From left: Cole Sprouse, Luke Perry and Camila Mendes.Photo:Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic; Dominik Bindl/Getty; Daniele Venturelli/Getty
Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic; Dominik Bindl/Getty; Daniele Venturelli/Getty
AsRiverdaledraws to a close after seven seasons,the castis reflecting on their forever bond with late costarLuke Perry.
In an interview withVultureconducted before theSAG strike,Cole Sprouse,Camila MendesandMadelaine Petschreminisced about the lasting positive impact Perry, who played Archie’s (KJ Apa) dad Fred Andrews, had on them.
The actordied of a strokein March 2019 at the age of 52.
Luke Perry as Fred on ‘Riverdale’.Dean Buscher/The CW
Dean Buscher/The CW
“Luke was an oracle for me and for a lot of the people on the show,” said Petsch, who plays Cheryl Blossom on the series. “Especially in guiding us during those first two years of chaos and confusion and the rise to success. I think he’s a huge reason why the show is where it is today.”
Sprouse, who plays Jughead Jones, chimed in thatPerryseemed to have a way of anticipating everything the actors “would be going through” throughout their time on the show. For many of the cast members, the quirky teen drama was their first major role.
“I often think about how [Perry] would be sitting answering these questions if he were still with us,” Sprouse, 31, reflected.
Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, and K.J. Apa attend the “Riverdale” Photo Call during 2019 Comic-Con International at Hilton Bayfront on July 21, 2019 in San Diego, California.Frazer Harrison/Getty
Mendes, who portrayed Veronica Lodge, wholeheartedly agreed, adding, “We were lucky to work with him.”
The stars also fondly recalled Perry’s warm demeanor and fashionable style. Petsch, 28, remembered how he would wear his “little glasses” while Sprouse said he had a “beautiful and passionate” way of speaking “where he got super-close to your face.”
“We suffered a huge, huge, huge loss and it’s something we’re going to be feeling for as long as we’re lucky enough to keep making the show,” showrunnerRoberto Aguirre-SacasatoldEntertainment Tonightat the time.
During a 2020 interview onThe View, Apa, 26, called his late costar “one of the best peopleI’ve ever known in my life” and added that, “I hope I can be half the man that he was.”
KJ Apa and Luke Perry in 2018 on ‘Riverdale’.Dean Buscher/The CW
“I miss him. I miss talking to him,” he shared at the time. “He was so important to me, just because, I feel like, he always had my best interests. I just miss chatting to him. I miss listening to him, you know?”
Lili Reinhart, who stars as Betty Cooper on The CW series, has alsopaid tributeto Perry in the past.
“I had a dream last night that I saw Luke… and I hugged him so hard and cried into his shoulder, telling him how much we all miss him,” she wrote in a 2020tweet. “Looking back on it this morning, I think his spirit was visiting me in my sleep, letting me know he’s smiling brightly on the other side ✨.”
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Riverdaleairs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW. The series finale will air Wednesday, Aug. 23.
source: people.com
