INTERVIEW: Bughead, Pussycats & More Riverdale Scoop From WonderCon

The cast of CW’s Riverdale has inspired a devoted fanbase, many of whom came to meet the cast and producers at WonderCon this year. We were lucky enough to get a chance to sit down with some of the beloved stars of the show to discuss ships and figure out who killed Jason Blossom. Find out what your favorites had to say below, and be sure to check out the videos for the full interviews:

First up, we had a chat with the heads of Riverdale‘s favorite detective agency: Cole Sprouse (who plays Jughead Jones) and Lili Reinhart (who brings Betty Cooper to life). Both were very enthusiastic when questioned about the fan response to their ship – which has been affectionately coined Bughead. “From our show’s perspective, they’re both so opposite on the outside” Reinhart explained. “But I think they’re very similar on the inside. They’re both kind of these tortured souls in a way.”

“I don’t know when it happened that we became like a detective cop drama with romance,” Sprouse adds, referring to the duo’s mystery-solving dynamic. “I think that yearning to prove that [Riverdale] can still be a place that is good… brought them close, and I think there’s truth in that.”

As for who killed Jason Blossom? The audience and town will know who the killer is by the end of the season. “That narrative arc will be resolved season one,” Sprouse promises. Reinhart then looked forward to season two, explaining that there will be a new mystery for next season which is introduced this year. “I think we’re going to dive into Betty’s mental health issues as well,” she added.

Girl power galore was up next with Ashleigh Murray (who portrays Josie McCoy) and Camila Mendes (playing the iconic Veronica Lodge) on hand to talk about the evolution of their characters and the dynamic between Josie and the Pussycats. “Veronica and Josie bond over their [family] struggles,” Mendes declared. “Why push away other women? …We all understand each other at the end of the day.” That’s a motto that Riverdale has adhered closely to since the pilot.

Murray teased “a little bit of a moment that Josie shares with her mom” in the finale, and “ideally even more family drama between [Josie], her mom, and her dad” next season. Meanwhile, Veronica’s Latina heritage will continue to be part of her character and Mendes hinted at a line in Spanish coming up that’s “a nod to the comics.”

We also sat down with Riverdale‘s resident heartthrob KJ Apa (who plays the incomparable Archie Andrews himself), and his onscreen dad Luke Perry. “I don’t always feel like I’m his father,” Perry mused about the Fred and Archie dynamic. “I feel like sometimes we’re brothers, we’re friends… There’s a lot of equality.”

Molly Ringwald’s upcoming guest appearance as the matriarch of the Andrews household has been the talk of the town, but Apa insists it won’t change the relationship between father and son. However, he does hint that “Archie definitely has hope in the fact that they could possibly, maybe get back together.” Perry, on the other hand, discussed Fred’s fear that his wife might take their son with her, and the two men have a sweet bonding moment. As much as we might all love Molly Ringwald, let’s hope she does not cause a rift between them.

But what do Apa and Perry love most about Riverdale outside of their scenes with each other? Apa votes for football, while Perry is all about Fred’s construction storyline. When it comes to romance, though, there is no favorite ship for the actors. “The love triangle will be everlasting, for sure, and it does come back towards the end of the season,” Apa teases. And it will be a part of season two, for sure.

Mädchen Amick (who portrays Alice Cooper) and Marisol Nichols (Veronica’s mother Hermione Lodge) have the honor of playing some of the most well-rounded TV mothers around, and they’re very proud of their roles. Nichols says it’s a challenge as an actress to always be “teetering the line between complete failure and conquering the whole world.” Of course, at the core of the character, she loves her family more than anything. Amick has similar feelings about her character, explaining that Alice’s intentions are pure even when she is a bull in a china shop. “There’s actually a good reason why she’s doing a lot of what she’s doing,” as we’ll see later in Riverdale‘s season.

When it comes to finding out who the killer is, Nichols confessed that the cast “had to go back and reread the script just to follow all the twists and turns.” Amick agrees, mentioning the cleverly-placed breadcrumbs that the show scatters throughout the season. It won’t all be murder mysteries, though, as Nichols teases that Hermione’s relationship with Veronica will go “in other directions that even I was surprised by.” What shocking revelation could shake up the Lodge ladies further? Perhaps it has to do with Hiram’s potential return from prison. “The more his presence is felt, the tighter the noose is around Hermione,” Nichols warned.

Finally, the producers of Riverdale gave us some scoop on the finale, which Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said would be “the biggest, most dramatic episode of the season.” But it will also be about the relationships, characters, and romances to a large degree. “There are lots of secrets that come out in the finale.”

On the subject of Jughead’s potential asexuality, Aguirre-Sacasa declared, “We believe Riverdale as inclusive and as diverse as the world is, and it should represent everything.” Despite that, the showrunners built the season around the Betty-Jughead romance. “The first thing we decided about the show was that Betty and Jughead were going to date. ” Since representation is so important, though, he assured us that “we are working on that for season 2.” Not that asexuality will necessarily come into play for Jughead, but more sexual identities will be represented.

Riverdale airs Thursdays at 9/8c on the CW.

Photo Credit: Matt Wheeler

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