Riverdale Stars Admit It's 'Difficult' Being 'The Butt Of A Joke' On Social Media: 'Our Show Is Made Fun Of A Lot'

Have you ever giggled at a ridiculous Riverdale meme or GIF on social media? Yep, the stars of the CW drama know you have.

"I think it's important to acknowledge that our show is made fun of a lot," Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty, tells Vulture in a far-ranging cast interview marking the show's farewell after seven seasons. (The series finale airs Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 9/8c.) "People see clips taken out of context and are like, 'What? I thought this was about teenagers.' And we thought so as well — in Season 1."

Reinhart also admits: "It's really not been easy to feel that you're the butt of a joke. We all want to be actors; we're passionate about what we do. So when the absurdity of our show became a talking point, it was difficult."

Riverdale started out as a noir-tinged teen soap, but grew increasingly outlandish as the seasons went on, with killer cults, magical witches and superpowers. (For a full rundown of Riverdale's wildest storylines, click here.) And Reinhart even acknowledges: "It is 'What the f–k?' That's the whole point. When we're doing our table reads and something ridiculous happens, [showrunner] Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa] is laughing because he understands the absurdity and the campiness."

Reinhart's co-star Casey Cott, who plays Kevin, says he and his fellow actors needed to fully commit to the ridiculous storylines: "It only works if we lean in." Plus, as Camila Mendes, who plays Veronica, notes: "We're a comic book; it's supposed to be fun and fictional and weird. If you want to watch a teen show where there's just a bunch of kids in a high school dealing with relationship drama, there's a lot out there."

Cole Sprouse, who plays Jughead, chimes in to suggest: "Go watch Euphoria."

Do you think Riverdale has gotten too over-the-top, or is that the key to its charm? Grab a booth in the comments and make your voice heard.