We stan a convincing onscreen romance, y’all! During a red carpet interview at the Five Feet Apart L.A. premiere, Cole Sprouse opened up about playing alongside Haley Lu Richardson in the newly released drama. “I mean, Haley and I had chemistry immediately,” the Riverdale actor, 26, admitted. He then went on to explain how the pair was able to get in the proper headspace to not only play two people in love, but two chronically ill people in love.

If you haven’t checked out the trailer yet, Five Feet Apart follows the story of two teenagers, Stella and Will, suffering from Cystic Fibrosis — a life-threatening disorder that damages the lungs and digestive system. While Stella and Will are explicitly told to stay “five feet apart” at all times in order to avoid more sickness, their connection becomes more important than even their health. Needless to say, you’re going to need a box of tissues or 12 to get through it.

Cole Sprouse posing with Hayley Lu Richardson
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

“You know, there’s a respect among costars that you’re not really doing that anyhow, but I think for us, most of the emotional heavy lifting and sort of the empathetic heavy lifting, we were assisted by patients with cystic fibrosis and medical professionals the whole step of the way to try and help us get into the psychology of those moments,” Cole explained.

It certainly sounds like Cole and Hayley put a lot into their performances and we have no doubt that audiences will recognize that. Five Feet Apart totally has the potential to be this generation’s The Fault in Our Stars. However, we suggest you don’t go shipping the duo IRL. Cole and longtime girlfriend Lili Reinhart are happier than ever, thank you very much!

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