Lili Reinhart battled anxiety before finding fame on Riverdale
- Published
Riverdale star Lili Reinhart says she nearly gave up on acting because of her struggles with anxiety.
The 21-year-old, who plays Betty Cooper in The CW show, moved to Los Angeles when she was 18 to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.
"I had so much anxiety booking work," she told W Magazine, external.
"I spent five months holed up in this bedroom in this house feeling anxious, waiting for my next audition. It was the most miserable time of my life."
She said that after running out of money, she started a job as a waitress.
Lili Reinhart (right) appears in Riverdale with KJ Apa, Camila Mendes and Cole Sprouse
But she says she suffered the "worst panic attack" of her life in the back of an Uber after being told to go an find more suitable clothes.
"I threw up in my Uber because, one, I was carsick, and two, I was having a panic attack," she said.
"I get home, lock the door in my room, immediately Skype my mom and said, 'Mum, I'm not OK.'
"I had to get a brown paper bag and breathe into it, which felt so dramatic, but I really could not breathe.
Camila Mendes (right) plays new girl Veronica Lodge in Riverdale
"I felt like my world was crashing. I didn't want to admit defeat, but I was like, 'I need to come home. My mental health is suffering, and it is making me physically ill.'"
Lili says she then returned home to Cleveland, North Carolina, and began seeing a therapist she'd used in the past "to build myself back up again".
This is a promo video for the second series of Riverdale., external
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It was during that phase of her life that she first auditioned for the part of Betty Cooper in Riverdale.
She says she was turned down the first few times she tried out for the part, because the medication she was on to treat her anxiety gave her massive mood swings.
Lili uploaded a cast shot to her Instagram page., external
But she returned to LA and after being asked to audition for the part again, she was finally offered the role.
"I auditioned in person with a fresh take, and a fire under my ass that I hadn't had before," she said.
"I felt so close, and I had been so close to so many things before, that I didn't want to let this one slip through."
Casey Cott, Lili Reinhart, Kiwi actor KJ Apa, Cole Sprouse and Camila Mendes all went to Coachella Festival in April
She says her life is more settled now, despite having to move temporarily to Vancouver to film Riverdale.
With season two premiering soon, Lili says fans are in for more drama at Riverdale High School.
"Season two is kind of heart-wrenching," she says.
There are 22 episodes in the second series of Riverdale., external
"Betty is going through a traumatic situation, and your heart goes out to her, but you also see some new sides to her, which I'm super excited about.
"Season two definitely opens a door to showing different sides to all of these characters, and it is really beautiful to watch."
The second series of Riverdale premieres on Netflix in the UK on 12 October.
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