“I had never read Archie,” said Lili Reinhart, who became famous playing Betty, the iconic good girl in Riverdale, the hugely popular television show inspired by the comic book series. “I kind of knew the names Betty and Veronica, but as I read the Riverdale script, I was certain that Archie would be a superhero with special powers. After all, he was based on a comic book character, and in my mind, all comic book figures had superpowers. I kept reading and reading, waiting for those skills to kick in, but they never did. It was confusing.”
Reinhart laughed at the memory. That was a lifetime ago—or, more accurately, seven years ago. “I was 19 when I was cast as Betty,” she continued. “I’ve spent practically my entire adult life playing her. It was quite an education: I was in a famous relationship [with costar Cole Sprouse], and Riverdale was my introduction to fame. What a trip that is.”
Reinhart was phoning me from her home in Los Angeles. She was back from her first-ever trip to Venice, where the photos you see here were taken. “I had just landed in Italy,” she recalled. “I checked into the hotel, washed my face, and went straight to posing in a gondola! It was very romantic.” Reinhart was in a celebratory mood: She had been named the Max Mara Face of the Future and would be honored at the brand’s Women in Film ceremony in October. “And tomorrow is my birthday!” she said. “September 13. I’ll be 26. I’m such a big-time Virgo: I’m a perfectionist, I’m very critical, and I like to be the leader.”