Think you know ~everything~ there is to know about Riverdale? Go ahead and check out these mind-blowing facts and add to your wealth of Riverdale knowledge!
1. Riverdale was originally supposed to be a movie.
The OG pitch for the reimagining of the comic book series was for it to be turned into a movie but when showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacas brought the idea to studio execs, they loved the characters but thought that it would be better to bring them to life in a TV series rather than as a flick.
2. Cole Sprouse was asked to audition for the role of Archie.
Yep! Cole was V. close to playing KJ Apa’s character Archie! But after reading the role of Jughead, he became drawn to the dark and ~mysterious~ vibe of the character and also loved that since he’s the narrator, he’ll probz never die. Clever!
3. Madelaine Petsch originally auditioned to play Betty.
As much as we cannot imagine Cole playing Archie, we’re even more shook at the idea of Madelaine playing Betty Cooper!
In 2015, after auditioning for a role on The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow, casting director David Rapaport loved her and asked her to read for the Riverdale pilot. When she met with producers, they told her she was auditioning to play Betty ‘coz the role of Cheryl was being kept a secret at the time.
Rapaport told her: “You’re obviously not auditioning for Betty; it’s for another part that I can’t tell you about yet. You look exactly like I imagine her to look, and you’ve got the presence.”
4. Camila Mendes used Blair Waldorf as inspo for her character.
Noticed any similarities between Veronica and previous TV queen Blair Warldorf? If so, then mission accomplished! Camila revealed that she based the character of Veronica off the iconic Gossip Girl bae.
5. Ashleigh Murray was V. close to missing out on the role of Josie.
Actress Ashleigh Murray revealed that she had considered taking a break from acting just before she landed the role.
“I was $4,700 behind in rent. I lived in New York City, so it was a lot of money,” she told Collider. “And I was just about to take a break from acting for about six months, until I could get myself back on my feet financially, and then hit the ground running. This was my last audition.”
Good thing she went for it!
6. Riverdale is Camila Mendes’ first acting role.
The IRL Veronica was studying at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts when she scored a part in the series. She only recently graduated and earned her degree. Yas girl!
7. Lili Reinhart and Madelaine Petsch are roommates IRL.
These gals are as thick as thieves in real life! Madelaine even calls Lili her “best friend.”
“We can talk about my relationships, or personal lives, or whatever, and I feel like she’s always got my back.”
8. Ever wondered what KJ stands for?
It’s Keneti James Fitzgerald, which is his Samoan name but errybody (even his close pals) call him a more sharp and short KJ.
9. Cole Sprouse wanted his character to be asexual.
Cole was petitioning for Jughead to not be interested in girls or boys, just like in one version of the comics, but unforch for him (but not for us!) he didn’t get his way. Soz Cole, but #Bughead 5eva!
10. KJ Apa is a brunette.
He might play one of the most iconic red heads of all time but KJ’s hair is actually brown! He had to dye his hair red to suit the character, meaning he has to have his locks bleached and dyed every two weeks. Poor bae burnt his skin when they bleached his brows. Ouch!
11. Camila and Cole went to the same college.
Turns out the IRL Veronica and Jughead studied together! Camila says they “crossed paths at parties”, but Cole didn’t remember her. Awks!
12. They filmed a few different eps of the season 1 finale.
In order to confuse the cast and crew and to ensure that no spoilers got out, multiple episodes of the season 1 finale were filmed with varying story lines.
13. A zombie apocalypse is coming, according to fans.
There’s a wacky fan theory kicking about that the show is headed for a zombie apocalypse. Riverdale’s showrunner, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, is the creator of zombie-themed Archie comic series Afterlife With Archie, after all. So who knows!
14. It’s V. likely that ~*magic*~ is coming to the series.
Aguirre-Sacasa is totally down for introducing a supernatural storyline to the series. In fact, the series was originally pitched with a magical theme but the network went with the murder mystery route instead ‘coz “we thought we could always go [supernatural], but if we started there, it would be hard to take that away.” So maybe we’ll see some mAgIc soon? (Ahem, Sabrina pls!)
15. Madelaine Petsch almost had different name.
Her dad wanted to name her “Street” but her mum refused to let that happen (‘coz ew) so they made a compromise.
“My mom got to name my brother, so it was my dad who got to name me. My dad said to my mom right before she was going to have her C-section, ‘How about ‘Street?’ I think ‘Street’ is the best name for our daughter.’ My mom started screaming and said, ‘There is no way I am naming my daughter Street!’ And then she comes back after having me, looks at me, and is like, ‘Okay, I understand Street. Why don’t we do Lane, like lane on the road, and we’ll call her Madelaine?’ That’s how my name came about.”
16. Ashleigh Murray is 3000% here for a Josie and the Pussycats spinoff.
“I would absolutely do a spinoff,” Murray told The Huffington Post. “I want to bring Josie to New York. I want her to have her first big city experience.”
17. Lili Reinhart says she’s much more savage IRL than her character.
“I’m least like Betty, in that Betty is the person who is friends with everyone,” she explained. “I’m the kind of person if I don’t like you, unfortunately you know that. Everything I’m thinking in my head goes onto my face, so you can see right through me. Even as an actor, I can’t hide in real life how I feel about people. I live my life [by the rule] that if you don’t want someone in your life, they don’t have to be there.”
18. Cole Sprouse is in talks to write a few editions of the Riverdale comic spinoff.
19. Madelaine Petsch has a major crush on…
KJ Apa! And same, tbh. She spilled the tasty tea to Glamour and we’ve literally never related to her more!