1. If anyone could play you in a movie, who would you pick?

Natalie Portman.

2. What’s the first album you ever bought?

I had The Lizzie McGuire Movie soundtrack CD. Surprisingly at 21, I do sing songs from it still today.

"Surprisingly at 21, I do sing songs from The Lizzie McGuire Movie still today." 

3. Describe your style in three words.

Comfortable, casual, jeans.

4. What's your craziest fan story?

This girl somehow bypassed security on set when we were filming outside, and all of a sudden she's standing in front of me and she’s like, “Hi, how are you?” And I didn’t really know who she was. She just hugs me and she’s standing there staring at me, and I realize that she’s a fan and she somehow got onto our set and it was just very, very strange and weird. It was like, "How did you get here?" We have three security guards. Sneaky little girl.

5. Who is the last person that texted you?

My dad! He's in Venice right now, so he’s saying, "Love you, miss you, hope you’re having a great time in New York. I’m thinking of you — enjoy the moment.” So sweet.

6. Describe the perfect day.

Wake up, go to the beach all day. And then, whoever I’m with that day — go home and cuddle up, watch my favorite movie with my favorite foods, and order in some pizza. It’s all about good food and good company. I just love spending the day at the beach and then staying inside all night.

"I just love spending the day at the beach and then staying inside all night."

7. Last book you read?

I was reading a Marie Antoinette biography, but I also just bought Bryan Cranston’s autobiography.

8. What's your biggest fear?

Spiders.

9. Who’s your celebrity doppelgänger?

Everyone says Brittany Murphy — everyone. They think I’m her reincarnated. There are a lot of pictures of us side by side where we look crazy–alike. If you just google Lili Reinhart and Brittany Murphy, you’ll see it.

10. Favorite reality show?

Growing up, I watched a lot of TLC — I loved Four Weddings and Hoarding: Buried Alive. They're so binge-able.

11. Celebrity crush?

Right now, Ashley Graham. Obsessed with her. Honestly, I’ve never been so inspired by a celebrity or by someone that I didn’t know. She’s so confident and so stunning and her way of body acceptance and talking about her body and women’s bodies in general is so inspiring to me, and I’ve honestly never been inspired by someone as much as her as an adult.

"When I don't eat sugar, my body literally shakes. It's not something I'm proud of." 

12. What’s one thing you can’t live without?

Sugar. I get jittery. I have a sugar addiction — when I don’t eat sugar, my body literally shakes. It’s not something I’m proud of.

13. Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Pimple popping videos. I’m obsessed.

14. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

I have so many of them. I think people who get super-confused at really simple situations. People who are like, “Wait, what are you talking about?” They ask, “What?” before you’re even finished explaining something. And it’s like, "Will you calm down?"

"I really want to go to Tuscany. Anywhere romantic." 

15. Go-to comfort food?

Chipotle. I’ve been eating way too much Chipotle.

16. Dream vacation spot?

I always said Bora Bora, but that was my answer when I was like 16. Now that I'm older, I think I really want to go to Tuscany. Anywhere romantic.

17. What’s the first app that you check when you wake up in the morning?

Instagram. Right now I’m following a cow — @moochithecow. He’s a miniature cow and he’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen in your life. Cows are definitely having a moment.

18. Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

"You can be told to follow your heart for 21 years, and it doesn’t really resonate with you until you’re going through something where you need to just listen to yourself."

Two pieces of advice. One from my dad when I was really young — but also just growing up — he just told to me to make sure that whatever I do in life, it’s something that makes me happy. He told me don’t choose a career that’s going to make you miserable. It’s not about money. You have to choose something that’s going to make you happy, because otherwise, what’s the point?

And then recently, I feel like, you grow up seeing all these quotes on Pinterest like “follow your heart,” “follow your dreams,” but it only really becomes relevant once something happens in your life where you have to follow your heart. My makeup artist on my show, her name is Erin Mackenzie — she did my makeup in Season 1 and came back for Season 2. And when I was dealing with some personal drama, personal relationships — you know, you can be told to follow your heart for 21 years and it doesn’t really resonate with you until you’re going through something where you need to just listen to yourself. And she said, “follow your heart, it will never lead you astray,” and it’s true.

19. Which emoji do you use the most?

Probably the OK hand emoji .

20. So, let's talk Riverdale. Are we seeing more Dark Betty this season?

There was a Dark Betty that we saw in Season 1, where she had a wig and it was kind of campy. But in Season 2, it’s not campy anymore. And it’s a real, grounded, gritty, raw, dark side of this girl that I love so much. It’s fun seeing her get dressed up in a black wig for a minute, and you’re like, “Woah, where did that come from?” But this is the dark side of a real person that’s grounded in something. Grounded in truth. So you see Dark Betty a couple of times, and we’re not even midway through [filming] the season and she’s coming out full force sometimes in these episodes. She’s also dealing with Jughead being on the Southside, possibly joining the Serpents, and what that means for her and their relationship. And then there’s finding out that she has a long-lost brother, and she doesn’t really know what to do with that information. So, that’s something that we tap into in Season 2 as well.

"You see Dark Betty a couple of times… she's coming out full force in these episodes."

21. So about that theory that Joaquin is actually Betty's brother…

I shut it down already. I probably shouldn't be shutting down theories, because I'm crushing peoples' dreams, but it's also like — I didn't want people to get their hopes up and get too invested in a theory that I think I can say isn't true. But certain theories, I do think, "That does make a lot of sense." People are smart and really creative.

22. In real life, are you more of a River Vixen or a Southside Serpent?

I'm right in the middle. I'm not a River Vixen, because I'm so not peppy. I'm the calmest person, usually, and I am just a very laid-back person. I think I'm more of a Serpent because I'm a little bit more on the outside, not too much involved in a group. And maybe I like to think of myself as more of a badass than I actually am.

23. What was your favorite Bughead scene to film so far?

Probably the "I love you" scene in the Season 1 finale. It was just so beautifully written and so honest, and when he takes his hat off, it's just like, "Aww." It's just a very earnest moment between the two of them. They didn't really have to think about it. Well, Jughead maybe had to think about it. Like, "Do I love her? Am I in love?" Because he's never experienced something like that before, and maybe he's not necessarily used to being around a woman that he loves because his mom's not really in the picture... So for him it was a much bigger deal, but for Betty it was immediately like, "I love you too" — it wasn't even a second thought. She knew deep down that she loved him. She didn't even have to process it or think about it. As soon as she said the words, it was out there and it was true. It was just a really sweet moment.

24. Was Bughead always the writers' plan, or did that relationship evolve over time?

I think it was a plan from the beginning. I'm not sure what they wanted the course of the relationship to look like, but we filmed the entire first season without airing any of the episodes, so we didn't hear any feedback from fans. I guess we were lucky that so many people were on board with those two being together, because that was just the course of Season 1. I think that was Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa], our creator, his plan to have them together all along. Because they're both kind of on the outside in different ways. Betty is a little bit of a floater, not necessarily fitting in with a certain group, and Jughead obviously is an outsider. So, it's two of these people on the outside coming together. It's really sweet.

25. Were you prepared for all the Bughead shipping?

No, and I've never been so invested in a show where I've been a part of a ship or I've shipped two characters. I've never really been involved like that in a fandom, so it was very interesting to be on the receiving end of it. But it's definitely special to see — it just means that people genuinely care about these characters. It's kind of amazing to know that I can play this character that so many people genuinely care about, that's how I take it.

26. What's one thing people would be surprised to find out about your co-stars KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, and Cole Sprouse?

KJ's just a goofball. I think sometimes his personality doesn't get to show — he's shy. He's very shy. You have to crack him open to see the real him and it took us a long time to see his super-goofy personality. He's kind of reserved in interviews, but deep down he's goofy.

Cami and I have a very similar sense of humor. We're both very different and come from completely different backgrounds, but I think one of the reasons we bonded so well was our sense of humor.

Cole is the smartest person I know, hands down.

"When I joined [Riverdale]… I finally felt like I had a group where I belonged, and I wasn't an odd man out." 

27. What's the best part of being on Riverdale?

Just working with my best friends. I grew up with a very small, select group of friends that I kept my whole life. And when I joined the show, I literally got, like, 10 new best friends. I got all these people in my life that genuinely cared about me and I cared about them. I kind of finally felt like I had a group where I belonged, and I wasn't an odd man out and so, honestly, just being in such a supportive, family-like group is my favorite part. They're my people. They're my family.


Catch Lili Reinhart on Riverdale every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on The CW!