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."
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."
