Lili Reinhart play Betty on the Archie reboot-gone-wild, Riverdale. I’ve been curious about the show, but simply don’t have enough hours in the day to watch. Anyway, the 21-year-old actress was recently profiled by Harper’s Bazaar.
In the interview, she talks about the perils of fame, but confessed, “I don’t act to be famous. I just am a performer.” She also admits that, even though she attended her first Met Gala this year that, “My life is not glamorous.” Before you say, “yeah, sure,” she did add, “I do glamorous things.” If you’re hoping to learn more about her relationship with Cole Sprouse, who plays Jughead on Riverdale, you may want to look elsewhere. Here are some highlights:
On that relationship with Cole:
“I’m not okay talking about my relationship. I’m not going to tell you my love story. That’s just not appropriate right now.”On her own body image issues:
“I’m not that flawless image person. I could never live up to that. I’m not going to make people think I’m this airbrushed version of myself. There are lots of versions of me. My hair looks like sh-t most of the time. It looks great when I’m on a carpet, sure, but that’s not the only side I want people to see of myself.”On the “speculation” surrounding her:
“People will always have something to say. I’ve accepted that. It doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating when people say those things. It’s not like it just rolls off my back.”On speaking out:
“We are in a time where people are insulted by everything. I choose my battles now. If it’s something that I’m passionate about, I’m going to talk about it. I’m going to say that I don’t approve of our president, I’m going to say that I don’t approve of a lingerie line only having skinny models.”On the hypocrisy of social media:
“The most-followed people on Instagram are skinny people who have abs, long legs, silky hair, and filled-in eyebrows. But then people really love when I say, ‘It’s OK to not have a 24-inch waist and it’s OK to have pimples.’ But those same people are praising the people with images of flawless everything. Which side are you on?”On depression:
“It’s a very real thing, a day-to-day thing, not just you sitting in a dark room alone. It’s something that comes in all shapes and colors and all different scenarios, all different types of people. When I do conventions, and I can meet fans one on one, they tell me, ‘You speaking about mental health has really helped me a lot.’ It’s very surreal.”
Before today, Lili was not on my pop culture radar, but I appreciate her honesty – as well as her continuing efforts to not suffer trolls gladly. For everyone who has struggled with body image issues and depression, I appreciate that she talks about it and is helping remove the stigma. Now, if I could only find the time to binge watch Riverdale.
Photos: Tyler Joe/HarpersBazaar.com received via promotional email, Getty Images, WENN.com
I watch the show. It’s on netflix. The first season really hooked me in. The kids are beautiful and the story is crazy! And dark. It reminded me of that movie Brick, where it’s like a murder mystery in a high school, but the kids are all super mature.
It’s worth watching, very good show. Both seasons are on Netflix now. They did a good job casting the rolls. She’s very private about her personal life. It makes her that much more mysterious which is may or may not be what she’s going for. I wish you would talk about the actors on the show more. They have their share of drama and controversy that’s worth talking about. One of the actors apparently said several years back that he wouldn’t date fat women or something like that. He got blasted about it recently. It goes with the whole, is something we said years ago still held against us, or can we change?
That’s an interesting question Christina S….I think it’s important we hold people (particularly celebrities as they have far-reaching spheres of influence) accountable for the things they say and do, but then what is the point of doing that if we never allow people to change and grow?
I know I’m being rude and awful, but something about her facial features is really…off putting to me. She’s obviously gorgeous but her eyes are just so blank and emotionless I guess? I dunno.
Riverdale is campy af btw. Watch as long as you don’t take it too seriously.
Funny, I was just thinking how lovely she is. I don’t see blankness in her eyes. She reminds me of Brittany Murphy and maybe a little of Reese Witherspoon (maybe that’s whats putting you off, lol) and I also see a dash of Natalie Dormer.
Oh wow, I really do see the Brittany Murphy now that you say that. I think Lily is absolutely stunning.
I see Alicia Silverstone, especially in the bottom picture with the slight smirk/smile. And a little bit of the girl who plays Penny on Big Bang Theory.
Murphy was who I was thinking but couldn’t put my finger on it.
@Esmom, I don’t see the Reese Witherspoon resemblance at all. I can see the similarities between her and Brittany Murphy. It’s funny you bring up Natalie Dormer, because she has the exact same sort of blank eyes too, now that I think of it.
I’m not denying that she’s gorgeous. But like I said, she comes off as somewhat blank and difficult to read. Cold, almost. ::shrug:: It’s weird, because I do rather like Natalie Dormer. Wonder what it is that makes us think such vastly different things of different people, haha.
The first time I saw her, I thought I was seeing Brittany Murphy’s ghost. They look so much alike it’s all I can see of her, but I really liked Brittany Murphy, which translates to really liking Lily R.
Maybe in stills, but in motion Lili is a revelation. She is a ridiculously good actress in a hilariously messy show. Her facial expressions give me life. I find that show watchable because of the actors, definitely not the writing.
@WingKingdom, I’ve watched it too. I can’t say a whole lot about the acting either, honestly. I wanted very badly to like the show because I did read the comics, but all of them are so over the top and the show’s writing definitely does not help. She makes the most of what she’s given, but I think Camila Mendes does much better overall. Even Madelaine Petsch does okay and she gets the most ridiculous stuff by far.
Oh well. Like I said, it’s not a show to take seriously.
She looks like Brittney Murphy in that first pic. It is really creepy actually. That tiny smirk around both of their mouths.
It is also weird to me when women like her do not self identify as thin, because they don’t have “abs”? if she isn’t thin just because she doesn’t have a 24 inch waist, then only Audrey Hepburn and Rachel Zoe are by definition thin and 99.9% of women will be disqualified from being thin.
Being an actress, model, young woman is such a mind*** to always compare your body to others and have to feel you literally never measure up.
I’ve never watched the show, so I don’t know her. But she’s very pretty
I know she doesn’t “owe” fans anything, but when you are a public figure, who is dating another public figure and decide walk carpets together (especially the MET gala!!), put photos of each other on IG, etc… Then is it really “inappropriate” for fans to be curious or interested?
I like what she has to say about body image and mental health, but she just seems so holier than thou with how she presents herself and when she speaks.
Regarding Riverdale: Skeet Ulrich is the best thing about that show.
I don’t watch the show (yet), but the more interviews I read from Camila Mendes and her, the more I like them. They seem like young women who have thoughts and opinions, keep it real and take no sh*t from nobody.
She’s a fantastic actress. Almost too good for Riverdale. Season 1 was actually quite good. But I felt season 2 was not very good. Too unfocused with a terrible “whodunnit” villain.
She is a beauty, total doll! To the person who said she looks like Murphy, thank you! I could never put my finger on who she reminded me of! Watching Riverdale is worth every second. One of my favorite shows!! She’s smart keeping her relationship private with Cole. They live their lives and don’t hide out but they just don’t talk about it. Good for them.
Does she give anybody else Brittany Murphy vibes?
YES! That’s what I was coming to post.
I recommend watching Riverdale – I loved the first season, and actually just finished season two last night. It was not nearly as good as the first, but still interesting, and I’ll watch the third season.
Lilli is a gem, and her twitter feed is always refreshing.
I wouldn’t feel too badly about not watching Corey. While the first season was absolutely FANTASTIC, the second became a total farce of itself which became painfully evident halfway through episode 1. It was so ott bad that many (former) mega-fans (myself included), couldn’t help but wonder if they had inexplicably hired an entirely new set of writers and producers. Just awful.
I like that she resists cutesy little soundbites about topics that strike her as superficial and is somewhat challenging towards interviewers and fans who ask her disappointing questions. A lot of famous women with talent and drive have been reduced to sounding like dimwits when they’re all asked the same 5 lame questions. And then misogynists call them dimwits and whores (because they want to note their attractiveness without actually appreciating them) and feel vindicated in their superiority.
A lot of famous women get interviewed only about their boyfriends/husbands, their eyeshadow, their bodies, so we never see them as more than that. Lili sounds self-aware and frustrated, while knowing she’s playing some part in a machine she doesn’t like, and that makes her seem pretty intelligent and relatable to me in this painful time in history. I hope she comes into her own after Riverdale with a meaty, grown-up role and people stop comparing her to other women she resembles, because she’s not them.
Ahh I love Betty! Lili Reinhart brings a lot to Betty’s character. Riverdale is worth a watch, season 1 really is superb. Season 2 is… eh… kind of a freaking mess, but fun to watch with a friend so you can moan about it together.