Josh Ruben’s (Werewolves Within) latest feature-length production also blends the bloody and gruesome genre with another beloved category — rom-coms. At its gooey, mushy center, Heart Eyes is the tale of a love between two people so strong that a serial killer will stop at nothing to destroy it. The two characters in question are Olivia Holt’s Ally and Mason Gooding’s Jay. Not only were the leading actors tasked with playing up the horror-comedy of it all, but they also needed to sell their romance because, without that, there wouldn’t be a film.

During a recent conversation with Perri Nemiroff for the latest installment of Collider’s Ladies Night, Holt shared which charismatic character from an iconic rom-com she based her portrayal of Ally on, explaining,

“She is giving Sally, Meg Ryan’s character, in When Harry Met Sally… so much, and I really leaned into that. I kind of like her neurotic energy, and I also really love that she’s so passionate and so opinionated. She also puts a lot of pressure on herself to be at a certain place in her life and in her career and in her love life as well. She has this pressure umbrella over her all of the time.”

Ally’s Self-Confident Nature

Do Ally and Jay have a solid relationship that helps build the plot of Heart Eyes? Yes. But, Ally is also a standalone character and a force to be reckoned with all on her lonesome. Grateful that the project’s co-writers, Christopher Landon, Phillip Murphy, and Michael Kennedy, played up that aspect and allowed the female lead to be strong and independent, Holt added,

“I really like that Jay comes in and offers her perspective, and that she doesn’t immediately take it yet. She still has her boundaries, which I like, but I just love the way that she chooses to open up, and she chooses to learn something new about herself. She’s also incredibly badass. She’s in more shape than I am!”

Heart Eyes is now playing in theaters.