Lili Reinhart is a household name, though you’d never know from the candid and honest way she holds a conversation.
Since gracing our screens as Betty Cooper in 2017 (blonde ponytail intact), the cast of Netflix’s Riverdale, Lili included, have been a runaway hit. And while her acting career didn’t begin with Riverdale, the [almost] three years since have been a whirlwind. Working alongside Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu in 2019’s Hustlers, starring in and executive producing upcoming drama Chemical Hearts and becoming the face of COVERGIRL’s Clean Fresh makeup range, Lili’s trajectory is on the up and up. But with this level of success, comes a host of other problems, especially for a young woman navigating fame in 2020.
An impressive resume (to say the least), but the most interesting thing about Lili by far is her thoughtfulness. We caught up with the COVERGIRL ambassador to discuss all things mental health, where she stands with online trolls, and why her beauty routine is so important.
One of Lili’s biggest learnings from living in the spotlight has been the importance of privacy and having boundaries, she says. “For myself, in the public eye, obviously, there are certain aspects of my life that I like to keep private. When it comes to any relationships that I’m in…also my family,” partly for their own safety, she explains. “But I think also just the awareness that anything you say can be taken the wrong way, so…I’ve definitely learned to be more aware of the things that I say and how they might impact people…you know. [So] to just be aware of that and prepared for that.”
However, the star’s personal boundaries and consideration for others hasn’t stopped her from speaking to issues of importance. Tackling body-shamers on social media, opening up the conversation about mental health, and coming out as bi-sexual in support of a Black Lives Matter protest, she is nothing if not a positive role model for the new generation…a generation that is curious, educated and socially aware. And with an Instagram following of 24.4 million, Lili’s voice is particularly loud.
No stranger to online bullying herself, sadly social media has made it all too easy to spread hate. “I think, if I’m having a bad day I tend to stay off social media, I tend to focus on myself, whether that’s reading a book to make me feel better, or writing…[sometimes] I seek out a friend to keep my company,” she says. “I also talk to my mum. I rely on and reach out to people when I’m having a bad day.”
Off the back of her own experiences, Lili’s advice to her young audience is to always have empathy for others. “You’re taught a lot about bullying and standing up for yourself…[but when] you start talking about mental health and diving a little bit deeper into it…you start to realise the phrase ‘hurt people hurt people’,” she explains. “Bullying and people who bully people are often struggling [themselves], have low self-esteem or are in bad home situations…and you know, it’s kind of like when people are bullying you, it’s a reflection of their own insecurities. So, when you look at a bully in that way, in the sense that their actions and how they treat you, is really just a reflection of them and not you, it’s a lot easier, I feel, to keep going and to move on and kind of let things roll off your back,” she says.
“[Mental health] affects everyone in the world. I think we’ve gone long enough without taking it seriously”
“We talk about physical education in school but we don’t talk about mental health and [it’s] something that’s so relevant and important – it should be taught in every school, in every health class,” the actress insists. “You know, we talk about eating the right food and working out our bodies and we just skip over our brain and our emotional health, which makes zero sense to me…Oftentimes it can be the most important aspect of your life, your outlook and how you process things. So, it’s important for me to talk about it, to hopefully encourage people to normalise the conversation about mental health, to make it not such a taboo concept or such a weird thing to talk about. I think it’s a very human thing, and it should be treated as such.”
As an actress, producer and now COVERGIRL ambassador, Lili knows a thing or two about the relationship between beauty, self-care and self-worth. Her advice? “Giving yourself the time to not feel rushed when [you’re] doing your beauty routine is important. For the sake of making sure you’re actually taking care of yourself and not rushing through everything…I guess that’s kind of something that I keep in mind when I feel like I don’t have the patience to do makeup…I always feel a lot better about my look or my makeup when I actually stop and take the time to do it well and make sure I’m not just slathering something on my face and walking out the door.”
On her new gig as the face of the COVERGIRL Clean Fresh range, Lili is thrilled to be part of the beauty brand’s family. “It means a lot. It really, really is an incredible opportunity to work with such an iconic brand that everyone knows. [A brand] that is so inclusive of skin tone, race, and sexuality…especially with the Clean Fresh line – it’s cruelty-free, it’s such an important step in the right direction for accessible beauty, you know…[and] it’s affordable and accessible.”
Despite her accolades, experience and wisdom well beyond her 23 years, Lili’s down-to-earth nature shines through…especially when asked what social accounts she looks to for inspiration; “I feel like I follow a lot of dogs, they make me happy. I like seeing pictures of dogs, cute dogs, that’s all I need to get through the day,” she says.
We stan a relatable queen.
Shop the new COVERGIRL Clean Fresh Foundation here.