In Riverdale, newcomer Veronica Lodge has a set of fresh eyes, while Archie, Betty, and Jughead have spent their entire lives in the little ol’ town of Riverdale. On The CW, Veronica is a New York girl, just trying to survive in the small town after her dad is sent to prison. That’s not her original story, though! Find out all you need to know about the iconic brunette since her creation.
What’s Veronica Lodge like in the Archie comics?
Some things never change! Ever since her first appearance in 1942, Veronica has been a fashion-obsessed girly-girl. As the heiress to Lodge Industries, Veronica’s wallet has an infinite amount of money in it, which doesn’t exactly help her shopping problem. There’s only one thing she loves more than fashion and that’s her beloved Archiekins – even if it means stealing him from her BFF, Betty.
Veronica Lodge showed up in the comics slightly later than Jughead, Betty, and Archie. In fact, her origin is a little shaky. Different comics note that Ronnie is somewhat of a high-society girl, who moves to Riverdale from either the nearby Beacon Hill, Boston, or New York. In Archie Comics #1 (Winter 1942), Archie Andrews accidentally mails her a letter asking her to go to the dance, instead of Betty Cooper, he tries to keep the date with both of them, thus creating their iconic love triangle.
Veronica has a lot of differences between the comics and the show Riverdale.
The differences are pretty obvious! Riverdale gave Veronica an intense backstory. Starting with the fact that her mother, Hermione Lodge is originally from Riverdale and moved to New York City after her husband and Ronnie’s dad, Hiram Lodge, is sent to prison. Veronica is a proud New Yorker, who isn’t shy about letting you know all the ways New York is better than Riverdale.
Besides the spooky murder-mystery plotline The CW added to the comic book characters, there’s also a huge update on the relationship front. Veronica doesn’t just pine after Archie Andrews. She wins his heart! The two of them have a pretty intense romance. But no worries, it’s not at the cost of poor Betty Cooper’s feelings.
Instead of fighting over the boy next door, Betty and Veronica are BFFs in Riverdale. They can’t help but get into fights here and there, but when it comes down to it, they will always have each other’s backs. Camila Mendes and Lili Reinhart, the lovely ladies who play Veronica and Betty, told us how they’re proud of Veronica and Betty’s friendship on Riverdale.
“At an early age, somehow we’re programmed to view other females as threats, and now more than ever, with the overwhelming influence of social media, young women are even more compelled to compare themselves to each other. It’s important to show them that our differences in appearance and personality should be celebrated, not criticized,” Camila told J-14. “Betty and Veronica are clearly very different characters, but their differences are what make them such a strong pair, and we want young women to feel inspired by that type of friendship.”
“I think growing up, the female friendships that I saw on television were portrayed as catty and vicious. It was like a constant battle between two women fighting back-and-forth over a guy or gossiping about each other. Betty and Veronica are both very supportive of one another on our show, which has been important to us from the very beginning,” Lili added.
“Before we even started filming Season 1 we knew that we wanted these girls to be best friends and to always there for each other. It wasn’t going to be fake. We wanted to show the love and support that they have to give. An earnest friendship. In Season 2, both of these girls are going through very different situations in their lives and they’re going to help each other the best they can by just being there and listening — being a shoulder to cry on if need-be.”
Some of Veronica’s major plotlines in the comic came from the fact that she can be a spoiled brat. Although Veronica in Riverdale loves shoes and jewels just as much, she cares deeply about her friends and families. She may have been a mean girl in her past, but not anymore!
One of the most important things that changed with the move to The CW is that Veronica Lodge is Latina. Riverdale star Camila Mendes is a proud Brazilian-American. In the show, Veronica and her mom speak Spanish every once in a while. Obviously, in Brazil, they speak Portuguese, but this is still a big step for diversity in television.
“It’s just so refreshing to see a different story being told for Latin families,” Camila told People Chica. “The Lodge family is a much-needed departure from the underprivileged, sleazy Latino drug-dealers we’re used to seeing in entertainment.”
Veronica Lodge has taken Riverdale by storm.
As soon as Veronica Lodge blew into town, she was thrust into Riverdale’s drama. But she didn’t even bat a designer mascara-coated eyelash! Instead, she helped seek justice for people she barely knew. After helping Betty and Jughead find Jason Blossom’s killer (not to mention dealing with her own family issues), Veronica won Riverdale’s real gem: Archie Andrews.
Then, in Season 2, her father, Hiram Lodge, who deals with all sorts of illegal stuff, is finally let out of jail, which doesn’t exactly help matters. Veronica spends her time protecting her friends and family. Her relationship with Archie has its ups and downs, but that’s pretty much what happens when a mysterious man called the Black Hood terrorizes your town.
But no matter what gets thrown Veronica Lodge’s way, she has the resilience to come up with a brilliant plan, execute it perfectly, and look good while doing it.
Who is actress who plays Veronica in Riverdale, Camila Mendes?
Born and raised in Virgina to two Brazilian parents, Camila Mendes graduated from New York University in 2016, just one year after her co-star, Cole Sprouse did! But they weren’t exactly BFFs.
“I mean, I saw him around and there was a time when we had class in the same building so I would always see him outside,” Camila told Office.
In fact, Camila notes that she probably talked to Dylan Sprouse more than she talked to Cole. Even in a city as big as NYC, it’s still such a small world. Riverdale is Camila’s biggest role yet! Who knows what she’ll go onto next? It’s going to be hard to follow a show like Riverdale!
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This story was originally published on December 11, 2017.
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