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Luke Perry On Season 2 Of 'Riverdale'

Riverdale does such a great job of keeping twists close to the vest, not even key actors know about pivotal moments until right before production. Such was the case when Luke Perry was informed by showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa that his character Fred Andrews would be shot in the adrenaline-filled finale of the show's first season, just one day before they shot the scene. Perry likes it that way. For him, the twists and turns are what Riverdale is all about. Perry recently spoke to CBS Local about how the gunshot has changed Fred, how it will affect his relationship with Archie (KJ Apa), and what we can expect from the rest of season 2.

 

A lot of people weren't sure if Fred would survive after the shooting at the end of season 1. Did you guys go to great lengths during production to make sure no reveals would leak out leading up to season 2?

They've been very good at keeping secrets on this show. None of us knew in the first season who killed Jason (Trevor Stines). I mean, none of the actors knew until we flipped a page at the table read. In this particular instance, Roberto came up to KJ and I a day before or maybe two days before. They kept it under wraps so well they didn't even tell KJ and I until the day before they did it.

What's going on through Fred's mind now that he did survive?

I think what happens potentially to anyone who survives a gunshot: they can't believe they live in a world where people are shooting people. If this can happen, what else could happen? I think all of a sudden, you start to see the ripple effect of something like this. You don't feel like you're safe anywhere. Seriously, if something like that can happen, if Fred being in Pop's diner can take a bullet, then any bad thing can happen. He never really about that before. He's only got one kid, Archie, so it's really going to change him.

How do you think this will affect his relationship with Archie?

I think it's going to be tough because Archie reacts to this in a very different way from Fred. He starts to become a little disconnected and not like Archie. He becomes somebody that I don't even recognize.

Any other surprises we can expect from season 2?

Many surprises. That's what this show is about. They just keep twisting and twisting it. It's really something. This is the first time I've been on a show where I really like to sit down and watch it. It's such a big cast and I'm often not there when they're doing these scenes. Very impressed with the work that the young ones are doing. It's fun to watch.

 

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8p.m. EST on CW. For more info, check your local listings.

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