Riverdale star Lili Reinhart says her complaints about feeling "like a prisoner" in Vancouver were taken out of context.
In a recent interview with Nylon magazine, the actor was quoted discussing her return to the hit teen drama's Vancouver set this month— more specifically, how B.C.'s COVID-19 regulations mean the Los Angeles resident is required to quarantine for two weeks, as has become the standard for anyone entering the province from outside Canada, and that she'll be required to stay in Vancouver until Christmas.
“I genuinely feel like a prisoner, going back to work, because I cannot leave Canada. That doesn't feel good. You can't go home for Thanksgiving, can't visit your family. No one can come visit you unless they quarantine for two weeks. It just feels f*cked," Reinhart said.
Following public backlash in response to the comments, Reinhart took to Twitter to say her complaints were "taken out of context."
Even still, Reinhart's tweets prompted some fans to speak out in the replies, with one tweeting, "Additionally, thousands, if not millions of college students simply can't afford to go home for Thanksgiving every year. They deal and look forward to Xmas."
Another wrote: "I had to cancel a trip home to see my family-it’s been 3 years. I’ve missed weddings and funerals. A close relative in another province has stage 4 cancer. Get over it. You’re making bank and can afford to isolate and see them again in 5 months. Others can’t"
As one Twitter user summed up, "It comes down to this: When you take the incredible career you have and compare the inconvenience of not being able to seen friends and family on demand to the horrifying experience of 'prison' you can expect a justifiable degree of 'grow up, girl' from your fans."
However, Reinhart, who's been candid about her struggles with mental health, did hop on Twitter this week to share some love for the city. "It’s a really beautiful, cool September night in Vancouver," she wrote early Tuesday morning.
"I’m sitting on the balcony with milo, listening to music. I know it’s the romantic in me, but I’m very thankful for beautiful little moments like this."
The Riverdale cast halted filming just as it was wrapping up its fourth season earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cast and crew returned to Vancouver this month to finish the last three episodes of Season 4 — “We stopped during the prom episode, so I have to fit back in that prom dress. Five months later, we're all going to be tan, maybe a little bit thicker,” Reinhart told Nylon — before they begin filming Riverdale's fifth season.
