Riverdale star Camila Mendes gives her honest opinion about how she's outgrown the show. Since its premiere on The CW in 2017, Riverdale has been the sort of popular series that has redefined teen dramas by embracing absurdity and gleefully blending genres. The first season used David Lynch's iconic Twin Peaks as one of its many inspirations, swiftly found a devoted audience, and generally garnered positive reviews. It also made overnight celebrities out of its young cast, especially the central foursome of KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Cole Sprouse, and Mendes.
With the news that Riverdale will end after season 7, the series stars have shared their complex feelings about moving on from the show that helped raise their stock in Hollywood. More than the typical interest that pops up whenever a long-running hit comes to a close, though, Riverdale is perhaps a special case due to the many clips and comments where the actors have complained about the teen drama and its increasingly convoluted twists.
As part of a cover story for InStyle, to promote her new movie Do Revenge, Mendes directly addressed the calls to "Free the Riverdale actors." The actress, who portrays Veronica Lodge on the CW soap, said the cast would all be sad when the series wraps up. Still, she made clear that the ensemble has outgrown the show and is ready for the next chapter in their careers:
“Everyone’s always like, yeah, ‘Free the Riverdale actors’ or whatever, but I think ultimately, we’re all going to be sad when it’s over,” she says. “Any sort of creative artist seeks new challenges, and there’s a point in time when something ceases to be challenging. I think everyone’s just ready for that next chapter. It’s like we’re outgrowing the show in a way.”
It's worth noting that the tendency of young performers to complain about or poke fun at their teen shows is not new. For example, during an interview last year, Adam Brody of The OC reflected that he didn't always have the best attitude about his breakout role as Seth Cohen. Network teen dramas, especially in the vein of Riverdale and The OC, tend to run for double-digit episodes and take long hours and thus often limit the ability of the cast to accept potentially career-altering movie roles. Viewed from that lens, it's understandable that some actors would feel frustrated by the projects that serve as their launching pads.
Still, it's also understandable that fans would respond with sarcastic posts to set the Riverdale cast free. Reinhart and Apa have both been criticized for insensitively referring to the teen drama as a prison, with Apa later clarifying those remarks. It was, as Mendes indicates, a privileged job that she'll miss aspects of. But like any job, eventually, there's a desire to move on and try something else.
Source: InStyle