If there's one thing most teen dramas have in common, it's the presence of super steamy sex scenes. The CW's Riverdale is, obviously, no exception. After all, this is the series that had the internet losing its damn mind over Archie (K.J. Apa) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) getting hot and heavy in the shower during the season 2 premiere. (Obviously, Veronica kept her pearls on.)
Of course, while shows like Riverdale may make it seem like sex has to be perfectly lit, never awkward, and always cinematic, its star Lili Reinhart knows that, in real life, sex is an act between two people — and it's never the same experience.
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In her new Cosmopolitan interview with costar and offscreen pal Mendes, Reinhart got real about the misconceptions she once had about sex.
"The idea that sex is going to be the same with everyone — that's a misconception," Reinhart told the magazine. "That's how I felt when I lost my virginity — I was like, 'So this is sex!' And then you have sex with someone else, and you’re like, 'Holy shit — this is so different.' What you want, what feels good to you — it's all going to change with every partner you have."
That's a particularly refreshing statement, considering how many people (especially women) tend to put a lot of pressure on having sex for the first time. Even if you don't have more than one sexual partner over the course of your lifetime, it's a nice reminder that there's no "right" way to have sex or be intimate.
While Reinhart's Riverdale character Betty Cooper is iconically part of the Betty-Archie-Veronica love triangle (something that the TV show teases could be reignited after Archie and Betty's season 2 kiss) Reinhart told Cosmopolitan that she knows what it's like to deal with jealousy in relationships.
"I find myself thinking that they’re comparing me to their ex-lovers," the actress revealed to the outlet. "I know it’s a stupid insecurity, because I can’t control someone’s past or dictate who they slept with before me…and besides, they're with me for a reason."
At 21, Reinhart could definitely help the 16-year-old Betty deal with the pitfalls of first relationships and sexual experiences. Hopefully, Riverdale's resident Nancy Drew learns these romance lessons on her own time table.