That age old Wilde refrain comes back to haunt us as some viewers of Riverdale are tasking way too seriously that the thought of life imitating art is an absolute. As with any relationship, saying “it’s complicated” is often truer than we would like to believe. In the case of Riverdale, the Bughead duet is actually dating in real life. In some ways the angst can be understood, but death threats to Riverdale’s new entry into the storyline, actress Vanessa Morgan, are way over the top.
It’s a fictional TV story people.
Of course, there are some whose very lives exist around the goings on of fictional characters. But when life imitating art is brought into the mix people can actually believe that Ms. Morgan will inevitably be the X factor that leads to the breakup of the real life couple, actors Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart. Ms. Morgan may be significant competition in the looks department, but we would hope that Cole is not so shallow as to be dating Lili solely based on her professional looks and performance.
The upcoming storyline definitely sets the tone for the potential interference by the show’s new character, Toni Topaz. Betty and Jughead are going to different schools, so there is room for Toni to place a wedge between the happy duo. That said, the fact that the storyline is drawing so much preseason attention is great buzz for the show and its direction.
Threats to Vanessa Morgan were first revealed in her interview with Glamor magazine. To her credit, she is not taking the threats seriously, saying that they are only “half-threats.” But Hollywood can be an insular place for actors, believing that until they become very high visibility in the public arena there is little to worry about. Perhaps the thinking is that the fans who love her will act as a barrier between her and the actual nut jobs.
One dimension of this that can be easily overlooked is that Vanessa, Cole, and Lili will all be working together in real life. So maybe there is more to this than the Riverdale show or the fictional characters. Morgan may be a way to move on from Betty in the long term it was announced that Lili Reinhart will be starring in the upcoming Galveston film. She has a strong acting resume, and moving on to the movies is a natural and more profitable direction for her career. Perhaps writers and producers are wondering how fans will react if another actress replaces Lili.
Lili Reinhart does not seem to be worried about the storyline or about Morgan in personal life. In fact, she came to her defense on her Tumblr account basically telling people to stop with the violent overtones and messaging. As for the drama as to whether Toni Topaz will actually come between the Bughead couple, Vanessa Morgan cautions fans not to jump to conclusions. Does she know something the fans don’t?
There is the possibility that Toni Topaz being cast as a bisexual is causing the stir. But one would hope that in today’s enlightened culture such casting would not be the basis for death threats. The number of TV shows to choose from is mind boggling, and if this current minority of fans who object to the casting really want to make a statement they can just stop watching and make their voice hears through a boycott.
