Riverdale star Madelaine Petsch used her down time on set to amass a huge following on social media
ART DIRECTOR ELLA MCNANEY PHOTOGRAPHER BEN COPE HAIR STYLIST KEN PAVES MAKE-UP ARTIST ELIE MAALOUF FASHION STYLIST RIMA VAIDILA HAIR ASSISTANT GRAHAM NATION STYLIST ASSISTANT HEATHER PARDIEU PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS NORIO CHALICO, CATHERINE FORSYTH LOCATION SEAN KRAJEWSKI
ARTICLE CHRISTIAN CHENSVOLD
The general public — and even those aspiring to a career in show business — often don’t understand the hard work behind all the glitter and fame. But for Madelaine Petsch, getting up at 4 AM and working 17-hour days, sometimes for weeks on end, is nothing to complain about, since she loves what she does and will do whatever it takes. “You have to love what you’re doing,” she says, “or else it’s going to show up on camera.”
Connections and talent are necessary parts of the success package, but making it also requires a tremendous work ethic. “If you want to work in this industry,” says Petsch, “you need to have the drive, passion and tenacity. Even if it’s a 24-hour shoot in the middle of winter, I’m still loving my job.”
The quality of tenacity may not be glaringly obvious, since 23-year-old Petsch says some think she was an overnight success. In fact it was four years until her big break, and the process of securing her role on Riverdale took six months with numerous callbacks and tests. To Hollywood newcomers, she advises patience, “because it’s not going to happen overnight.”
To keep herself busy and career-productive during down time on those long shooting days, Petsch launched a YouTube channel to connect with fans, and soon amassed nearly a million subscribers in just a few months. She considers it an honor and tremendous opportunity to have a voice capable of reaching so many people, and relishes the ability to share positive messages with her following. She has opined on such topics as keeping positive attitude, staying fit, and the importance of nutrition (she advocates careful portion control and veggies with every meal). And while some in Hollywood may find social media a wonderful tool that comes with a double edge, Petsch has found nothing but positives from Instagram and YouTube. “I find no negatives in my industry,” she says. “The reality is that social media is part of your job now. It’s a powerful thing and we’re at a very powerful time with celebrities in the limelight, and especially as a woman I find it very powerful to have social media. I don’t think it’s bad at all. The whole #timesup movement happened over social media, so we’re so lucky to have that platform.”
Petsch’s current ambitions are simply to maintain those long shooting days. “The biggest challenge as an actor is to remain consistently working, so if I can do that, I’ll be happy.”
