Riverdale: Lili Reinhart Opens Up About Betty Cooper's Character Evolution

By Nicole Drum

Riverdale will return in 2023 for its seventh and final season and over the past six seasons to date, viewers have seen the fan-favorite series' characters all grow and shift as the situations in the Town With Pep have grown ever stranger and more complex. One of the biggest character shifts has perhaps been that of Betty Cooper. Played by Lili Reinhart, a character that started out simply as the girl next door has become a much more complex woman and now, Reinhart is opening up about that character journey.

"I mean, it's, it's funny because that truly was her character description. When we were first talking about promoting the show, I remember the phrase "girl next door" being thrown around so much," Reinhart told Buzzfeed. "And I just feel like now, that's just so not who she is. She's always been a lot more than that. She, quite literally, is the girl next door to Archie. So, that aspect still rings true. And it's just been fun and beautiful to see [her grow]. I feel very fortunate to be on a show that has lasted this long, where you can really see a character develop and grow. I have such love for her and will really miss playing her when the show ends, but I very much cherish her as a character. And it's weird because when you play a character, the identity sometimes can be blurred. But when I watch Betty, that's very much Betty; it's not me. And so, I will miss playing that specific character."

Reinhart also has recently spoken about how she's ready to take on more "dramatic, deep roles" in her post-Riverdale professional future.

In a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Digital Spy), Reinhart said that after Riverdale, she would be exploring more adult roles and it is something that she's very excited about.

"I have a lot of sort of dramatic, deep roles in my future after Riverdale, definitely roles that you have not seen me in," Reinhart said. "I'm an adult! I'm an adult woman and I'm going to start playing those more adult roles. That's on my horizon, and I could not be more excited."

Reinhart, who is currently starring in Netflix's Look Both Ways, also said that while she is looking forward to what's next for her in terms of career, it is still bittersweet to say goodbye to Riverdale.

"There are a lot of feelings. Bittersweet is the word, because I obviously will miss this group of people that I've been through half of my 20s with. We'll never all be together again working on the same thing, so I recognize that, and I think we all do, and we are all sad about that," Reinhart said. "It will be a very sad day when it actually wraps, but I do think the show has done so much for all of us and we're all so ready to show the world what else we've got. On that aspect, knowing what's on the other side is super exciting. I'm incredibly excited for the projects that I've been developing with my production company over the last year and a half that we'll be ready to shoot when Riverdale ends next summer. But going into this final season, I think we're all like, 'This is our last hurrah, let's really try to celebrate each other and spend time with each other because we won't get this again.'"

Back in May, The CW announced that the seventh season of Riverdale would be its final with network president Mark Pedowitz promising that the series would get a proper send off.

 "We have not declared how many episodes yet. But I do not believe it will be a shortened season. It goes back to what I said earlier: I am a big believer in attempting to give series that have had long runs and appropriate send off."

Riverdale will return for its seventh and final season in 2023.

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