‘Riverdale’: Meet the Stars of This ‘Film Noir’ Archie (and See Their Hidden Talents)
Over the course of his seven-decade comic book career, Riverdale’s most famous teenage citizen, Archie Andrews, has been the frontman for a rock band, fought alongside the Punisher, and watched his friends become the walking dead. In the new CW series, Riverdale, the red-headed Renaissance teen tries out another career: amateur detective.
Stopping by the Yahoo TV studio during Comic-Con International, the cast of the Greg Berlanti-produced series revealed that Riverdale is more Raymond Chandler than John Hughes. “An adaptation of the beloved Archie comic books set in a film noir universe,” is how Cole Sprouse — who plays Archie’s burger-chomping pal Jughead — summarizes the show, which trades the usual high school hijinks for a story arc involving the mysterious death of a popular Riverdale High student.
Related: Complete Comic-Con 2016 Coverage
“We don’t want to copy the comics,” remarks Lili Reinhart, who plays girl next door — and one of Archie’s two love interests — Betty Cooper. “We want to show the darker side of all these characters you grew up seeing in a very happy, bright light.” But Betty’s rival for Archie’s affections, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) is quick to say that there’s fun to be had in this darker version of Riverdale as well. “It’s really lighthearted sometimes!”
Just as Archie is a teen of many talents, we wanted to get a sense of what special abilities the Riverdale actors possess. So in the below video, Sprouse shows off his orangutan walk, which is a great way to burn off the calories consumed during a hearty meal at Pop’s Chok’lit Shoppe. Meanwhile, Reinhart will totally spook you out by channeling The Exorcist and turning her neck 180 degrees.
Hey, there’s an idea for Riverdale’s second season! When Archie gets through solving crimes, he should give demon hunting a try.
Riverdale premieres midseason on The CW.
