Lily James said she worries modern dating apps may erode the "lost art" of meeting someone in person as she continued promotional appearances for the forthcoming film Swiped.
The 36-year-old, who stars as Bumble chief executive and founder Whitney Wolfe Herd in the biopic, stepped out in New York on Monday in a Victoriana-style blouse by Nina Ricci paired with extremely high-waisted trousers ahead of an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers. On the late-night show she acknowledged she has not "dabbled" in dating apps and described concerns about how they have changed courtship.
Asked by host Seth Meyers whether she had tried dating apps, James said she had not and that she felt "a bit bad playing the creator of these apps having never really done it." She told the audience she had "stole[n] my friend's phone" to research the role. "Well I'm kind of scared that we're losing this like lost art of like seeing someone in a bar and just like catching their eye and going over. I hope that that doesn't disappear," she said.
Swiped portrays Wolfe Herd's rise as a figure behind the inception of popular dating apps and recounts allegations of sexual harassment she has said occurred during her time at Tinder. James said she first read the script before the Screen Actors Guild strike and was "taken aback" by Wolfe Herd's story. "I was really unfamiliar," she said of the entrepreneur's path, adding that dating apps are now central to how many people meet and that Wolfe Herd's journey to create Bumble and confront challenges was "deeply inspiring."
James has been on a series of promotional stops for the film, changing outfits between engagements. Earlier on Monday she was photographed in a cream blouse with sheer layering and corset-style trousers, later appearing in a black, off-the-shoulder mini dress for other events.
Swiped arrives as public discussion about workplace conduct in technology companies and the cultural impact of dating apps continues. Wolfe Herd co-founded Bumble after leaving Tinder; she has previously described alleged misconduct at Tinder in press accounts and legal filings. James's portrayal aligns with the film's focus on Wolfe Herd's role in shaping how people connect digitally and the professional obstacles she has said she faced.
James's comments on Late Night With Seth Meyers highlighted a tension between the prevalence of online matchmaking and older forms of social courtship. She framed her reservations about apps as a concern for how interpersonal approaches to meeting and initiating romantic interest may change, while also noting the narrative draw of Wolfe Herd's entrepreneurial arc.
Representatives for James and for the producers of Swiped did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The film's release and James's promotional schedule are expected to continue through the fall as it reaches wider audiences.