Lili Reinhart fans can't stop gushing over the romance between the Riverdale star and her onscreen partner Cole Sprouse. Yet the actress says that she does not want to be defined by who she dates.
In a new interview with Vogue, Reinhart, 22, talks about a recent magazine article that used Sprouse’s name in a headline about her, something that upset the actress who doesn’t want to become fodder for gossip columns.
"There is still a problem here if you feel the need to say a man’s name, or someone who is more famous that is connected to me, in order to get someone to read an article about me...I’m not a boring person," Reinhart told the magazine. "I don’t need someone else’s name on a headline to make me sound more interesting."
Reinhart, who has battled anxiety and depression, says acting is not just a nine-to-five job. “It’s not just a hobby. It’s what I want to do forever as a career. There was no Plan B. That was it. I needed to do that because my anxiety wouldn’t let me do anything else.”
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Reinhart fell in love with singing, acting, and dancing at the age of 10. After moving to Los Angeles at 18 for auditions, she became physically sick from depression and decided to move back to North Carolina to focus on her mental health. She then spent six months building up her strength to give it another go in Hollywood.
A month after returning to California, she was cast in Riverdale, a CW teen drama based on the characters of the Archie Comics in which the actress plays Betty Cooper, known for her intelligence and longtime crush on Archie Andrews. In the series, Betty has a dark side and a troubled family life.
Reinhart and Sprouse have been open about their relationship on Instagram, though their situation is nothing new in Hollywood where workplace romances are just as common as they are in the “real world.” Reinhart, who will speak about dealing with insecurity at Glamour‘s Women of the Year Summit on November 11, recently starred alongside Elle Fanning in Galveston, a thriller that premiered at South by Southwest in March and was released last week.
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Directed by Mélanie Laurent, one of the stars of Inglorious Basterds, the film, based on a novel by the creator of HBO’s True Detective, Nic Pizzolatto, has received positive reviews. Variety has described the film as “tough, uncompromising, and hauntingly believable.” Though Reinhart only appears briefly towards the end of the film, the role is a departure from her Riverdale character. She describes her part as small but powerful. The scene gives a glimpse of the work the young actress would like to pursue in the future.
