Lili Reinhart recalls being turned down for 'Riverdale' role

Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Riverdale star Lili Reinhart is looking back on how she was originally turned down for a role on the show.

The 24-year-old actress discussed on Tuesday's episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert how she was initially rejected to play Betty Cooper on the CW series.

Reinhart confirmed she auditioned by sending in a videotape from home.

"I self-taped from home and was actually told no, they weren't interested, they didn't want me. So I was like, okay, moved on with my life," she said. "And then I moved to L.A. and went in in person and then booked it. So I originally was told no off of my self-tape."

Reinhart told W magazine in 2017 that she spent three hours on her audition tape.

"I sent it in, and wasn't the girl. It doesn't surprise me, because I was in a [expletive] place when I taped that," she said while discussing her anxiety.

In the W interview, Reinhart also said most of the Riverdale stars "were turned down multiple times," except for Cole Sprouse, who plays Jughead Jones.

Riverdale Season 5 premieres Jan. 20. The season will open with milestone high school events such as prom and graduation before making a seven-year time jump into the future.

On The Late Show, Reinhart said she never attended high school prom in real life.

"I, unfortunately, I started online school when I was 16 so I could focus on acting," she said. "I saw all of my friends going to prom afar. I wasn't too upset about it because I told myself that I was going to have plenty of opportunities to wear beautiful dressed on red carpets, and luckily that happened.

Reinhart kept mum about the Riverdale time jump but did say Betty will be working as an FBI trainee.

Riverdale co-stars Sprouse, KJ Apa and Camila Mendes. The CW shared a trailer for Season 5 in December that shows Veronica (Mendes) learn about Archie (Apa) and Betty's (Reinhart) kiss in Season 4.