When Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart were cast as Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper on the CW
series Riverdale, fans watched as an on-screen romance unfolded between their two Archie
Comics characters.
But did life imitate art?
“Are you dating?"
"Was that a question or a statement ‘cuz you’re right”
You'll probably never hear them give a tell-all about how the pair went from co-stars to more
than friends, but we've managed to spot some rather unorthodox elements about Hollywood's
apparent new "It" couple.
Just friends?
All you have to do is look through their social media feeds and you can tell that Sprouse
and Reinhart have a thing for one another.
Reinhart has even crept her way inside Sprouse's inner circle by spending a day out on the
water with his twin brother, Dylan.
So she's met his family, they spend an insane amount of time together, and they were even
caught playing handsies during an on-camera interview.
Swoon!
So why all the secrecy when it comes to actually confirming their real-life romance?
"Lili and I play characters who are dating, so just about any time she and I go out into
the wilderness, it's Oh my god!"
He further explained the Instagram photos that have sent fans into a frenzy...
"But truthfully, I'm a sucker for friends, fashion, and framing."
Wait, did he just call her a friend?!
Yes, he really went there.
Demanding on-screen kisses?
Every time Riverdale features an on-screen smooch between Reinhart and Sprouse, our hearts
just melt.
Their chemistry is undeniable, and they seem to effortlessly display the ebbs and flows
of their characters' relationship.
When Sprouse visited Live with Kelly and Ryan, the show rolled a clip of one of Bughead's
passionate kissing scenes, which led to the co-hosts inquiring about what could be in
store for Jughead and Betty's relationship in the future.
“They're contractually obliged to give me as many kiss scenes as possible this season.
I wrote it into my contract."
He's obviously joking, but, even in jest, his statement shows just how weird his alleged
relationship with Reinhart really is.
He shies away from confirming their coupledom, but never hesitates to make statements that
he knows will send Bughead shippers into a frenzy.
She’s “very comfortable”
For Reinhart, kissing Sprouse is just another day on set.
After jaws dropped in season 2 when Archie and Veronica had the hottest shower makeout
session the tube has ever seen, ET asked Reinhart how she felt about filming intimate encounters
with her on-screen love interest, Sprouse.
"I feel like it's very comfortable at this point.
Um, I mean, I haven't done, it's The CW you're not going to get too crazy.
She also pointed out that being friends with her co-star made it easier:
"Plus you and Cole get along.”
“We get along.”
“You’re doing good.”
“We’re good.”
We see what you’re getting at...
Co-stars confirm it
Even when you go to great lengths to keep your romance hush-hush, it's only a matter
of time before someone else spills the beans for you!
This is exactly what happened to Reinhart and Sprouse, and all the juicy deets came
courtesy of their costar Skeet Ulrich, who plays Sprouse's on-screen dad, FP Jones.
Riverdale fans exploded in unison when Ulrich spoke about Reinhart and Sprouse's "great
chemistry."
But that wasn't all.
"They have great chemistry.
They've been at our house with a lot of the Riverdale people and they always enjoy each
other's company.
So I wish them the best.”
The reporter followed by asking if Bughead had a special connection off-screen...
"It seems like it.
It seems like it, yeah … You just hear them talking to each other like they've been best
friends for 20 years.
So it's a good sign."
Good sign indeed.
Avoiding the spotlight
Out of all the TV couples who've dated in real life, Reinhart and Sprouse just might
be our favorite of all time.
When V magazine caught up with the blonde beauty, she was asked how she deals with all
of the dating rumors while being in the public eye.
She answered,
"I'm not at a point in my life where I'm ready to openly confirm, deny, or talk about a relationship
that I'm in, because I think it's brutal to have a relationship in the spotlight."
Sure, but all the secrecy just makes fans try to connect the dots on their own, which
only adds to more chatter.
This leads us to pose the question: What is there to hide?
Even evidence can't get them to fess up
Just how serious are Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart about keeping their alleged love
private?
Well, they stepped out together, very together, at The Met Gala in May 2018, and still never
confirmed their relationship afterwards.
The month before that, the cat was completely out of the bag for the incognito couple when
they were spotted making out all over France.
And yet, in a series of Instagram posts, Reinhart insisted on referring to Sprouse as her "best
bud" and "BFF."
But wait, there's more!
When asked that same month by Harper's Bazaar about their down-low relationship, Reinhart
again refused to confirm or deny any official status by saying,
"I'm not going to tell you my love story.
That's just not appropriate right now."
We absolutely cannot deal with this rollercoaster of emotions!