There are pros and cons of being a child star. Cole Sprouse shared that he struggled with his childhood fame during an interview with Us Weekly. He said, “I had some pretty bad social anxiety when I was little just because I was raised in celebrity culture, and feeling watched all the time." Some people might think being a celebrity is awesome, but that lifestyle actually isn't for everyone.

Many former child stars have fallen off the face of the earth, but that doesn't include Cole Sprouse. Cole rose to fame with Disney's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, starring alongside his twin brother, Dylan. He left the screen to pursue a college education and to live a "normal" life. There was a possibility that he might not return to acting, but he made a comeback after he graduated from college.

The hit TV show Riverdale brought the famous child star back into the spotlight after going on a hiatus, and he became successful after he accepted the role as one of the leading males: the mysterious aspiring writer-narrator, Jughead Jones. After Cole appeared on Riverdale all grown up, fans couldn't stop swooning over the handsome star. Here are 20 facts about Cole Sprouse!

20 He's Dating His 'Riverdale' Co-Star, The Stunning Lili Reinhart

Many Riverdale fans have wondered if Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart are more than just friends. Dating rumors started when Lili appeared on Cole’s Instagram as his photography muse in spring of last year. The young stars were later caught holding hands during an interview with the cast of Riverdale at Comic-Con in July 2017.

According to People, Lili was spotted wearing Cole’s “maroon blazer at the Entertainment Weekly’s Comic-Con party, and the two were later seen canoodling, holding hands, and kissing." However, Cole and Lili kept tight-lipped about their relationship.

When People Magazine asked Cole if he's dating Lili in November 2017, he basically said his personal life is nobody's business but his own.

The cast got together at the PaleyFest panel in March 2018, and a fan bluntly asked if Cole and Lili are dating. Lili covered her face with her hand while Cole responded, “No comment," before he awkwardly smiled. It got the fans screaming. A month later, the pair was photographed kissing in Paris. They were also spotted getting cozy with each other in Hawaii and Mexico.

Cole and Lili made their relationship official when they walked the red carpet together at the Met Gala this past May. They make a cute couple!

19 He'll Stop Playing Jughead If He Doesn't Enjoy It Anymore

Riverdale’s season 2 penultimate episode, ‘Judgement Day,’ had fans extremely worried about Jughead’s fate. He was seen getting beaten up the Ghoulies and Penny Peabody after he offered himself up to them in order to protect the Serpents. The gang also physically removed his Serpent tattoo, as he once did to Penny. The episode got even more intense when it ended with Jughead’s father FP carrying Jughead's seemingly lifeless body out of the woods.

Some fans couldn't believe that Jughead could be dead, and it certainly didn't help when Cole tweeted, “Grateful, thank you #riverdale.” Riverdale has written off some supporting characters, but to get rid of a major character seemed dramatic. Fortunately, the season finale showed that Jughead is very much alive. The show has been renewed for the third season, so fans can look forward to seeing more of Jughead and his on-screen romance with Betty (for now).

During an interview with Elle in April 2017, Cole told the magazine that he will continue to play Jughead “as long as it stays fulfilling.” He added, “But the second it stops being fulfilling I’ll leave.”

Because he left the spotlight before, it's possible that he might leave the show and break many fans' hearts all over again.

18 He Was Originally Asked To Play Archie In 'Riverdale'

First of all, Cole wasn’t interested in Riverdale when his agent sent him the script. He told WWD, “At first when I received the script for the Archie show, I was immediately turned off. But in more recent years, Archie comics have tried to stray away from the ‘golly, shucks Arch, let’s go to the sock hop’ thing.”

It’s more shocking that Cole was initially asked to play Archie! Can you imagine that?

While his change in hair color from blond to dark for the part of Jughead was a big contrast, it's hard to imagine Cole sporting the flaming red locks that Archie's character is known for!

However, according to WWD, Cole fell in love with Jughead's character because “he’s very much an outsider. He has a pretty unique perspective because he’s seeing the town and the friendships that are forming from a more objective point of view. He eavesdrops, he listens, he’s the guy with the camera, snooping, sleuthing, and in that way, he’s distanced himself from a lot of the people in the town, through his own fear of being vulnerable and his inability to cope with people."

Cole also wanted to challenge himself. He told Collider, “Jughead is so different from Cody, who I played just before, and so different from most of the other roles I played, as a child star. I really wanted to see if I could do that, as a challenge to myself.”

17 He Started Acting At Eight-Months Old For A Diaper Commercial

Cole is a talented actor, but it wasn’t his decision to have an acting career. His grandmother suggested that he and his twin brother, Dylan, try acting, and ultimately, their parents made the decision.

According to Cosmopolitan, Cole wrote in a Tumblr post: "My brother and I were put into acting when we were eight-months-old by our mother because we needed the money. I never made the decision to join the arts or acting specifically. It was never my passion. To be honest, if she never thrust me into it, I probably never would have thought of it as a career choice for myself.” Being a celebrity obviously has its advantages like making a lot of money.

His first acting gig was for a diaper commercial at eight-months-old with Dylan, and shortly after, they starred in Grace Under Fire for five seasons. Cole told New York Post, “I remember being on set and growing up on that soundstage and running around and causing a little bit of mischief. I haven’t watched it at all. I honestly could not tell you what that show is even about.” He had been acting for almost two decades before he went on a five-year hiatus.

16 He's 15 Minutes Younger Than His Brother Dylan

Cole is one-half of the Sprouse twins; the other half is Dylan. But are they identical or fraternal twins? Unlike Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who shocked their fans with the fact that they’re fraternal, the Sprouse brothers are indeed identical.

It was impossible to know who was who when they were little kids; however, it’s been easier to tell when the twins get older, which is interesting given that they’re identical.

The Spouse twins were born in Arezzo, Italy to American parents, who taught English at the time. Because they’re born in Italy and their parents are US citizens, they have dual citizenship. The family moved to California when the brothers were four months old, and their acting career began a few months later.

Who’s older? Dylan is by 15 minutes. He also had his first kiss before his younger brother. During an interview with Seventeen in 2008, Dylan shared that he had his first kiss when he was six years old, and Cole said he had his when he was eight. Later, when the child stars rose to fame with their roles in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and its sequel, Cole was Victoria Justice and Debby Ryan’s first kiss when they starred in his Disney show.

15 He Went To College To Break Stereotypes Of Child Stars

Why did Cole leave acting after The Suite Life on Deck ended in 2011? It's because the famous child star wanted to live a normal life. During his interview with Teen Vogue in June 2015, he said: “Dylan and I made the conscious decision to distance ourselves from the industry quite a bit. Right after [The Suite Life of Zack and Cody] ended, we were being hounded. So we really wanted to step out and fade away from the industry.”

Elle asked Cole why he chose to pursue a college education during his interview in April 2017, and he said: “[College] seemed like the most productive way to prove to people we were coming into ourselves. I was finding out my identity and growing by going to an institution where I could evolve and become more adept at understanding why I was thinking certain things, and how society viewed me.”

Because former child stars tend to have a bad reputation, Cole wanted to break stereotypes of child stars by attending college. After he graduated from NYU in May 2015, he wrote on Twitter: "We’ve tried to do right, to fix some of the negative stereotypes of child stardom. We've had some bumps, but I'm so glad we went to Uni."

14 He's A Former Disney Channel Star

Before Cole landed a role in Riverdale for his return to acting in five years, he was a former Disney Channel Star. He and Dylan had their own show called The Suite Life With Zack & Cody, and it had a sequel and a movie. Cole also made guest appearances on Wizards of Waverly Place and Hannah Montana.

When he was a teenager, he had a private tutor every day for three hours because the hectic schedule made it difficult for him to study.

Jughead Jones was different from his previous roles with Disney, so it was challenging. He explained to WWD, “Disney is very much a child’s theater — it’s a very specific kind of acting. It’s loud and boisterous with the goal to draw the attention of children and keep the attention of children, and it can kind of be cheesy and loud, and I had to unpack a lot of that, because as an actor you kind of internalize, and you basically become a character.”

Cole told E! News, “I don't come from a lot, so Disney gave me the opportunity to go to college, which is great. My brother and I are some of the first in our family to ever do that."

13 He Shared Roles With Dylan Before Going Solo On 'Friends'

The Sprouse twins shared roles for years since they were eight-months-old. After they appeared on the diaper commercial, the brothers went on star in TV shows and films. Because child actors have a strict number of hours they can work, Cole and Dylan took turns playing the role of Patrick Kelly in Grace Under Fire for five seasons. After the series ended in 1998, the twins got their first film role in Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy as the adorable kid, Julian. Cole continued to switch roles or act side-by-side with Dylan. They were the package deal.

However, Cole went solo in Friends as Ross’s son, Ben Geller, when he was seven or eight years old. According to his interview with New York Post in March 2017, people still recognize him from Friends. He added, “Having responded to a Disney show for such a long time, people can call me 'Ben' on the street and I will turn around.”

Cole and Dylan left Hollywood at 18 years old to go to college. After they graduated in May 2015, they decided to take their own paths. Cole made an acting comeback when he landed a role as Jughead in Riverdale, which premiered in January 2017.

12 He Had A Huge Crush On Jennifer Aniston

There's a reason Cole had a tough time working on Friends, and it's adorable. During his interview with New York Post in March 2017, Cole confirmed that he secretly had a crush on Jennifer Aniston. He said, “I had a really, really hard time working with [Jennifer] Aniston because I was so in love with her. I was infatuated. I was speechless — I’d get all bubbly and forget my lines and completely blank … It was so difficult.”

Isn’t that the cutest?! When asked if he had seen Jennifer or any of the cast of Friends, he said, “No, I haven’t. If I saw any of them, I’d say, ‘hello.’ But it’s been a while and I certainly don’t look the same, so it’d be a hard sell. And if I did look the same, that’d be a little disconcerting.”

Cole played Ben Geller when he was seven or eight years old, and there's a scene where Aniston's character, Rachel Green, tries to stop Ben from playing a prank on his dad, Ross.

But instead of listening to her, he repeats everything she says to him.

Fortunately for his fans, they can re-watch all seven episodes of Ben Geller on Friends, because the show is currently available on Netflix.

11 His Face Was Used For A Book Cover Without His Permission

It was an unexpected surprise for Cole when a fan posted a photo of his face plastered on the cover of a young-adult romance novel from the Philippines on social media. He didn’t know anything about it, because it happened without his knowledge. He tweeted in March 2017: “Shoutout to this publisher for using my face as the love interest of a romance. A Heart Remedy From Mr. Heartbreaker, in trashcans near you.” It was only a matter of time before someone recognized the actor since he’s been getting popular again from his role in Riverdale after leaving the spotlight for years.

Cole isn’t the only celebrity who featured in the books published by the Philippines publishing company, Precious Hearts Romances. Fans replied to his tweet with photos of other book covers with faces of celebrities like Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Ariana Grande, Zayn Malik, etc. from the same company.

Some thought it might’ve been Dylan’s face on the book cover. Well, it wasn’t.

Cole tweeted: “to all of you who think that's Dylan's face and ~I~ can't tell the difference between my own [darn] twin, sit the [heck] down,” along with a photo of himself. They’re identical twins, but surely, the brothers know who is who.

10 He Got Into A Heated Argument With A Street Performer

Riverdale was filming an episode for its second season inside a Vancouver Art Gallery in Canada in July 2017, when their scene was abruptly interrupted. Despite the fact that the production team had a permit to film in that area, a street performer, Babe Coal, started playing her music really loudly nearby. Things escalated when Cole confronted her, and it was all caught on camera. According to Huffington Post, Cole said: “We can't film anything. I know you're asking for compensation. We're asking simply for an hour.” However, Babe refused to leave, and Cole lost his cool.

He then explained the situation to the crowd and even called her a “scam artist.”

Babe later went on a series of tweets, one including: “Riverdale cast and crew who surrounded me should be ashamed at how they treated me last night, you can’t treat people like that.” She also called out the actor: “Cole Sprouse acted like a spoiled brat and tried to bully me with his popularity. He has no idea that his actions make him look bad not me.”

There were mixed feelings when a video of Cole breaking the street performer's CD surfaced online. Many of his fans defended him, but there were others who thought his action was uncalled for and disrespectful.

9 His Breakup With Ex-Girlfriend, Bree Morgan, Didn't End Well

Before Cole started dating his Riverdale co-star Lili Reinhart, he was in a relationship with fellow NYU student and non-celebrity, Bree Morgan. They were together when he was living the “normal” life. It must’ve been nice to be in a relationship where people didn’t question his love life with Bree, as opposed to fans asking him left and right if he's dating Lili.

Cole and Bree met at NYU, and they started dating in 2013. They both loved video games. The last photo of them together was at his college graduation in May 2015. But seems like the pair didn’t break up amicably. Their Instagrams had adorable photos of each other, but Bree wiped out every trace of him as if they’ve never had a relationship, while Cole kept photos of her on his account.

However, Cole apparently threw shade at his ex-girlfriend on his Instagram with a photo of a broom and a caption that read: “Hope you had fun burning the only bridge in town. I’ll sweep up the ashes.” Some of his followers replied that they were confused because it was him who dumped her. As of date, Cole is busy with acting, and Bree works as a gamer in Seattle.

8 He Has A Degree In Archaeology From NYU

Many famous celebrities went to NYU Tisch School of The Arts, but Cole graduated with honors and a degree in Archaeology (Geographic Information Systems and Satellite Imaging, to be specific) from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study in May 2015. It shouldn’t be shocking given that he mentioned before in his Tumblr post that he wouldn’t have pursued an acting career if it wasn’t for his mother, who got him into it at eight-months-old.

Cole was working at an archaeology lab in Brooklyn, NY when he received the script for Riverdale from his agent.

He told People, “I had a job right after college. I put it all to use for archaeology, I was doing cultural resource management for a while, essentially bagging and tagging artifacts we had found for collections at museums.” He added, “I [traveled] to Germany, France, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Greece,” he says. “I was supposed to go to Egypt and Mongolia, but they both fell apart for political reasons and it was what I needed. I would be doing that right now if I hadn’t got the show.”

Nobody knows what the future holds. Cole might decide to step away from the spotlight again and go back to working in an archaeology lab.

7 He's Also An Up-And-Coming Photographer

Besides filming scenes for Riverdale, Cole is also a talented photographer with a keen eye for detail. His Instagram account is filled with stunning photos, and his works were featured in a number of publications. He took photos of Game of Thrones’ Sophie Tuner for W Magazine, Kendall Jenner for The Sunday Times, and Sam Smith for L’Uomo Vogue, to name a few.

During an interview with Teen Vogue in March 2017, he was asked what inspired him to go into photography, and he replied: “Photography is a pursuit that allows you to be very hands-on with what you show people of either yourself or the art you want to make, and acting is kind of the exact opposite. You do have a modicum of creative freedom as an actor, but you're still very much a cipher for other people's art. If you're a photographer, you end up being the raw creative force that allows other people to see what kind of narrative you want to be giving or what kind of art that you want people to see.”

Cole also told the magazine that if he wasn’t acting, he’d be a photographer full-time. But we can’t imagine someone else playing Jughead Jones. Can we?!

6 He Posts Pictures Of His Fans Secretly Taking Photos Of Him

Being a celebrity is hard; they’re always hounded by paparazzi, and fans also try to take pictures of them. That being said, Cole has another Instagram account, @camera_duels, and it’s filled with pictures he took of his fans secretly taking photos of him.

He was in Hawaii in January 2018 when he posted series of photos on his Instagram story of a woman googling his name in front of him at an ice cream shop — well, that’s awkward.

The woman later told Buzzfeed: “I was waiting in line when I turned around and saw someone who looked eerily like Cole Sprouse. I almost told him he looked a lot like Cole Sprouse, but then I realized that it might actually be him. Because I wasn't 100% sure yet.”

She added, "I decided to turn around and google the name quickly. (I actually googled Dylan Sprouse first, so I hope he didn't see that)."

"I had no idea that he was looking, and thought the phone was sufficiently hidden, but I guess I didn't do a good enough job because when I turned to ask for a selfie, he smiled and told me he'd seen me google him. I told him I was embarrassed, and we laughed and took a selfie!"

5 He Doesn't Want Dylan To Be On 'Riverdale' Or Even Watch It

A Sprouse twin reunion? Some of his fans followed him since his days on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. They would love to see the brothers act together again. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.

During an interview with Glamour, Cole said there’s “zero” chance of Dylan making a guest appearance on Riverdale. He said, “I wouldn’t want it, Dylan would never do it, and I think it would break [the] fourth wall too much… It would be super, super weird and totally not appropriate. I also just don’t think Dylan wants to; to be honest, I wouldn’t want to either. People want to see us on[-]screen together again, and that’s fine. That’s flattering, I guess. But if it’s going to destroy the kind of world that we’ve built [on Riverdale], it’s wildly inappropriate.”

He also doesn’t want Dylan to watch the show. He told Elle, “I don't really want him to watch anything I do and I don't really watch anything he'll do. We have a very easy time separating work and play and I wouldn't really care less if he watched or if he enjoyed it. I don't really have an easy time watching myself, so I guess I sort of imprint that upon my friends and family.”

4 He Considers Himself A Feminist

In March 2017, Cole tweeted a photo of an old magazine interview with his quote that said he looks for a girl who's "not so worried about how she looks that she has to put on pounds of makeup.” According to Elle, he was 11 years old when he made that comment.

Now that he’s all grown up, he understands that not every woman who wears makeup is insecure.

His caption read, "Do you ever stay up tormented by something you said a long time ago? Lol yeah me neither I was just asking."

During an interview with Elle, he was asked if he considers himself a feminist, and he said: “Yes. I think the core of that question is do you support equality for women, and of course. It's funny that it even becomes a touchy or sensitive thing for people to announce formally, it's kind of [...] ludicrous. There is not a question in my mind. There are, of course, places and spheres where I wish I would have done more to make those actions back up the title, but I think that's something that as I grow and I age and I get a little more agency within my society, I'll always try and work towards that.”

3 He 'Ships Betty And Archie As Opposed To 'Bughead'

Many Riverdale fans 'ship Betty and Jughead, but it seems like Cole doesn’t agree. During an interview with Elle, he was asked to choose between ‘Bughead’ and ‘Beronica (Betty and Veronica).’ He said he’s really tired of getting asked that question. He told the magazine, “The question we get all the time as a cast is, 'Are you a Betty or Veronica person?' I don't like that. I think it's hard and it also puts the cast members against one another in a strange and competitive way that makes me a little uncomfortable.”

Instead, Cole said, “I actually really ship Betty and Archie. When I would read the Archie comics when I was younger I was rooting for Betty and Archie way over any alternative. [I think I would have seen] that long-lived, childlike romance from two people knowing each other since youth as probably quite romantic. I am a sucker for that childhood romance narrative.”

Riverdale tried to give Betty and Archie a chance when they shared that kiss after Betty and Jughead broke up, and Archie and Veronica weren’t together anymore. Fans didn’t seem to like that very much. Some rooted for Betty and Archie at first, but things changed when ‘Bughead’ happened.

2 He Switched Places With Dylan At Their NYU Graduation

Cole and Dylan almost went to different colleges. Cole told Teen Vogue, “Originally we were [thinking of going separately]. We really wanted to get out of LA and we wanted to study in [the] city. We chose NYU because their arts program was great and they're a prestigious institution, but really because you're in a city. You're involved in a completely different way of life. You didn't feel trapped within a campus or in a bubble.”

Good thing they stayed together, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to play this prank!

The Sprouse twins took a leaf from The Parent Trap and fooled everyone when they switched places at their NYU graduation ceremony in May 2015. A month later, Cole confessed to Teen Vogue: “We actually received each other’s diplomas.” So, Cole grabbed Dylan’s degree in Video Game Design, while Dylan grabbed a degree in Archaeology. Dylan added, “In fact, if you look up my graduating photo you'll see. We just decided, you know, there's no reason not to. No one's going to notice.”

There are times when people can tell them apart, but they definitely looked identical at their graduation. The brothers wore the same purple gown and a cap with gold tassels, which means that they both graduated with honors.

1 He Wanted To Keep Jughead's Original Identity In Regards To Intimacy & Relationship Preferences

Jughead Jones has been more interested in burgers than romance, and Archie Comics revealed in 2016 that Jughead’s character is someone who’s neither attracted to men nor women. Fans have wondered if the character will be that person in the Riverdale series. Cole also wanted to play that role, but unfortunately, the show decided not to roll with it.

During Television Critic Association in January 2017, Cole told Hollywood Life: “Jughead will have romances with women … and burgers…” He added, “I come from an educational environment that really praises, as do I, the forms of representation that are otherwise lacking in our public media. But at the end of the day, I still had to do my job.”

A fan asked Cole on Reddit AMA whether he wants Jughead to still be an 'ace' or to continue his relationship with Betty. He responded, ”I continue to hope this question is asked, over and over, it will only increase visibility. Yes, I'm still a big proponent of this representation, and it needs to be done correctly.”

Jughead is romantically involved with Betty, but his original identity in regard to intimacy and relationship preferences might be revealed in the future. The show can have an interesting twist with a storyline about him slowly coming out after some self-exploring.

References: people.com, seventeen.com, elle.com, wwd.com, teenvogue.com, hollywoodlife.com, cosmopolitan.com, nypost.com, clevver.com, buzzfeed.com