Riverdale's Lili Reinhart says she felt "really insecure" filming Betty's underwear scenes

27 August 2020, 15:38

Lili Reinhart says she's "psyched" for Riverdale's Season 5 time jump

By Jazmin Duribe

"I don't have the CW girl body."

Lili Reinhart has always been honest and upfront about her body insecurities, but in a new interview, the Riverdale actress reflected on an uncomfortable scene that almost pushed her to her limit.

During the Riverdale season 3 finale, and in flashback scenes during season 4, Betty Cooper (played by Lili) surrounds a fire with Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) and Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) in their underwear and covered in blood, as they throw Jughead's (Cole Sprouse) beanie into the flames. Whilst you'd never have guessed Lili was anything other than confident in that scene, the Chemical Hearts star admitted that she was super nervous about stripping down to her undies because of her body hang ups.

Speaking to Los Angeles Times, she said: "I don't have the CW girl body – tiny waist, nice-shaped legs, skinny, small, tiny. I had to do a bra and underwear scene in this last season and I felt really insecure about it. I really, really didn’t want to do it. I didn’t tell anyone this. I wasn't pressured into doing it. I did it because it was my job. But I felt bad about myself doing it. I really did. And this is where it gets complicated."

READ MORE: Lili Reinhart defends Riverdale after show is called out for portraying "unrealistic" bodies

Cole, who recently confirmed his breakup from Lili, actually managed to swerve the scantily-clad scene completely. During a TVLine interview back in 2019, the cast confessed that there should have been four characters in that season 3 finale scene but Cole didn't make it because he "was cold that night". Lili said: "It was scripted all four of us and he was like, 'I don't wanna do it,' so he didn't."

Ultimately, Lili overcame the negative perception she had of her body. She added: "I can’t preach body positivity if I don’t practice it. So even if I’m not feeling amazing about my body, I felt it was important for me to do the scene anyway in my bra and underwear so people could see my body as it was. I did it for the people who feel like they need to look a certain way."

She continued: "You go on Instagram, and I’m like, 'Oh, look, all these people with these beautifully toned bodies' and then go to the beach – does anyone on the beach in the real world look like that? I don’t see anyone looking like this. Instagram and Victoria’s Secret runways are not a portrayal of how people look in real life."

This wouldn't be the first time Lili has spoken openly about the subject of body positivity, though. Earlier this year, Lili admitted that her castmates' bodies sometimes intimidate her after a fan said everyone on Riverdale had "perfectly chiseled bodies".

In response, Lili tweeted: "Actually, not everyone on this show is perfectly chiseled. And even I feel intimidated by the physique of my surrounding cast mates sometimes when I have to do bra/underwear scenes. I've felt very insecure due to the expectation that people have for women on tv, what they should look like.

"But I have come to terms with my body and that I’m not the kind of person you would see walking on a runway during fashion week. I have bigger boobs, I have cellulite on my thighs/butt, and my stomach sticks out rather than curves in.

"This is still something I struggle with on a daily basis. And it doesn’t help when I’m being compared to other women. I have gained weight due to depression the last two months and I’ve felt very insecure about it. But I did a recent bra and underwear scene and felt it was my obligation to be strong and show confidence in myself, looking as I do. And I want other young women to see my body on tv and feel comfort in the fact that I’m not a size 0. And I’m not a perfect hourglass shape."

READ MORE: QUIZ: Which two ‘Riverdale’ adults are actually your parents?