Riverdale: Lili Reinhart and Madelaine Petsch Talk Stunts and Plot Twists at Heroes and Villains Fan Fest Chicago
Okay, my confession first. Riverdale is still on my watchlist.
It isn’t that I wasn’t interested in it. Just skeptical.
Just as I was skeptical of the Riverdale panel at this year’s Heroes and Villains Fan Fest in Chicago.
Luckily for me, this panel featuring Lili Reinhart and Madelaine Petsch was much more interesting than I imagined it would be. In fact, this panel took a show that has fallen to the bottom of the heap of my unwatched shows, to the place where I need to shove everything else aside just to get caught up.
The first question from an audience member was to Madelaine Petsch, who plays Cheryl Blossom. Basically, the fan was asking if she did her own stunts. My eyes almost involuntarily rolled out of my head, thinking of what a ludicrous question it was.
Stunts? Seriously?
I was taken aback when the answer was yes. At least partially yes.
There was a scene where Cheryl Blossom fell into some ice water. While Petsch didn’t really “fall” in the CGI ice water, she did end up in a pool of water that was staged in the parking lot.
“I was in all the water stuff. I did scuba diving training for three days before I did it. I was in the water for about 16 hours that day, ” Madelaine Petsch replied.
Wow, that was a shocker. Not only are the stars willing to do their own stunts, but there are actually stunts to be done. My interest was already being peaked.
One of the follow-up questions was to Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty Cooper. The child was concerned if Reinhart actually cut her hand with her nails when she clenches them so tightly when becoming “Dark Betty.”
Of course, the answer was no. But Reinhart did respond, “I do end up clenching my fist really hard, and it does end up hurting really bad, but I don’t actually have bloody palms. That’s just added blood coming out.”
Blood? Maybe this show isn’t the Beverly Hills 90210 clone I thought it was.
With the topic of “Dark Betty” being brought up, Lili Reinhart continued, “I never know when there is going to be a dark moment coming up. I have regular discussions with the show’s forerunner about her darkness and where it is coming from. I think there is a lot to be explored with that.”
Split personalities are always something that reels me in as a viewer. This show is getting better by the minute, and I haven’t even watched more than a trailer since its debut.
The next topic was the plot twist of having Betty Cooper and Cheryl Blossom be related.
“I was definitely surprised. It was a twist that I wasn’t expecting. I have a sibling on the show, even though she hates me,” replied Reinhart.
So just a few minutes into the panel, and I already know the show has stunts, blood, split personalities, and dark family secrets. I see this apparently isn’t the Archie comics my mother gave me when I was little. That is a good thing; I never liked them much anyway.
When questioned about their favorite moment on the show, Madelaine Petsch confessed it was shooting the entire musical episode.
Normally, this is where my interest would have waned. A show based around singing like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is one thing, but just a single episode of singing is hard to pull off.
But then again, The Flash pulled it off without too many repercussions, so you never know.
As the panel moved on, questions dove into the lives of the actresses.
It turns out, neither of the actresses had a plan b for acting.
“I could be doing this till the end of time. Working at coffee shops and just keep on auditioning,” said Madelaine Petsch.
Lili Reinhart added, “I didn’t really seriously have a plan b either, but I’m really into special effects makeup, so maybe something with that.”
When a fan asked about the biggest change in the lives of the two young women since the show debuted, Lili Reinhart replied, “Not being able to go to the grocery store with pimple cream on my face — though I still do anyways.”
“People caring what we are doing every day,” was Madelaine Petsch’s reply.
That was the minute I was sold. Stars who are relatable on and offscreen, combined with all the other topics. It turns out, I’ve been sleeping on a show that could easily become an instant classic in my mind.
Don’t tell me this is The 100 all over again!
Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Charles E Henning
Charles E. Henning lives in a quaint town of Illinois with his ever-loving wife since 1998. He is new to writing reviews, but has over thirty years of fictitious writing for his own personal fulfillment. His interests range from science fiction to character-based dramas, but he is a sucker for anyone in a cape.