#would this be the kind of show where the catty gossip over the casting would last for MONTHS

[benisasoftboi]

I got covid and decided to pass the time watching the iCarly revival. Two key thoughts:

Nathan Kress is actually a really good comedic actor??? Like, to the point that I was pretty much just watching for him after a while??? I kind of wonder if he's a John Mulaney fan as some of his line reads reminded me a lot of him, very much in a good way, while still feeling like their own thing. But it's not just the way he delivers lines, he embodies the jokes in his physicality and facial expressions too, it's great. He can also bring emotion when called to as well, in the third season especially he plays his character's devotion to Carly with such sincerity. He's also the only one who plays any of the jokes anything close to subtle - I think he's also the only one who ever gets throwaway lines? In certain scenes Freddie ends up feeling like the only genuine, real person in a room full of caricatures, and while I don't have an issue with the characters being so exaggerated - it's iCarly (2021), the whole conceit is that it's a kids show for grown-ups and I think they achieve that successfully - it does really make me want to see what Kress could do on a more toned down, single-camera type comedy. Or just anything where he's allowed to be quicker - please, some casting director, put him in something without that albatross of a laugh track, I truly think he'd shine.

They made Spencer. So horny. And inexplicably heterosexual. And just generally kind of a dick? And so, so horny.

[livlepretre]

Okay so Bridgerton.

What did you think of the season as a whole and will you continue watching?

Do you think Penelope is really lady whistledown or is that a red herring? And if she is, why would she bring down her family like that, outside of the Marina/Colin stuff or is that the only reason?

Speaking of which I love the idea of Penelope/Colin, what about you?

I really thought the Dukes reticence to having a child was ridiculous, just because of a vow to his horrible father. Luckily that's changed by the end.

Did you like how Marinas story ended or if not ended, how she now has a sort of new beginning?

What did you think of Anthony/Siena and are you glad it's seemingly ended?

I can't wait to see more Eloise and Queen Charlotte, they were both amazing. What did you think of them?

I really enjoyed it! Between this show and The Great I am all over this new genre of sassy anachronistic period dramas. And, you know, like everyone has been saying, it really fills that particular catty void that Gossip Girl left behind. I thought the characters were pretty well developed and amusing-- exactly what they needed to be in terms of depth and humor to keep the show interesting and dramatic. I wouldn’t say it was a dramatic smash or that it swept me away to the wildest emotional highs and lows, but it also didn’t need to. I very much enjoyed it throughout. Also, during episode six (the sexcapade episode), my eyebrows climbed so far up my forehead I learned I can actually wiggle my ears. And I also learned that I have taught my husband enough about period pieces that he was constantly gasping things like, “THEY’RE TOUCHING HANDS WITH NO GLOVES ON!” in the most scandalized tones imaginable. I was so proud. 

So, yes, will definitely continue watching. 

You know, it hasn’t occurred to me until just this moment that Lady Whistledown could be anyone other than Pen??? I think the fact that she writes about her family (and Daphne! her best friend’s older sister!) in such tones really goes to show all the ways she feels neglected or slighted by them-- her family is not particularly nice to her, and they are also incredibly controlling (well, her mother is) and tend to take her for granted. I think the Whistledown thing is how she takes her revenge for those slights (at least in terms of her writing about her family). I have no idea why she said that stuff in the first episode that hurt Daphne’s chances, other than naivetée which is possible. I think it wasn’t so much jealousy over Marina/Colin that caused her to write about Marina, so much as it was the dressing down Marina gave her when she told her to grow up and that Colin would never care for her or see her as a woman-- even though the conversation was about Colin, I think Pen’s response was a reaction to Marina being “cruel to be kind” (but really, pretty cruel) to her. She felt betrayed and hurt by Marina so she lashed out. What this all says to me is that Pen is in so many ways still such a young girl. She is very intelligent and thoughtful and loyal, but things like revealing Marina’s secrets like she did because she was hurt are the sort of responses of a very young person who is still learning and growing emotionally. 

I am RABID for Penelope/Colin!!!! 

Agreed agreed agreed about Simon and his vow to his dad. I kept mumbling that he’s the architect of his own unhappiness when he was refusing to marry Daphne/then when they were on the outs about the children question. So glad he had that wake up call! Honestly, revenge vows to the dead are never worth it. 

I very much so view Marina’s story as a tragedy. She has true love, but he dies; she is the belle of the season, but she can’t really take advantage of it; she finds a good man who loves her, but her fear holds her back from being able to tell him the truth and that’s why she loses him (and honestly? would anyone have told the truth there? she stood to lose everything, so much of the tragedy is that even though what marina did wasn’t right, it’s also really hard to imagine doing anything else in her shoes). I’m not sure how I feel about Marina’s path-- I suppose I’ll have to wait to find out how she’s doing in season 2. I’m relieved she’s not cast out, and I suppose I’m willing to accept the premise that basically her career would be in finding a good husband, but it’s always sad to see a character make due with her dead lover’s brother marrying her out of obligation rather than finding true love like so many other characters seem to be doing. 

I was a bit whatever about Anthony/Siena to tell you the truth. They had wicked chemistry, but Anthony was sort of a doofus and Siena is totally right that he always wants her to be what she isn’t (and what she doesn’t want to be), he always breaks his word to her, he’s totally unreliable both as a lover and as a person, and just in general he sucks? I’m glad they seem to be over, because I always enjoy it when relationships end because one side decides they respect themselves too much for this. I’m interested to find out where Siena fits into the story going forward, and if Anthony manages to grow up next season. 

As for Eloise and Charlotte! I have to be honest, I didn’t much care for Eloise-- my main problem with her is that she assumes she knows better than other characters who see the world differently than her. Like, I didn’t appreciate the way she blew Daphne’s concerns over the marriage market off-- like, Eloise, you’re very lucky you can afford to be so cavalier about it and that you are in a situation where it doesn’t really matter if you get married because you’re rich and your brother will support you no matter what, but for lots of women, it’s deadly serious. I HATED the scene where she broke into the maid’s room and was so haughty and high-handed and I LIVED for the dressing down she got! I suppose my main issue with Eloise is that she cannot conceive that it’s not that she sees more and knows more than others, it’s just that other people see the world differently than her. Also that child is much too young to smoke, BAD BENEDICT for letting her! Maybe she will improve next season though. 

Charlotte had most of these flaws as well and yet she kind of works as a villain-stand-in or at least antagonist in the sense that she is a powerful figure capable of really upsetting the apple cart/threatening the happiness and futures of the characters, so I found the same haughtiness and high-handedness very amusing in Charlotte. I also really enjoyed the little touches, like that scene with her husband. Also: HER CLOTHES! 

I don’t know why Francesca was away most of the season. I sort of forgot she had been sent away/didn’t remember her from episode 1 so for most of the season I kept wondering where the F child was and whether there were 7 or 8 Bridgerton children. 

I also kept expecting Benedict and Henry Granville to be a thing and was very surprised it never happened. 

Anyway, those are my thoughts :) 

[sidhewrites]

Coriander, Chapter 2a

Previous Installment found here. Approx 2800 words. Feel free to send Asks or Messages about what’s written or anything you’re curious about

JASPER KEPT HIS HAND ON CORIANDER’S BACK, urging her forward until he found a quiet spot in a shaded alleyway. The din of market day faded as he cast a spell  of quiet around them and sat her down on a barrel. His gift must have been air, she found herself thinking amidst the self judgment and shame. With control over sound like that, and the cool breeze that seemed to cool her heated face.

“Are you alright?” Jasper knelt down, partially to see her face, but mostly to ensure that she didn’t see him as a threat. Coriander wouldn’t have him looming over her if he could help it.

She nodded pathetically.

Jasper offered up a small handkerchief from somewhere on his person. She took it and wiped her eyes. With her free hand, she gripped her skirts, willing herself to calm down. It did nothing to help.

“How long have you known Hayes?”

She shrugged. Long enough to know better than to think he didn’t give discounts on wheat bread, anyway.

“Is he close to you or your family? Do you see him often?”

She nodded. At least two times a month, Her mother asked for something sweet to settle her nerves. She couldn’t find her voice to say it.

Jasper watched her for a long moment, as she cried and sniffled like a child. It wasn’t Hayes that mistreated her like that, but someone had. All the baker was guilty of, if Jasper’s guesses were correct, was a short temper and a shorter span of attention. He’d do well in Threston, he thought wryly.

The memory of the city turned Jasper’s stomach and left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he made sure not to let it show outwardly. There was nothing but softness on his features. He placed a hand over hers, and let her calm herself down.

When she could finally breathe evenly, her first words were an apology.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Jasper insisted. “But I forgive you anyway.” He smiled, still soft and without his catty grin. “There’s many dragons in this town, Miss Tippit. I’m shocked they haven’t realized the jewel hiding under their very noses.”

Coriander furrowed her brow, but he pressed on. “Young ladies are all jewels, whether they know it or not. Whether you’re Queen Lillian herself or a serious girl from Knittelnau— who happens to have the loveliest eyes I’ve ever seen.” Another incredulous look, though she found her tears drying up all the same. “I mean it, Miss Tippit. Do you know you have flecks of green in your eyes?”

Her doubt must have shown. They were only brown, weren’t they? Plain and boring as dirt, just like the rest of her.

He smiled and shook his head. “Well — forgive me for not carrying a mirror, or I would show you myself. You’ll just have to take my word for it for now.”

He was ridiculous. It was difficult to believe Jasper had the patience he did, and she found herself wondering when it would run out.

He lasted the whole morning, at the very least. Jasper followed her about town, asking question upon question as she went about the rest of her errands— retrieving a newly-embroidered apron, Sending a letter to her cousin in Leithe, and to trade a few cloves of garlic for beets. Coriander answered each one dutifully, convinced that one wrong step would send Jasper away in ire, but he never tired of their conversation.

“What are the New Moon Feasts like here?”

“They’re very lovely. Music plays from every corner, and we have lights strung up everywhere. The first feast of every season, we wear masks and dance to old Sanctuary songs.”

“Do you have that one game where someone dresses up like the Sylph and puts flower crowns on the person she secretly wants to marry?”

“We do.”

“Were you ever the Sylph?”

“Err, Yes. Only once. I just sat down and cried because everyone was watching me.” She shrugged, and shook her head at the memory. And besides, she didn’t know anyone her age well enough to want to marry them, and had never fancied anyone even from afar. More than that, she thought, surely nobody liked her enough to even consider being her friend.

Were she a braver soul, Jasper would have teased her for being a cry baby. Instead he just smiled, and shook his head. “I never got to play – always had chores to do.” Well…chores was a kind word for it, but he wouldn’t tell her that.

“Oh, that’s terrible.” Coriander’s distress was genuine enough to break his heart. “Everyone should get a chance to play.”

“Not me. Besides, the rules where I grew up say I’d have to give it to a girl, I think. I’ve never fancied girls the way they fancied me. And they did fancy me.”

Coriander shook her head at his nonsense and the smugness in his grin.

Though Jasper never mentioned where he was from, nor did he allow the subject to remain on himself for very long, Coriander grew comfortable around him. She answered his questions about Knittelnau, it’s denizens, and its traditions, and he asked and asked and asked. When they entered each shop, Jasper referred to Coriander by name more than necessary, and she wondered if he doubted the people in Knittelnau knew who Miss Tippit was.

Then again, she doubted it herself every now and then.

He insisted on carrying the larger things: a yard of fabric for a new tablecloth from the seamstress, who commented harshly on the state of her torn skirts, a sack of ground flour from the mill, and new knives from the blacksmith. Lastly, new shoes for Coriander’s mother. It wasn’t often she needed so much— usually only cheese and and things they didn’t grow themselves— but every now and then, everything would fall apart all at once.

“Isn’t that the tree you were stuck in this afternoon?”

Coriander went red. “I wasn’t stuck.”

“Of course not.”

Her blush deepened, and she looked pointedly ahead of her as they slipped past the courtyard. Jasper kept it to himself how poorly she was hiding her fear. Coriander glanced about like a prey animal, searching for That Cat, and hoping it didn’t show up. She even held her breath until they reached the other side, as if she could cast a warding spell on herself.

Soon as they were across, her shoulders slackened and her breathing returned to normal.

“I can’t understand,” Jasper said, spooking her terribly, “why a single person needs so many shoes.”

“Um,” Coriander answered.

It cleared up nothing. Jasper did not push. Instead, he grinned and went on about his own opinion of shoes. “Of course, everyone needs more than one pair in their lifetime. Feet have a tendency to grow, and leather wears out. But more than one pair at a single time seems excessive. Especially when one must carry their life on their horse’s back.”

“You have a horse?”

“Oh, did I say horse?”

“Yes?”

“Silly me.” Jasper shook his head, and puffed his chest out importantly. “I meant the most magnificent steed this world has ever seen! Tall and sleek, with a long white mane, flowing like starlight in Hyla Lea!”

He seemed...too theatrical to be believed this time. Coriander couldn’t put her finger on how, nor could she bring herself to call him out. So she nodded, and asked, “What’s her name?”

Jasper faltered. “Uh— “

Coriander narrowed her eyes.

“Iris?”

She didn’t question him further, though there was a secret pride that she had caught him in a lie.

He went on about his shoes until they reached the shop, and managed to quiet himself enough to hold the door open for her. The act earned him a polite thank you before Coriander went on to greet the cobbler, a rough woman in her late thirties who, despite barely coming up to Coriander’s waist, could no doubt lift logs with a single hand. Nevertheless, she worked at her bench with the delicacy of a trained artist and hummed as she went. She smiled warmly, and greeted Coriander the second she looked up from her work.

“Got a friend today, Miss Tippit?” she asked, waving her awl to beckon them both inside. Though she kept her excitement mostly hidden, her grin could hardly be suppressed. She was a notorious gossip, and often filled Coriander’s visits with news around town to bring back to her mother.

Jasper smiled pleasantly, remaining until Coriander realized he wasn’t going to introduce himself. “His name is Jasper, ma’am. He says he’s a pilgrim.”

“Is he a good one?”

She looked helplessly to Jasper, not sure how to answer. He grinned that smug grin and stepped forward, bowing dramatically. “The very best,” he answered, and approached the work bench. “I’m travelling north to meet with King Erian and Queen Anielle, you see, and know the fastest route there.”

“Knittelnau is nowhere near the fastest route there.”

“Never said I was taking it."

They laughed together, and Coriander eyed them both warily. The cobbler, Olive Lyman, was kinder to Coriander than most in the town. She had large, calloused hands, dark skin, and a face that appeared angry even when smiling, but her demeanor left people with the same impression as a fresh-baked loaf of bread. She was a homemaker, and returned every kindness sent her way.

She noticed Coriander reach the workbench, despite Coriander’s wishes to remain invisible, and smiled. “The green shoes with yellow embroidery – that’s the pair you’re here for, right?”

Coriander nodded, and Olive went back to questioning Jasper, even as she stood up and looked through the boxes for the right pair. How he was liking Knittelnau, when did he arrive, and when was he leaving, and had he tried the baker’s honey bread yet? Coriander’s heart skipped a beat, especially when Jasper went quiet for a long moment.

“It’s a loss I’ll have to suffer, I’m afraid,” was all he chose to say, and turned to the shoes on display. They were all half-complete or too small to fit any feet of sensible size. Pet projects and experiments, Olive called them. Practising new ideas without wasting too many resources.

“Oh dear,” Olive mused, and said nothing more, though her clever brown eyes looked over Coriander’s reddened cheeks and understood. “How is your mother, Miss Tippit? Is her cough quite gone?”

It took a moment for Coriander to drag her attention away from Jasper to realize she’d been asked a question. “Oh—Yes, sorry, she’s feeling better. But she has a headache that won’t leave again. She wants to send for a hedgewitch if it doesn’t clear up.”

“Oh? And weren’t you telling me about the lack of funds you two had just last week?”

Coriander shrank back, lowering her gaze to the floor. “We’ll figure something out, I’m sure.”

“Perhaps if she stops buying so many extra trinkets and rings, you two would have a better time finding the coin to do so.”

She pressed her lips together and said nothing. Coriander disliked arguing at the best of times, and this was far from the best. But she wouldn’t dare think ill of her poor mother. Bestina Tippit was miserable, working night and day to care for Coriander, and deserved to treat herself to bits and bobs as often as she liked because of it.

“All the same, it’s thirty-five marks.” Olive presented the open box for Coriander to inspect.

She approached the table cautiously. The shoes were indeed as lovely as her mother had requested, with painted beads that looked like gold, and green satin to match her new gown, which would be finished just in time for Beltane. “They’re beautiful.”

Jasper was at her side in an instant, peering down himself. “They look like a wright cursed a pair of frogs, don’t you think, Miss Tippit? Like they had been two perfectly happy little things, ribbiting away in their pond, and in comes an unhappy magician and – poof – shoes they became!” He grinned.

Coriander’s ears burned, and she stammered senselessly. Graces, he was insulting Olive’s work right in front of her. How was she supposed to respond? Olive, at least, seemed amused by his theatrics, rather than offended.

Jasper deflated, losing his grin. He studied Coriander closely, arms crossed, serious as a scholar. She shrunk away from his gaze, but couldn’t find it in herself to step away. After an agonizing moment, Jasper grinned. “I’ll pay for half of it if we can squeeze a smile out of Miss Tippit. How does that sound, Miss Lyman?”

“It sounds a fine deal to me. She’s such a quiet girl, and a laugh would do her well.”

Yet again, Coriander wanted to disappear. She knew she was tolerably pretty, and more pleasant to look at when she smiled, but the idea of being put on the spot like this made her all but crumble into dust. Her heart quickened, knees quivered, and she fidgeted with a loose thread on her skirt, but her eyes remained trained on the two in front of her.

Olive, mercifully, remained in her seat, and smiled as pleasantly as she could, but Jasper was unbearably close. She half wondered if he was going to try to kiss her if it meant she’d smile, and it only made her ears burn redder.

“Or perhaps,” Jasper began, looping his arm through hers, “she would prefer we let her pretend she’s invisible for a bit longer.”

Guilt rose up in her throat, mixed with shame and relief in equal measure. While she wished she could have grinned effortlessly to make him happy, Coriander knew it would only look forced and unsatisfying. At least she would not disappoint him in that regard. She did indeed like to go about unnoticed, and all this attention was new and unsettling. Exciting, admittedly, but off putting. How did normal girls her age behave at times like this? How did normal girls think?

She looked up again to see Jasper and Olive talking once more, about her mother this time. “Oh, Bess is a sickly old thing. I say old, but she’s barely a year more than I. Poor woman is never properly well. If she isn’t coughing, she’s feverish. If she’s not feverish, she has headaches or heel spurs or ulcers. It’s a miracle her girl has only gotten sick once.”

“Is that so?” Jasper nodded sagely. “Miss Tippit is a miraculous young woman, indeed.”

Coriander flushed and looked away.

In the end, Jasper failed to drag a smile out from Coriander’s seriousness and shame, but he paid his promised part for the shoes anyway. “A pilgrim has no need for money,” he explained before she could so much as protest. “Not when there’s adventure to be had instead.”

She was quite sure pilgrims and adventurers were not the same thing, but kept the thought to herself.

Olive insisted Jasper return before he left town to see if his shoes needed mending, but let them go without much ado. She would be visiting later that week anyway, no doubt.

They made their way back to the original Courtyard where Coriander hesitated once more. She had no more errands that needed running, no more plans but going home, and her mother did not enjoy unexpected guests.

“Well,” Jasper said before she could decide on how best to excuse herself. “That was quite fun, Miss Tippit, but I ought to find my way to an inn before the good rooms are all taken up by more exciting travelers. Would you point me in the right direction?”

Shame clouded her mind for a moment. Had she bored him? Was he unhappy being around her? Perhaps he had simply realized she made poor company, and wanted to seek out someone better than her. All the same, she looked down and nodded, trying to think of the right thing to say.

Before she could, of course, Jasper insisted, “But we must meet up again tomorrow, don’t you think? I still need a guide in such a lovely town, and I can think of none better than you.”

He was surely saying it out of pity, she thought, even if his smile seemed real. Still, Coriander nodded, offering directions to the tiny inn that saw less business than a calligrapher would underwater. With a sweeping bow and another smile, Jasper wished her, “A most delightful afternoon to you, Miss Tippit,” took his leave

Coriander herself adjusted her hold on her basket, overfilled with items she’d purchased for her mother that day, and made her way home.

[give-me-a-thousandkisses]

Face it, Claire: You aren’t the only one who’s in love with the King of Men.

In Sunday’s episode of Outlander, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) comes face-to-face with Lord John Grey (David Berry), a character who opened his heart to Jamie (Sam Heughan) earlier this season. After filming the scenes for “The Bakra,” I caught up with Berry to chat about his character’s journey and what it was like to shoot the pivotal moment when he reunites with the [secret!] object of his affection in Jamaica.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Before we talk about your work this season, did you ever have a chance to read Voyager prior to filming? DAVID BERRY: I did not. I would have had to be the world’s quickest speed-reader because, as I recall, I did the audition and then the next thing I was on a plane. The only thing I could do was cram my lines. I wasn’t completely familiar with all the words I was saying. I was saying stuff about Helwater and stuff and not really knowing the import of that.

Let’s talk about doing those scenes with Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan at the ball in Sunday’s episode. We were interested in trying to go at the love triangle — at least, I was trying to inject a bit of that tension. On set, we kind of mocked it or at least tried to in a very playful way, this sort of cattiness that these two might have had [over Jamie]. It was quite funny. There are definitely tensions running high, and when Lord John Grey first sees Claire, it’s a moment of absolute shock. But in Lord John fashion, he has to protect himself from being seen. There is sort of an awkward moment between all three of them.

Did you fly down to South Africa to shoot those moments? No, I do not go to South Africa. Most of my scenes were filmed in this wonderful library in Edinburgh. Edinburgh played for the Caribbean. That was the ballroom of the governor’s mansion.

Let’s go back to earlier in the season and chat about that scene at Ardsmuir Prison where John Grey reveals himself emotionally to Jamie. What was that like to shoot? Did you have to do it over and over? Yeah, I did. I must have done that take probably in the vicinity of 10 times. Each time I was like crying. At the end of the scene I had to get the tissues out and redo it again. It was exhausting because it’s such an emotional roller coaster, these two guys remembering their lost loves.

How was it doing the scene where Jamie offers himself up to John Grey outside of Helwater? That was a tricky scene for both of us, for a couple reasons. It was tweaked by the writers up until the last minute. So, it was just difficult thing. And I think for Sam — I don’t want to speak on his behalf, but it came as a bit of a surprise to him that his character does this. So I think it came as a surprise to the audience. We discussed the kind of reaction to have there. It’s just such a fine line to tread. You don’t want to undermine or humiliate Jamie at that point. But it’s also something that Lord John is. It’s his most deepest desire. So it’s an awkward situation, and that awkwardness kind of helped.

Do you think John Grey was okay with getting married to a woman? I think he’s quite self‑assured. I think when he said that he’s getting married, he was like, “I really like this.” I think that’s the way these people lived in that period. Lord John is happy to live in conflict with himself, or that at least he’s comfortable with that. The world he lives in is complex.

Have you acquired a new fan base because of the series? Yeah, absolutely. The fan base really drives the show, and meeting them has been truly life-changing because they’re so passionate and engaged in the show. Always, in the back of your mind when performing these things, you think, “Are the fans going to like this?” It’s an important part of the whole thing.

I read your your mother-in-law is a huge fan. Did she really encourage you to take the role in Outlander? Yeah. Yeah. She was a massive fan of the book series before I had been cast. She was over the moon when I got it. So whenever I go meet her, she wants all the behind-the-scenes gossip. It gets a little bit awkward because I can’t say anything. I remember when [my son] Alexander was born. I started calling him Little Lord Berry. He wears that name a little bit now.

Little Lord Berry��😍😂

[mpetschdaily]

Riverdale's Madelaine Petsch on Why Cheryl Blossom Doesn't Need a Love Interest: "She's an Independent Woman!"

The premiere of CW's newest series, Riverdale, got off to a literal bang with the murder of Jason Blossom, the ex-boyfriend of Betty Cooper's older sister, Polly, and the twin brother of one of the most fascinating and rich new characters on TV right now: Cheryl Blossom. Played by 22-year-old newcomer Madelaine Petsch, we'll watch as Cheryl comes to terms with her brother's death while still maintaining a facade as queen bee of Riverdale High.

"It's kind of the perfect break," the natural-born redhead shares while driving around the series' home city of Vancouver. "The beauty of my character specifically is that she's not just one note. She's an independent woman who can hold her own."

The same can be said of Petsch herself. "I've been working on this career path of mine since I was three years old," she tells us. "I've known what I wanted to do. So, this means that all the things I’ve known about myself, felt about myself, and the confidence I've had was not misplaced. This is really where I belong. I've always known that, but that kind of confidence boost is necessary when you’re rejected so much in this industry."

While Cheryl might face rejection from those who decide to stand up to her wrath, Petsch is about to feel a whole lot of love from an audience that's been waiting for the next Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars. "I’m so happy I get to do Riverdale, and I love the people I’m doing it with. I’ve never been happier."

But first, there are lots of questions to get to; namely, who the hell decides to dress up for a boat ride at 6 A.M.? And was that bullet really meant for Jason Blossom? Petsch is about to answer all that and more, below.

 Glamour: You've always been a big Archie Comics fan, which Riverdale is loosely based on.

Madeleine Petsch: Yeah, I definitely was. Archie Comics sent me vintage Cheryl Blossom comics, so I have a bunch of beautiful ones. They also send me all the covers they have now of the new Archie. I've got a crazy amount of them. And every time my mom goes to the supermarket, she'll turn all the pages to the back of Riverdale and leave them on the supermarket shelf—or she’ll buy them all—so I have so many Archie Comics! [Laughs] She’ll send me video of her turning them over!

Glamour: Speaking of your mom, tell me the story behind your first name.

Madelaine: My mom got to name my brother, so it was my dad who got to name me. My dad said to my mom right before she was going to have her C-section, "How about ‘Street?' I think ‘Street’ is the best name for our daughter." My mom started screaming and said, "There is no way I am naming my daughter ‘Street!'" And then she comes back after having me, looks at me, and is like, "OK, I understand Street. Why don’t we do ‘Lane,’ like lane on the road, and we’ll call her Madelaine?’ That’s how my name came about.

Glamour: So what was your audition like for Riverdale?

Madelaine: I went in and saw David Rapaport, the casting director, for Legends of Tomorrow in [late] 2015. He was like, “I love you for this role," but [later said], "I want you for a pilot I’m casting right now." He brought me in for Betty Cooper on Riverdale a week later to meet producers. He said, "You're obviously not auditioning for Betty; it’s for another part that I can’t tell you about yet. You look exactly like I imagine her to look, and you’ve got the presence." So, they pinned me for the role after they met me for Betty, for four months. By that point it was early January [and I] read for producers for the role of Cheryl. [The director and producers] were like, "You’ve got this role." They brought me in for studio testing, network testing, chemistry reading, etc. When I eventually got the call [that the role was mine], I started crying.

Glamour: Your first scene in Riverdale is in a boat on the water. Ironically, you're terrified of water in real life.

Madelaine: Yeah, I’m afraid of open bodies of water. I was in a glass-bottomed boat that broke a long time ago, so I’ve always been kind of freaked out. I took a 16-hour trip to Norway on a boat that freaked me out, all of that. When I read the script for that scene in Riverdale, I assumed they'd use a stunt double in the boat. When I got to set, they were like, "So, we’re gonna put you in a wetsuit." And I was like, "Excuse me? A what?"

Glamour: So then what did you do?

Madelaine: I was like, "You know what? I can handle this. It’s gonna be OK." Then I found out the person rowing the boat was no one who’d ever rowed a boat before—it’s the guy who plays my brother, Trevor Stines. They were like, "It’s OK, we gave him a quick five-minute course on how to row a boat. We’ll have a giant buoy about a hundred yards away from you. Everything will be fine." But me being me, I was having a panic attack. No one knew I was freaking out. I had to wear these beautiful Valentinos in the boat when I got in. So, I was terrified of stepping in the boat, but then I got in and Trevor was amazing. It was great therapy, but I was still terrified. Once we started shooting, I was fine. I was like, "It’s fun. It’s Cheryl. It’s not me." But getting into it, I was terrified. You can ask Trevor. I thought I was going to die.

 Glamour: Cheryl and her brother take the rowboat out on the lake at 6 A.M. on the Fourth of July all wearing white. Why?

Madelaine: The 6 A.M. going out—that will be answered later on in an episode. That’s something that’s a huge plot point. But the white, I think, is a kind of an aesthetic thing, to try to be a dreamy-sequence type look. Also, it’s to show the closeness between Cheryl and Jason. That’s the first time you’re introduced to the twins—and with the white and the matching outfits, it puts it in an eerie setting.

Glamour: Their relationship is a bit creepy. Will that be explored more?

Madelaine: Yeah, as much as it can be. There was never an intimate sexual relationship, of course. This isn’t a plot spoiler, but Jason was the first person who ever loved Cheryl unconditionally. She didn’t really know how to feel about that because she never felt it from her parents or her friends before. To her, he was her “person," her other half, her soul mate, as she says in the pilot. Losing him kind of explains a little bit why she lashes out so much.

Glamour: Before they get in the rowboat, Cheryl says, “Are you scared, Jason?” Why?

Madelaine: You will know exactly why I say that in episode three.

Glamour: Oh, I like that. Will viewers find out who murdered Jason by the end of season one? Or does the reveal come much earlier?

Madelaine: We just read the script last night, and we all found out who killed Jason. So, in episode 12 you find out. By episode 13, I think you will understand the whole spiel.

Glamour: Cheryl has some of the best lines on television. What's your favorite?

Madelaine: In the premiere, Archie and Veronica go in the closet together and that causes a whole problem with Betty. In episode two, I’m having a conversation with Betty and Veronica. Veronica kind of interrupts me, and I say, "Butt out, closet monster!" [Laughs] It’s my favorite!

Glamour: You must have the best times getting to say these lines. I would think this is like dessert for you.

Madelaine: Oh my God, every day is like dessert for me. And not only does she get the best lines, to be sassy and mean, but I also get to have [so many] emotional [arcs] on the show. I pretty much cry in every episode, I'm mean in every episode, I laugh in every episode. I get all the juicy things every actor wants.

Glamour: Cheryl seems so spoiled and mean at first, but we'll see more humanity to her as the series goes on. Who is Cheryl at her core?

Madelaine: She is a lost, innocent, little girl trying to figure out who she is and doing a pretty bad job of it. I mean, she doesn’t have love coming from anywhere in her life now that her brother is gone. Even before that, she still didn’t really know who she was. So, my true believing and understanding of Cheryl is that she’s very lost, very naive, and she’s used to everything being handed to her on a silver platter. She’s this kind of broken girl, who wants to see other people as broken as she is. She’s from a very broken family life.

Glamour: One of my Glamour colleagues likened Cheryl to the Regina George or the Blair Waldorf of the group—the queen bee, if you will. Is she bucking stereotypes here or no?

Madelaine: Well, the way the writers write the show, they make it so pointed. I think they’re making a comment on that stereotypical queen bee with Cheryl's character, in general. She is the most catty-like character by far, and I love it. I think that is the point they’re making, that that is the queen bee archetype. Do I think she’s similar to Blair Waldorf? Yes, absolutely. She has her moments; she is the queen bee of Riverdale High. That said, I think she’s much different than any other queen bee anyone has seen. Her brother gets murdered in the first episode, so you watch her go through turmoil and loss and abuse. There’s so much that happens to Cheryl; she’s not your typical queen bee.

Glamour: Will Cheryl get a love interest as the season progresses? Do you even want her to have a love interest?

Madelaine: Yes and no. There is a touch on a romantic fling in an episode later on in the season that I think everyone will love. People will go crazy over it. But, of course, Cheryl doesn’t get what she wants because why would she ever? And, no, I don’t think I want Cheryl to have a relationship. What I love so much about Cheryl right now is she might not be strong, but she’s still an independent woman who can carry her own, and she doesn’t need a man to do that. That’s beautiful, and I think we very rarely see that in teen television. I think very often, little girls look at these teen television shows and think, "I have to have a boyfriend because Blair Waldorf has a boyfriend, and she’s always fighting over boys!" I love that people can look at Cheryl and see she’s an independent woman who can hold her own and doesn’t have a boyfriend. I think that’s great.

Glamour: I love that. I feel like whenever she does get into a relationship, that person has to be someone who can truly match Cheryl and understand her as well.

Madelaine: Exactly. Of course, she’ll have her little flings. I mean, this is the CW, so there’ll always be some sexy moments for Cheryl. But I think when she finally gets a boyfriend, it’ll probably be in season two [hopefully]. She would never date somebody who would just take her crap.

Glamour: Now that you're almost done filming season one, what are your earliest memories of meeting the cast when you first got together for that first table read?

Madelaine: I remember meeting Lili Reinhart (Betty Cooper) at the airport. I met her once before, but now she’s my best friend. I live with her. I saw her at the airport; we had met prior, but not really quite talked. I was in line in front of her and was walking past her, and I was like, "I don’t really want to say hi because is that weird?" Which is so stupid now [because] I knew we were on the same flight. So, I walk past her, and she was like, "Madelaine!" And I was like, ‘Oh, hi! Sorry, I didn’t see you there." She’s like, "You looked right at me!" I was like, "Whoops!" We ended up talking then and kind of bonding over that moment, but it was so silly. And then, I remember, we were at the Sutton Place, where they put us up for the pilot, and Cole Sprouse (Jughead), Lili, Ashleigh Murray (Josie), Camila Mendes (Veronica), and I met for the first time. We all DM’d each other on Twitter, like, "Let’s all go to the hot tub and meet for the first time." It was such an awkward, weird thing. I was like, "Are they going to love me? Are they going to hate me?" Now, we’re the closest family unit. We talk every single day. It’s just funny to look back because you never know what’s going to happen. We could’ve all easily hated each other, but it was such a good blend of personalities. I remember seeing Ashleigh [in the hot tub] and she has an amazing six-pack, and I was like, "Oh my God, girl, you have to share your secrets with me!" She said, "I eat burgers every day and I don’t work out!"

Glamour: She told me that too when we first met! Before you go, let's play some fun superlatives. Who of the cast would you most take to go shopping for clothes?

Madelaine: Camila Mendes, 100%, no question. We have very similar fashion sense

Glamour: Who would you most want to make you dinner?

Madelaine: Uh, probably myself?! Nobody really cooks on this show!

Glamour: Who is the on-set crush?

Madelaine: K.J. [Apa, who plays Archie]. Totally K.J.!

Glamour: Who’s the mama bear of the group?

Madelaine: Madchen Amick [who plays Alice Cooper].

Glamour: Who is most likely to go out and explore Vancouver during the weekends?

Madelaine: Cole Spouse, definitely, because he's a photographer and shoots all the time. He’s always scouting for locations. He'll be like, "Anybody want to be my test subject for this location I’m at?"

Glamour: And who is the best secret keeper?

Madelaine: Lili. We live together, so we can talk about my relationships or personal lives or whatever, and I feel like she’s always got my back.

Riverdale airs Thursdays on the CW at 9 P.M. ET.