It was an exciting night for Riverdale fans last Saturday at The Standard hotel, where a handful of fans got to sit for a panel with the cast just a few weeks after the explosive finale of the first season of Riverdale. Luke Perry (“Fred Andrews”), Lili Reinhart (“Betty Cooper”), Madelaine Petsch (“Cheryl Blossom”), Camila Mendes (“Veronica Lodge”), KJ Apa (“Archie Andrews”), Casey Cott (“Kevin Keller”), and Marisol Nichols (“Hermione Lodge”) joked about their characters, talked about some cast stories, and hinted at a much darker season two. It’s hard to imagine the story getting much darker after Cheryl’s final scene in the show, but we’re sure that it’ll keep us at the edges of our seats.
Panel Highlights
- A shout out to the fanfiction and fan theories out there, Lili Reinhart mentioned the really crazy one in which Polly was merely a figment of Betty’s imagination.
- The cast talked about their characters, but Marisol Nichols also spoke on the out of character actions of Hermione as the season progressed, especially regarding Veronica and asking her to get information from Archie.
- Lili Reinhart also talked about the revelation of playing Dark Betty and how she was surprised by it when she read it in the script.
- Although Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa weaves a fantastic tale, the cast also get to weigh in on their own characters and collaborate with him on their characters. Additionally, Aguirre-Sacasa is known for showing them clips from movies and giving them full references on the tone and feel of the scenes that they will shoot.
- Inspiration for Veronica Lodge in Season 2? Claire Underwood Season 4.
- And while, Luke Perry’s final scene in Riverdale leaves his fate up to the writing gods, KJ Apa seems to already be comparing it to other watershed moments in comic book character history. Comparing Fred’s shooting to Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben and Bruce Wayne’s parents, it makes us wonder if this means Archie will be not only be taking a darker route but also donning the role of an anti-hero?
- Apa also revealed the semantics of shooting the scene in which the gang had to save Cheryl from falling into the river. The snow was a perfect coincidence that helped set the scene, and while the acting was on par, there was also some reality to shooting the scene since Apa actually broke his hand while trying to punch through the ice.
- The finale had a lot of shocking moments, no doubt, but one that wasn’t too shocking was finally seeing Archie and Veronica get together. While fans of Archie and Ronnie rejoiced, Camila Mendes joked about how technical the sex scenes were to shoot. The scene was directed shot for shot, it seems, and while it might take some of the romance and momentum out of it for the actors, it certainly was timed well with Imagine Dragons’ “Believer.”
- It’s undoubtable that we’ll be seeing Hiram next season, with Pitch‘s Mark Consuelos picking up the role, but if Fred survives the season, it’ll be interesting to see how these two men butt heads. Nichols calls Fred “the one that got away” for Hermione, while Perry jokes that Fred will be ready to kick Hiram’s ass.
- Shootings and leather jackets aside, Madelaine Petsch’s Cheryl had a wild season finale. Petsch and co-star — and newly minted series regular — Casey Cott joked about Cheryl’s final act in burning her family home, but Petsch seemed certain that Cheryl would not only be colder in the second season, but meaner, as well.
- Shippers rejoice, because despite the final scene between Betty and Jughead, Reinhart seems hopeful for the two. She talked about how the two characters both have darkness inside of them, but also said that Betty would be worried for Jughead as he is now forced to go to South Side High. The two sides of town will be even more divided and it paints an image of Betty and Jughead as Romeo and Juliet, kind of.
- Josie fans can get hyped for Josie finally joining the Riverdale Vixens, but will we see Cheryl back on the squad? Even if she’s passed on her mantle of HBIC?
The show has already gone back for filming the second season, so if you’re a fan you already know to keep a close eye on social media for spoilers and sneak peeks ahead. We’re as excited as you are, and we’re totally ready for more from Riverdale.
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