- Hi, Glamour. I'm Madelaine Petsch,
and today I'm going to be breaking down some
of my iconic looks from Riverdale.
[trance bass music]
This episode haunts me to this day.
This is from episode nine of the whole show.
We are wearing this lovely red ensemble.
All of us are in red, of course,
and I have this really cool custom cape on
that the costume designer made.
Roberto, who was our showrunner and creator,
specifically wanted me to wear a big cape with a hood,
which actually I end up doing a lot
throughout the rest of the show.
This became something that we continue to carry on,
which is pretty cool.
They made this from scratch.
I remember I took a really cute photo in the snow
when I was shooting it.
It was not warm though.
That was not a warm,
I don't think any of Cheryl's outfits
I've ever considered warm.
Comfortable, no. Warm, no. Cute, yes.
When I booked the show,
I got a call from our pilot costume designer, Hala,
and she asked me, "Are there any colors
that you don't like to wear?
Are there any silhouettes that aren't really you're into?"
And I was like, "You know,
I really don't like the color red."
Little did I know.
Little did little Madelaine know
that red was going to become the only color she wore
on the television show.
And I don't believe, still to this day,
any characters are allowed to wear that bright red.
And you have to get permission
to have red nail polish or red lipstick on the show,
which is really funny because Cheryl may have said
that she invented red in season three,
but I think she actually meant it.
I think it's real in Riverdale land.
This is from the Carrie episode, season two, episode 18.
The blood was sooo sticky.
It was corn syrup all over my body.
So every time that we cut,
I would go into the bathroom, and they had a C-stand
where I have to put my arms up on the C-stand
so that my arms didn't get stuck to my sides
and my armpits wouldn't come apart
because it was like glue essentially.
I dumped the blood on myself.
I had one shot of that prior
to this scene when I walked in,
and then they had to paint the blood
on the dress to match that.
Our costume department is so talented.
I don't know how they do it.
So, the dress blood was, some of it was the cornstarch,
some of it was painted on to match
because that's what happens in TV land.
And it was sticky.
And I really enjoyed my shower that night.
Ah, the red leather jacket.
I would call this an iconic Cheryl look.
I'm sitting in the Serpent king chair,
which was very, a very big deal according to Jughead.
Later, spoiler alert, I got kicked out of the Serpents
for doing dumb stuff like this.
When you mess with authority, it's what happens.
But this jacket was a very big deal.
Cheryl joined the Serpents, and we were like,
"How do we do this in a way
where it feels Cheryl and also authentic?"
And I said, "She should have a black Serpents jacket,"
and the whole costume department started laughing at me
and brought out the red one.
I feel like this could have been a moment
where Cheryl could have chosen
to blend in and join something and be a part of something,
but instead she chose to be herself and stand out,
which is ultimately why she got kicked out of the Serpents.
But it's a dope jacket. I love it.
I've seen a lot of people wearing it for Halloween,
which is super cool.
And I think it's definitely something
that will stand the test of time.
Like, I'll see this for the rest of my life.
Ah, yes. Of course.
My archery outfit, but of course.
This is from season three, episode 22: "Survive the Night."
This [chuckles] jacket was custom made
for me by the costume designer.
Again, most of my looks are, to be honest with you,
I'd say like 50% of them are made by the costume designer
and our amazing seamstresses who work nonstop and so well.
This is actually warm.
One of the only outfits I've ever worn on the show
that I can say is warm, maybe sweaty even.
And it's worn with these great red pleather gloves,
and I do archery in it.
That is only worn when I'm doing archery.
So there are certain things that are very iconic to Cheryl,
who she is as a person, and this is her archery coat.
So I only wear that when I'm doing archery.
This is one of those jackets where it's really cute on,
and it does what it's supposed to do,
but I did get bruises on my arms here
because the sleeves were a little tight.
And to do this with a 35-pound draw
for the bow over and over again,
I ended up getting bruises on my arms from it,
but we have since rectified it.
And we put, I don't remember what they call it,
gussets in the arms so that they're stretchier.
And then we also put a gusset in the side,
so I have a little bit more wingspan.
So, when I wear it later in the seasons,
in season four, five, and six,
it is much more comfortable.
Season three was more of a test run.
Yes, my cheerleading outfit.
Of course, it is shorter and tighter
than anybody else's on the squad, naturally.
It's something I've worn a lot.
The cheerleading squad is definitely
such a huge part of Cheryl's identity.
It was the first leadership position that she got.
And I think that she really enjoyed that
and likes bossing people around.
And also it was the first place
where she really felt like she belonged.
Listen up [bleep].
Appleyard is indisposed,
so consider this a coup.
And before any of you reptiles object,
a word to the wise,
you owe me this.
So, it's really important to her in her identity,
which is why when she graduated high school
and we skipped forward seven years,
I think it was really tough for her
to figure out where she belonged
because she was the cheerleading coach for a while.
And then something happens, which you'll see.
And she, you know, maybe isn't. I don't know.
We're not really sure.
We're still figuring it out,
but it's definitely hard for her to lose
that part of her identity
because it was so important to her.
It was the only place I think she's ever truly felt
like she could be herself.
This dress is interesting.
So on the dress,
there are strings of pearls and beads,
which would get stuck to my tights, which was very fun.
So I changed my tights a lot this day,
but I've loved the dresses the moment I saw it.
I felt like it would have the perfect moment
for it to shine on screen,
and we definitely found it.
It's quite short.
We have [chuckles] this really strange terminology
on the show called,
"Is it a sitting dress or a standing dress?"
This was obviously a standing dress.
A lot of my clothing is not sitting clothing
for reasons that I'm sure you can imagine.
I'm trying to get my girlfriend back in this moment.
And I'm trying to like kind of manipulate
and master the strings to get everybody to leave
so that we can be together and I can show her my surprise.
So, and it needs to be showstopping.
This is season five, episode 17: "Dance of Death."
This dress actually does have a story.
It's also easier to remember
because it was like four months ago versus years ago.
This was supposed to be a ministry outfit that I wore.
One of my many speech looks when I was giving sermons.
And I felt like it was time to shift
because she was no longer going down the religious path.
And this is kind of the first moment
where Cheryl discovered her strength
in her abilities in,
how do I say this lightly,
magical powers.
Call upon wind as I have once before.
Blow a cool gust across Archie's brow.
[tree branches blowing]
Call upon water where I saw my departed brother
in the icy depths of Sweetwater River,
and where I, myself, was reborn.
I wanted this look to be more
of Cheryl embracing Mother Earth
and embracing that side of her
because the scene is so much of her being confident
in her powers to save Archie.
And so we found this really cool red dress
that I felt like embodied Cheryl because it's red
and also worked with what's going on in her storyline
because it's more of her embodying her strength
with the elements and aligning with Mother Earth.
It was really important to me
that this was a different silhouette for Cheryl.
This is definitely more flowy.
And like I said, it feels a little bit more of the earth.
As of the earth or in touch with the earth
as Cheryl gets, this is it.
So, it was important to me for it to feel different
and for it to feel like a shift in her character
because this scene is such a big shift for her.
Season six Cheryl is leaning in to what she finished off
with doing in season five.
She is getting more in touch
with the magical part of the world.
Blood will be shed.
Demons will come back from the dead.
It is gonna be a wild ride, but I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you, Glamour.
It's been so fun revisiting
some of my favorite Riverdale looks with you.