Lili Reinhart spent seven seasons playing Betty Cooper on Riverdale, but looking back on the years that turned her into a television star is not as easy as fans might expect.
Asked about the show’s rapid rise during an appearance on In Your Dreams with Owen Thiele, Reinhart gave a blunt answer. “I don’t really remember,” she said. “Because it was kind of traumatic.”
Reinhart described the speed with which Riverdale entered pop culture and the attention that suddenly surrounded its young cast. She also compared that experience with actors becoming famous in the TikTok era, where individual moments and performances can reach enormous audiences almost immediately.
Despite the complicated memories, Reinhart still considers playing Betty a privilege. Entertainment Weekly reported that she sometimes finds the lasting association with one character frustrating but understands that viewers continue calling her Betty because the show meant something to them.
Reinhart Is Glad TikTok Wasn’t Around When ‘Riverdale’ Exploded
Reinhart was 20 when Riverdale premiered in January 2017, and the series quickly turned its young cast into recognizable stars. She told Thiele that she is thankful TikTok had not yet become the cultural force it is today, even though she now enjoys using the platform herself.
Reinhart believes TikTok can make the attention surrounding young actors considerably more intense. As BANG Showbiz also reported, she said an even bigger version of Riverdale‘s popularity could have become too much for the cast.
Watching younger actors experience that level of viral attention has given Reinhart particular sympathy for performers in their 20s whose shows dominate social media. “Nobody deserves that many people commenting on your existence,” she said. “It’s just too much.”
People Still Call Her Betty Three Years After the Finale
Riverdale ran from 2017 through 2023, keeping Reinhart in the same role through much of her 20s. Three years after the finale, she said strangers still recognize her as Betty rather than by her own name.
Reinhart admitted she would sometimes prefer not to be called by the character’s name, but she does not view the association as something preventing her from moving forward. She said she recognizes that it generally “comes from love” and still has the rest of her career to establish herself beyond Betty.
Finding projects that feel entirely removed from Riverdale also presents an unusual challenge because the series moved through so many genres during its seven seasons. Its storylines incorporated murder mysteries, horror, fantasy, musicals, time travel and superpowers rather than remaining a conventional teen drama.
Ending ‘Riverdale’ Gave Reinhart Time to Decide What Came Next
The end of the series also interrupted a production schedule that had dominated much of Reinhart’s adult life. A recent episode of the Second Life podcast described her seven years on Riverdale as a nearly nonstop filming and production cycle that began after she landed Betty at 19.
When the series ended in 2023, Reinhart finally had an opportunity to reconsider the projects she wanted to pursue. She continued developing work through her production company while also expanding outside acting, including launching her skincare company Personal Day.
Reinhart has also spoken about becoming more selective with her time. In a recent profile, El País documented her efforts to build a career without constantly chasing the next surge of Hollywood attention, including her concerns about projects that require months away from home and family.
‘The Love Hypothesis’ Takes Her Somewhere Different
Reinhart now stars opposite Tom Bateman as Ph.D. candidate Olive Smith in The Love Hypothesis, the screen adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s bestselling romance novel. She also serves as a producer on the film, giving her involvement beyond her leading performance.
Prime Video released The Love Hypothesis globally on September 23. The romantic comedy gives Reinhart a leading role outside the sprawling ensemble and increasingly surreal storylines that defined much of her seven-season run as Betty Cooper.