Riverdale is keeping it all in the family, at least when it comes to casting young Hiram Lodge. Star Mark Consuelos‘ son Michael will appear as the high school version of the baddie in the series’ upcoming flashback episode in season three.
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Both Consuelos and his wife, Kelly Ripa, shared the news on Instagram and expressed pride that their son had landed the role. Ripa’s post drives home just how perfect Michael will be in the role, too, given just how much he looks like, well, a young version of his dad. Check it out below.
While Ripa joked about what her son owes them for his new role, Consuelos captioned his own photo teasing that Michael is a much better and handsomer” Hiram.
“Bucket list moment for Mom and Dad,” Consuelos wrote. “Congrats to my son Michael on being cast as the younger (and much handsomer) Hiram. We are so proud. Love you MJC.”
According to TV Insider, the role as teenage Hiram is the first acting role for Michael, who is currently a junior at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. As for what fans can expect to see from young Hiram, there aren’t a lot of details on that yet. The episode, entitled “The Midnight Club,” is described as the Series’ take on The Breakfast Club, but according to Riverdale creator and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa the episode will reveal a dark secret the parents have been keeping all these years.
“We are going to learn about a really, really dark secret in Riverdale that the parents have been keeping since they were in high school,” Aguirre-Sacasa said at the network’s recent Television Critics Association panel.
That dark secret is something that Aguirre-Sacasa explained the show has been revealing slowly over the seasons and has subtly been shaping the actions and choices of many of the parent characters, such as Madchen Amick’s Alice Cooper.
“Throughout the years, we’ve talked a little bit about backstory and we’ve been revealing backstory slowly,” Aguirre-Sacasa explained during the panel. “And periodically I will get a phone call from Madchen, who’ll say, ‘Ok, I’m playing a scene and I know nothing of the context,’ So we talk about that stuff.”
In addition to Michael Consuelos playing young Hiram, the episode will see Lili Reinhart (Betty) as young Alice, Cole Sprouse (Jughead) as young F.P. Jones (Skeet Ulrich), Camila Mendes (Veronica) as young Hermione Lodge (Marisol Nichols), Madeleine Petsch (Cheryl) as young Penelope Blossom (Nathalie Boltt), and KJ Apa (Archie) as young Fred Andrews (Luke Perry).
Are you excited to see Riverdale‘s parent-centric flashback episode? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
The season three premiere of Riverdale, which is titled “Labor Day”, will debut on Wednesday, October 10th, at 8/7c on The CW.
