Archie Comics has a storied history, one that stretches back over 75 years and thousands of comics. When The CW announced that they were reimagining the Archieverse with Archie Horror creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa at the helm, we knew it would likely subvert the tropes that the comics have followed and, in some cases, even created. The dark world of Riverdale has quickly become another iconic interpretation of these classic teen characters, with the creators and cast clearly enjoying the chance to adapt and subvert characters from the beloved books. When we visited the Vancouver set of Riverdale, we spoke to the effervescent Cole Sprouse about how much fun it is to play with expectations and satirize age old archetypes all whilst creating something entirely new.
Cole is incredibly eloquent and personable, and his enthusiasm for the show and its obvious quirks really comes across. When speaking about Riverdale’s flexible adaptation of the comics and their tropes, it was evident that Sprouse is enjoying the freedom and absurdity of the experience. “It’s great! I mean, it’s funny. Archie Comics in very many different ways, because it’s such a long-lived property, is responsible for those archetypes, which were later taken off with and became sort of the stereotypes of not just teen dramas but all kinds of mixed media. I think for us to be able to use those original ones and to amplify them to a degree–to not necessarily make them caricatures but to do something of that sort–I think it’s a blast,” Sprouse told us.
Cole clearly knows his Archie lore and is a dedicated student of the masses of canon, something that he feels adds to the show and its ingenuity. “We have the tremendous luxury of having 75 years of source material to pull from, which is something that almost no production gets. It really puts us in an unique place to poke fun at it and acknowledge what it is and simultaneously take it very seriously. I think, for me, the most enjoyable part is that–and Jughead specifically, because he’s probably the most different from the comics than the rest of the core four–we get to take these characters and make fun of them in a sort of meta sense,” Sprouse explained thoughtfully.
Celebrating the classic camp of the comics, Cole continued by acknowledging the wonderful juxtaposition of absurdity and deadpan at the core of Riverdale’s drama. “When we’re the characters and we’re in the town, everything [lowers voice] is taken so damn seriously. You know, maple syrup can become a bad guy! To me, that’s a blast. It’s always really fun. Can you imagine having to say ‘jingle jangle’ on screen over and over again? I think we didn’t stop laughing for the first four episodes!” Sprouse chuckled.
It’s good to know that we’re not the only ones who find Jingle Jangle hilarious. Are you a big Jughead fan? Can’t wait to to see what happens to your favorite Southside Serpent next? Or do you just really love Cole Sprouse on Twitter? Let us know in the comments!
Images: Archie Comics, CW
Keep hanging out in Riverdale with these stories!
- The Riverdale cast theorizes about the Black Hood.
- Riverdale goes Full Dark, No Stars.
- Get your hands on a Jughead beanie.
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